Frequently Asked Questions

1. What exactly are your capabilities?
   
   Ans: We do Offshore development and outsourcing (in India), Custom software product development, Software quality assurance (QA) & automated testing, eCommerce & eBusiness application development, System integration consulting, On-site and off shore custom software development, Wireless & Mobile application development & programming, Embedded systems & microprocessor design, Remote DBA and System administration, Database conversion, design & consulting, ERP software development & implementation, Web application design, Network security consulting and IT software services outsourcing.
   
   

2. How does the offshore software development work?
   
   Ans: We can explain you the whole development methodology in detail through our offshore development methodology white paper (it's a separate document by itself, and please request us to send you a copy of it). However it's not a whole lot different from any other outsourcing project. The only difference in this case is: all implementation and programming are done in our offshore development labs India and our project managers work with you from our Research Triangle Park (Raleigh), North Carolina, USA office or from a regional office near you. As necessary our project managers also visit clients on-site.
   
   

3. How complex a software project can you develop?
   
   Ans: We have done and are currently doing fairly complicated projects (involving 10-20 team members in a project over a period of more than a year). The number of lines of code varied anywhere between few thousand lines of code to more than a few million lines (however it depends on what type of code or system you are referring to - Java, C++, C, ASP, JSP, Embedded systems, OO, Assembly, Oracle, SQL Server, FoxPro, VB or what?). For example presently we are doing a few large projects involving about ten to fifteen (10-15) designers and developers in each team. In the recent past we have executed even larger projects (for medical healthcare transcription and dictation solutions) with code written in Java, C++, Oracle8i, Dialogic hardware, Interfacing with printer and other devices servers, on both Windows NT and AS/400 iSeries platforms). On the other hand, there are also a number of projects in which we are employing small teams of 1-5 programmers and designers. All these projects are being executed in our lab in New Delhi, India with local project management support from our US offices.
   
   

4. Who owns the code at the end?
   
   Ans: You (the client) own all code, documentation, design, conceptual ideas, and every component of intellectual properties. We have a very established legal process and documentation in place to assign all proprietary and ownership rights to you.
   
   

5. Do we get the complete set of development files at the end?
   
   Ans: You get software code, files and documentation continuously in the development process. Once you start the project it is a very interactive process (sometimes meetings at least once in week; in some of our projects we have international conference calls almost everyday). Every document, design or code generated in either side is exchanged continuously and reviewed and fine tuned very frequently (sometimes daily). Therefore you keep on getting files and other deliverables very frequently.
   
   

6. How much does it cost?
   
   Ans: Our hourly rates for offshore development are US$15-29/hour (if you hire a team with a guaranteed period of time your monthly cost may be lower). If you decide to engage a US project manager for day-to-day interactions (and occasional face to face meetings on your location) the rates for such project managers are US$35-45/hour (a local project manager may contribute part-time or full-time depending on your requirements). Our hourly rates for on-site (limited) support (at a US location) is around US$39-59/hour. If we bring our offshore programmers or designers for your on-site support for a very limited time we may charge offshore rates, however we charge additionally for their travel, hotels, meals, and other misc. actual expenses. We generally bill you on a prefixed schedule or every fifteen days (bi-weekly), or every month (however all travel related costs are billed immediately).
   
   

   We also do projects at a fixed cost where the requirements specifications are very defined and the project scope is frozen while you ask for our cost estimates. In this case we provide a fixed cost estimates after finalization of the Technical Specifications Requirements (TRS) and do not consider any major changes in this estimate. In case of a future change in scope or capability it is handled by Change Request & Approval process and charged additionally. (In any case the total project cost varies. A project cost may be as low as US$10,000-25,000 or as high as US$5-10 million depending on the size & requirements of the project). In most practical situations, a project starts with a limited requirements, thereby costing a smaller amount to start with, and then expands gradually with more requirements and change requests in the future.
   
   

7. What kinds of guarantee do we get that the work is well done?
   
   Ans: We give you a two-three months free warranty after the final delivery of code for all bug-fixing, and addressing deployment issues, etc. After the warranty period we sign a separate monthly or quarterly support-maintenance contract with you.
   
   

8. Are there mechanisms to ensure deadlines, milestones and timely delivery?
   
   Ans: We follow all standard project management methodologies using all available tools (e.g., MS Project). We have a sign-off process for each delivery after the spec is firmed up. (We also follow version control mechanisms during our development or we follow your version control mechanisms by checking code in and out of your version control system).
   
   

9. How do you deal with clients who change their minds all the time and want something changed in mid-project?
   
   Ans: This is a very difficult question. We try to minimize the changes by signing off the specs/requirements for each delivery. We follow a Change Request Approval process for any change. These documents are signed off by the client. However in reality it is very hard to control. With each and every change there are some impacts on the development schedule and cost.
   
   

10. Offshore software development strikes fear in my mind... Are you easy to reach and how fast do you respond to calls?
    
    Ans: We are an American company, based in RTP, Raleigh, North Carolina. We are incorporated in the State of North Carolina in 1993. Most of our project managers operate from here in North Carolina, USA and also travel to client sites as required. We try to be responsive as much as possible (e.g., returning calls in maximum 4-12 hours, etc.). Most of the time we are available during 9 AM – 6 PM US EST on weekdays. Our development teams in India are more responsive some time - they generally address issues within few hours (based on when you are reporting). Emailing, IM (Instant Messaging) and telephone calls from our labs in India are very regular procedures. We have high speed, broadband ISDN, T-1, DSL connections from our offshore labs through which we do software updates any time. We also have web-based project management tools and mechanisms for each and every project, so that each projects can be monitored 24-hours and updates and bug tracking can be done any time.
    
    

11. Are you ISO or CMM and do you also manage the ISO documentation process?
    
    Ans: One of our labs in India is ISO 9001 certified; another lab is in the process of achieving CMM Level 3 certification. Another lab is not ISO or CMM - however they follow a very strict software engineering development process and methodology.
    
    

12. Do you do software testing, verifications & QA services?
    
    Ans: Yes, in two of our labs in India we do a huge amount of software testing: QA, system testing, functionality & feature testing, integration testing, regression testing, web software testing, compatibility testing on various platforms, load and performance testing, test case preparations, execution of test cases, reporting, etc. (please look at our Software Testing QA page).
    
    

13. How detailed a set of requirements do you require from us?
    
    Ans: Based on your available resources and documentation, it can be an interactive process. In one scenario: if you do not have any spec outlined we ask you to give us a minimal requirements spec (may be a page or two page description of the system). Then our team starts with developing the formal TRS (Technical Requirements Spec) from that. Every release of this TRS document is reviewed by the client and after every review or feedback we do modifications accordingly. Generally it goes on from a few weeks to a couple of months (depending on the project complexity and size). In this process the TRS becomes the Bible for all development and future maintenance. All changes and modifications are captured continuously in this document. On the other hand if you already have a specification document we start with discussion on that, refine it for some period of time if necessary, try to freeze it once all agreed.
    
    

14. How can we be sure that the software you develop for us will not end-up in a competitor's hands after it is completed?
    
    Ans: India is a WTO (World Trade Organization) member and committed to protect proprietary rights and confidential information and has some official mechanisms in place for anti-piracy and security. G&G has confidentiality agreement with our offshore teams (with each and every team member). This confidentiality is also validated on the basis of existing Indian and International laws.
    
    

15. Do you provide post-development maintenance?
    
    Ans: Yes, we do support all software we design and deliver on the basis of a separate support/maintenance contracts. This generally includes bug tracking and bug fixing. Feature enhancements and developments are handled as separate contracts or projects. We also do support and maintain software developed by other vendors and off-the-shelf third party products (our technology research group is instrumental in supporting third party products).
    
    

16. How do you deal with urgent bug fixing?
    
    Ans: We have a bug-fixing and bug-tracking mechanism and process. In this system we prioritize the issues on the basis of priority-1, 2, 3 and so on. All priority-1 issues are fixed in 24-48 hours (except on holidays), all priority-2 issues in 3-10 days, and priority-3 issues are resolved in 1-2 months and so on. Therefore all urgent bug-fixing issues are put in the priority-1 list and our support team addresses them immediately.
    
    

17. How do you develop software if you do not have the exact environment? Do you use VPN?
    
    Ans: In case we lack an exact development environment (e.g., O/S version, libraries, or database), we do development remotely by logging onto your system over a secured VPN. All work is done through a secured network from our development lab. Even if we have the exact development environment as yours, we often use VPN for checking code in and out, delivering code, and some times testing.
    
    

18. How many resources we need to allocate to manage an offshore outsourcing project?
    
    Ans: It depends on the size and complexity of the project. In most situations one of your project managers (or product managers) with a reasonable knowledge of the system can manage an offshore outsourcing team well. Your project manager works either with G&G’s US based project manager or directly with our India based project lead. It is assumed that your project manager has a good access to your in-house programmers and designers, and he/she is available to the offshore team as needed.
    
    

19. How do we manage or juggle with the time difference in your offshore teams location? Is there any overlap?
    
    Ans: Our offshore team in India works with a good overlap with your working hours. Based on your location in the US, this overlap may be 2-4 hours. If you are based in Europe this overlap may be even substantial. In any case we try to address this time overlap issue with project managers who bridge the communication during most of your working hours.
    
    

20. For a typical project, how many programmers do you provide?
    
    Ans: In a typical project (of course based on size) we start with a team of 4 - 6 designers and a project leader. As described already there are few projects, which have more than 12-15 designers/ programmers, and also some projects, which have only 1-2 programmers.