1. What is 'IT Outsourcing' and what is 'Offshore Outsourcing'?



2. Is my company an outsourcing candidate?



3. Do offshore programmers write code in their native language?



4. What type of team does BrickRed have?



5. How does BrickRed price its projects?



6. What type of processes does BrickRed have in place?



7. How does BrickRed ensure quality?



8. Is the code documented?



9. How do I know what's going on as the project progresses?



10. Who owns the rights for the source code?

1.  What is 'IT Outsourcing' and what is 'Offshore Outsourcing'?

Ans.  In the first sense, "IT outsourcing" means hiring somebody outside your company to provide IT services. Outsourcing is most common for companies whose IT needs are well known in advance. IT outsourcing can also mean hiring someone to be your IT department. Such a partner must have people who can work closely with your staff to understand your unique business problems so that you can deliver, implement, and service unique solutions.

Offshore Outsourcing of software is simply software development at another location, a facility connected with the client's location using high-speed data communication links to allow engineers and managers to communicate on a real-time basis. Clients on the other side of the globe can monitor developments and project milestones on an up-to-the-minute basis, ensuring both quality and progress.

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2.  Is my company an outsourcing candidate?

Ans.  Outsourcing used to be a tactic to improve operations and financial performance of troubled organizations. Today's outsourcing has evolved to be a preferred method of doing business by companies for numerous positive reasons.

You MAY be an outsourcing candidate IF you are asking yourself:

• Are my resources being utilized effectively?
• Do the department's objectives support the corporate direction?
• Can my IT department enhance our corporate financial goals?
• Are the current resources capable of supporting new technology?
• Is there a quicker, more effective method to handle these issues?
• Should we consider an offshore solution?
• Are 40% savings for real; what are the after-shock effects?
• Will employees have a basis for a litigation? What are their options?
• If I make the wrong decision, what are the consequences?

3.  Do offshore programmers write code in their native language?

Ans.  All code is written using the same tools employed by developers in the U.S., and in English. Development team members have strong English skills and good virtual communication skills. The Client has the opportunity to work with the team leader and review blueprints as they are prepared and will thus be able to very quickly assess the team's communication skills. In the worst case, we can swap team members or even entire teams to meet Client expectations.

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4.  What type of team does BrickRed have?

Ans.  At BrickRed, we have built a culture that attracts exceptionally talented people; People who thrive on and have an intense passion for understanding and solving implementation problems for our customers. We mostly recruit our engineers with degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India's equivalent to MIT. Each year over 250,000 of India's best students apply to IIT and less than 2,000 are admitted. We then recruit from the top of the class of this already elite group of graduates. These expert minds mirror a team with high intellectual capacity and capability to deliver

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5.  How does BrickRed price its projects?

Ans.  BrickRed prices its projects according to the development effort required. There are two popular models:

• Fixed Price Model – You gives us the requirements. BrickRed estimates the time and resources involvement and comes to a fixed price. A project plan is made and the payments are linked to important deliverables. Any changes to the requirements are seen as ‘Change Request’ and are charged for the extra time required.



• Resource Allocation Model – You gives us loose requirements. We give a ballpark time and resources involvement required. A basic project plan is made. All changes made to the requirements are included in the project’s scope – the project plan is accordingly modified. The resources used are billed on a monthly basis.

6. What type of processes does BrickRed have in place?

Ans.  At BrickRed, we ensure through proper planning that the project doesn't move away from its targeted goals while the customer gets a clear definition of the project and is in the know of the project status and has ready access to project deliverables at any point of time.
To ensure the timely and quality delivery for 100% client satisfaction we implement the following:

• Prototypes & Staged Deliveries
• Weekly Status Reports
• Comprehensive Bug Management
• Configuration Management
• Knowledge Management System

7.  How does BrickRed ensure quality?

Ans.  We implement the Software Quality Assurance (SQA) process that addresses the quality assurance needs at every phase of the development cycle. Our QA team has developed a focused quality control checklist. In addition, we also have a comprehensive Quality Testing Checklist which ensures that every solution delivered by BrickRed measures up to the highest possible international standards

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8.  Is the code documented?

Ans.  A project is not deemed complete until proper documentation is provided. We believe it is our professional responsibility to provide well-documented code. It also helps us in future projects to enhance functionality if and when the Client requires it.

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9.  How do I know what's going on as the project progresses?

Ans.  All project information, for example requirements, design documentation, user documentation, tasks and defects, are available on a 24/7 basis on our Project Information System. Additionally, every Project has an unbilled Project Manager assigned to it, so as to offer the Client a single point of contact. It is one of the primary responsibilities of the Project Manager to keep the Client updated.

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10.  Who owns the rights for the source code?

Ans.  All rights to the work is with the Client. This includes documentation, source code, binaries etc. which the BrickRed team develops in the course of the project. All this is part of the delivery made to the Client. With BrickRed, you will never be held hostage in another part of the world.

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