Onsite Assignment

      

 

It is quite common to most of the managers that they get lot of queries and requests coming from their team regarding onsite assignments. Some may be to get an opportunity and some may be to resolve a situation at client site. The manager has to place a right candidate at the client location and that person should be able to manage the situation to the maximum extent. Only (s)he should get back offshore management when some additional approvals or some additional consulting input is needed. Not in all cases managers are so fortunate to get the perfect fit candidate for these onsite assignments.

So there is a need to have some guidelines and tips to have a better control on the situation. This can be achieved only when we create and maintain a good relationship with the client personnel we are working and reporting to. It is very easy to say to maintain a good relationship with the client and manage the situation, thereby no or very less escalations from client. But How? You are altogether a new person joining a big group of people. You might be a star performer in your own domain/functional/technical areas, but how will that alone can help you in building a good relationship with the client?

            This is where you need to do some homework before you even get into the position as we do a requirement gathering and analysis before designing the solution. Here in this situation you have to spend some time understanding the environment, client organization culture, laws of the land that you are supposed to work etc., This is the very first step to draw the lines of the court and understand the basic rules of the game.

            Now as you know the boundaries, you should get into the next level of the detail as identifying the teams, sponsors, audience, and the importantly the umpires, who will be watching your play. This step provides you a better picture about the people that you will be dealing with during your stay.

 

            When you know to this level now the next action is to understand how the teams are working each other and what are their strengths & weaknesses. Then get along with the teams. There is a very old evergreen saying “Be a Roman in Rome”. This is very important to understand and implement it. You might be thinking that this is a very normal English statement, but first it is tough to understand what a roman is and secondly to be as a roman.

            Some of the IT companies are conducting cross cultural sensitivity sessions/workshops to the people who are supposed to travel. These things will surely help them to understand the basic rules of the game before they start. These sessions make you ready for the game and help in not being an odd (wo)man out. Below are some tips, but not limited to, help making you one among them and also to be a star performer, at client site, in your strong areas.

·         Know the overall political condition of the country and state.

·         Know the sports/games and teams which are popular locally.

·         Watch little bit news and follow the recently highlighted news

·         Understand the style of the working by observing your client team members closely. For example, some organizations follow their calendars very strictly. You can talk to them only when their calendar has free time.

·         Follow Email etiquettes. You should know who all should be in To/CC/BCC. I suggest a 3C rule. Complete, Concise, Clear.

o   Here is a good site I came across in net while surfing. Just check http://www.101emailetiquettetips.com/index.html

·         Don’t get into any personal level details until you have a clear understanding of the person. Generally they don’t like to talk about personal matters.

 

With these kind of things I am sure you will be able to establish a good position to operate on a daily basis without any issues. But you should not forget you are a star performer at your own strong areas. Now this is the time you should you need to showcase your specialization and make sure that is properly presented to the right people at the right time. Most of the client appreciate if you can come with any value add with your previous experience. The value add can be based on your domain/functional/technical expertise. But as I said earlier you have time it very carefully and chose the right set of people. Any small mistake in this will backfire in multiple direction. You might have heard about the “Gold Plating”. So be careful my friend!

When you have all the above in place, there is another thing that you should have in mind always is “YOU” are representing your parent organization more than an individual. Anything and everything that you do at client’s place will have an immediate and direct impact. Mind you this can be positive and negative.

There is a huge team sitting at offshore and supporting you in various ways, so you can perform well to get the success to organization and also to yourself. So you should have due respect towards the unconditional support you are getting. This is all about “Give and Take”. Without this you will not be successful even though you are a star performer individually. Ultimately it is the TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) that wins. To quote an example, in the case of F1 race the driver who is reaching the winning finish line is one individual, but there will be a big team to make that happen.

So to conclude, know the ground, game rules, teams and play well to win. Wish you a grand success in your career.   

Cheers

Arun Kiran Ponnekanti - PMP