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Ignite is proud to invite you to the annual Software Development Outsourcing Conference, which will be held on October 17th, 9:00 - 16:00, at Avenue Conference Hall at Airport City.
This year’s conference is focused on the growing shortage of skilled personnel in the Israeli software industry, and the outsourcing alternatives that respond to this problem, namely offshoring and nearshoring.

The agenda for this conference includes:

• Offshoring to India - Arun K. Singh, Ambassador, Indian Embassy.
• Ukraine-Israel Overview - Ehud Gonen, Ministry of Industry and Trade.
• Silicon Valley or Silicon Vaddi, Yanki Margalit, Alladin. The future of the Israeli High-Tech industry
• Effective Outsourcing! Aviram Eisenberg, Ignite. Creating a cost effective global delivery model
• The shortage in skilled personnel - expert panel including leading Israeli software vendors, leading service providers, and experts from the national and academic arenas.
• My offshore case study - offshore case studies presented by senior software development managers who managed offshore activity

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Software Development Managers Forum - The Benefits and Challenges of Offshore Development
Featured Speaker Ignite CEO Aviram Eisenberg shares tips for success.

By Yossi Hatvani

Is offshore development a viable solution to shortages of qualified software development personnel?
Fifty of Israel’s top software development managers gathered at Tel Aviv’s Recital Auditorium on December 4th to explore this and other questions posed by the growing popularity of offshore software development.

Speakers for the event included Ignite CEO Aviram Eisenberg. Eisenberg, a member of the organization’s Steering Committee, shared lessons learned from years of experience including his successful management of the establishment an offshore branch in Romania during his tenure at MIND CTI.

Eisenberg explained the importance of taking into account both the direct (i.e. salaries) and the indirect costs of offshore development. Of such indirect costs as rent, equipment, management and programming licenses, says Eisenberg, “The smaller the outsourcing activity, the higher the associated costs”.

According to Eisenberg, companies can minimize their risks if they carefully consider these important questions: Which region and country offers the best opportunity for offshore development of their products? Would it be best to establish the branch in a centralized location, close to an international airport, or a smaller city where costs are lower? How many hi-tech companies are located in the city? How much is corruption a factor in local governance? How will the teams be structured? What is the best way to bridge cultural differences and streamline communication between the onsite teams and the offshore teams? He also suggested a number of ways to retain workers including offering professional development programs, creating an ambassador exchange program in which onsite employees frequently visit the offshore location and vice versa, and offering employees loans that eventually become grants.

The Difference Between Failure and Success: The Human Element
Aviram Eisenberg, Club SD, Former Chief Architect MIND CTI discusses with Eyal Katz, Club SD Chairman how to move up the ladder, Club SD (Software Development) and software development management as a profession.

By Eyal Katz, Chairman, Club SD

Personal Background:
I am 35 years old and married with one child. I am a Technion Computer Sciences graduate and a member of the Technion Alumni Association. Most recently, I served as MIND CTI’s Chief Architect. MIND provides end-to-end Billing Solutions for the Telecom Industry. In the seven years I worked at MIND, I performed various R&D-related roles: programming, team leading, interfacing with suppliers, requirement analysis, architecture, project management, direct work with clients, and investigating new technologies and development methodologies. I recently established IGNITE, a company that supplies Israeli ISVs with hybrid onsite-offshore software development services.

Primary Challenges
At IGNITE we provide our services using a fixed-price model. The most difficult challenge I face is the provision of consistent Fixed-Price development services that are flexible enough to allow for necessary adjustments as each project unfolds without increasing costs or extending deadlines. Another challenge I face, one common to every development manager, is finding the highest-quality R&D personnel. In addition, I deal with concerns directly related to the Onsite-Offshore model we employ, i.e. creation of a cohesive team that maximizes each worker’s potential despite the decentralized nature of our work, job satisfaction and leadership development. Managing a development team is, in my opinion, like herding cats. I must allow each individual to go his own way while keeping all of them moving toward a common goal. This requires real leadership skills.

Successful Effort As R&D Director
Among the greatest achievements in R&D management, in which I took part as the Chief Architect at MIND, was the establishment of a prosperous development center in Romania . The decentralized model of work was not easy to apply in Romania . Despite the clear advantages, i.e. reduced costs, and efficient recruitment of highly-qualified personnel, there were many challenges: communication difficulties, differences in mentality, adoption of a global institutional culture, the need for more defined work processes, etc. Through adapting our work processes to the specific situation, developing effective channels of communication, exchange of “ambassadors” between the companies, educational programs for workers, careful selection of projects for implementation in Romania , etc. we managed to develop a development department capable of meeting our goals and expectations.

Development Management: Success vs. Failure
When it comes to development projects, the key to success vs. failure is, of course, the human component. The ability to create and sustain a sense of teamwork, commitment, responsibility and a sense of mission all fall within the province of the development manager. Other considerations that are no less important are project management, development methodology and technology. It is important to note that the more other things change over time, e.g. new methodologies and technologies arise with each passing day, the more important the human face of software development has and will become.

ClubSD
The challenges facing software development managers are unique. Club SD recognizes the management of software development as a profession, not just a role. Club SD gives software development managers a forum in which they can meet, and have a positive impact on the future of the profession and of project and employee management both in Israel and abroad.