Scale up using in-house near shoring
The Situation
SaaS start-up had quickly established itself by using skilled UK contractors but this had drawbacks:
– High cost of Contractors
– Short term gigs creating IP leakage risk
– Staff not bought into long term ambitions of the Company
The Task
I was tasked with bringing all Delivery teams into an FTE model with the objective of creating a lower cost and more sustainable operating model
The Action / Approach
☑ Org Design to support the teams required
☑ Research into suitable locations including – Local Governanment incentives, STEM students, Employement competition, cost of facilities, ability to hire and scale, Culture, Risk
☑ Defining phases of implementation
☑ Presenting final Business case and recommendation to Board for approval
☑ Hiring in Country near shore lead
☑ Selecting working office, negotiation of lease and moving in
☑ Scaling out the team starting with Contractors for expediancy
☑ Established Legal entity, Tax and Payroll provisions to allow moving to an FTE model
The Result
☑ Established a highly effective Development Centre in Sofia, Bulgaria.
☑ Roles covering: Operations Lead, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Developers, QA Analysts and DevOps engineers.
☑ Scaled to 40 FTES in-year
☑ £3m cost reduction p.a.
