guidance on how CSGI technology and services
can help them achieve their strategic goals. Beneath
that group is the operational steering group, which
includes client and CSGI stakeholders who work
together to manage current projects and develop
joint business plans for speci;c projects that link to
the strategic goals. Beneath these two levels are the
working groups who make more day-to-day decisions
about projects, track progress and review outcomes.
“We don’t just review monthly progress updates,”
Mr. Ullenius says.
“;is model enables us to work together, drive
innovation and ;nd new opportunities for growth.”
ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXPERTS
From his perspective, Dan Retzer knows it pays to
treat vendors as equals. Now the chief technology
o;cer of SunGard’s North American securities
business, a ;nancial services technology ;rm,
Mr. Retzer spent much of the early 2000s at
XcitekSolutionsPlus (later acquired by SunGard)
doing what a lot of outsourcing companies did:
Now when Mr. Retzer and his team at SunGard
want to outsource a project, they use the planning
stage of a project as a time to build relationships
with a vendor. In many cases, the vendor brings
specialty skills to the table that Mr. Retzer doesn’t
have in-house.
Some customers’ product needs “have been so
niche that it drives us to ;nd outsourcing partners
that have deep understanding of a speci;c space,
like ;nancial services,” he says.
Many outsource vendors today market themselves as experts in speci;c business or technology categories, which can add signi;cant value
for companies like SunGard. But taking advantage
of that expertise requires a more collaborative
project management approach through which
vendors are treated as experts rather than sources
of cheap labor.
;is collaborative approach to outsourcing
can shorten implementation time and reduce risk
because everyone clearly understands the scope
of work, says Alex Julian, PMP, senior manager,
HSBC Global Banking and Markets, São Paulo,
Brazil. Problems arise on high-value projects if the
outsourcing company leaves the vendor to work
in isolation, he says: “Making the vendor part of
your team bene;ts the project outcome and the
company-vendor relationship. Because we know
the vendor has all the needed expertise, we have
higher expectations for outcomes.” PM
