Legacy Application Support & Maintenance
In the software lifecycle, nearly 70% of the cost goes into Application Support & Maintenance activities. Research suggests that large enterprises spend an average of 73% of their IT budget on Application Maintenance of existing system. Clearly, Application Management presents high potential for cost savings in global enterprises. Rural America OnShore Outsourcing offers cost effective solutions through:
- Focus on performance measures and continuous improvement besides Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
- Timely resolution of issues and root cause analysis of each issue.
- Established support matrix offering Help Desk services.
- Multi-level maintenance process using a Corrective, Preventive, & Adaptive methodology.
Rural America OnShore Outsourcing transition specialists work with your organization to develop a unique plan customized to your environment to ensure a smooth and seamless transition to a managed service environment. Our analysts have a high level of competency in providing remote application management to ensure:
- Efficient knowledge transfer from existing staff.
- Effective takeover of Application support.
- Smooth & transparent operations.
- Cost effective services.
- Service is in line with SLAs.
- Continuous improvement in application support and maintenance services with objective of lowering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
- Binding SLAs with Critical Service Level( CSL) and Quality Processes in line with ISO 9000 Standards, ITIL Framework and the SEI-CMMI and COBIT frameworks.
Client Example
Service Level Transition
Rural America OnShore Outsourcing (RAOO), discusses the current situation with the Client to develop a phased strategy to address the current and future concerns around the Client's product and future deployments. The following illustration depicts that solution:
Staffing - There are three major players in this solution. Their roles and activities include:
- The Client - Will serve as the project sponsor / manager for the transition, Voice of the Customer (VOC) and Subject Matter Expert on the product.
- Current Contractor - They currently handle level 2 and 3 requests and all software enhancements. There is a domestic leader and offshore contractors providing this service. They are considered the Technical expert on the current product.
- RAOO - New provider will provide a single point of contact for the engagement. This person will be a qualified developer and program coordinator for any additional RAOO resources assigned. RAOO will also provide additional developers and technical experts in relevant technologies as required. A Lean leader will be assigned to this engagement, if desired, to implement standard process improvements and ongoing metrics management for future Service Level Agreements.
Phase 1 - Defined as the initial period of knowledge acquisition by the RAOO team and Shadow Support for technical bugs and minor system enhancements. Under the oversight of the Client, RAOO will work with the current contract team to understand the software product, perform assigned development and support work and contribute sufficient resources to perform all assigned tasks. During this phase baseline data on development performance will be identified and captured. This will include both the current contract staff and RAOO supplied resources. It is anticipated that this will last between 1 and 2 months and 1 - 2 FTEs will be required to perform this work.
Phase 2 - RAOO will be expected to step-up and take over the majority of the programming and support tasks during this phase. Working under the Clients supervision and with the current contract team, RAOO will perform level 2 and 3 software development and support tasks on the current product as well as performing development of planned new releases. During this phase, estimated to be between 2 and 3 months, RAOO will work with the Client to establish performance metrics and ongoing measurement systems plus develop a Service Level Agreement to manage and report on going engagement performance. The Lean Sigma Leader will help guide this effort, implement a dashboard / scorecard for management reporting and work with the Client to implement SLA management. 1 - 2 FTEs will be required to complete this phase.
Phase 3 - This is defined as the period of ongoing support. RAOO will serve as the prime contractor for existing maintenance and support tasks as well as new product developments. Staffing will be provided based on an SLA established in the prior phase and performance metrics captured to estimate steady state staffing requirements. Tasks deemed in excess of that covered under the SLA will be managed on a T&M or Fixed Priced basis at the discretion of the Client.