Management of an outsourced satellite phone development project: Sasken's experience

Abstract

Although Indian IT industry is well known for its software services business capabilities, product development still eludes the sector. This case illustrates the 5-year journey of Sasken Technologies – a mid-sized communication services company located in India to design, pre-build, test, integrate and certify a complex end-to-end satellite phone for a global satellite communication service provider. Knowing very well the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with such technology-intensive project, the CEO of Sasken signed the contract with the client with immense belief in his team to execute the project successfully. The case highlights the challenges encountered by the project managers of Sasken in acquiring the technology know-how, integrating hardware and software components, managing globally distributed teams, meeting regulatory requirements and mitigating unforeseen risks inherent in such off-shore outsourcing projects.