This case study explores how we helped a healthcare software company struggling with high freelance costs, and development inefficiency overcome these challenges by implementing a strategic offshore development solution using our PMO expertise and Vietnamese development team.

About the client

The Client is a B2B SaaS-enabled Marketplace company that provides efficient resource and technology solutions for efficient scheduling, communication, and collaboration in home healthcare, empowering healthcare professionals with tools to work more efficiently and effectively.

Challenges & requirements

The Client was having challenges hiring full-time IT engineers in Japan. Hence, the company depended on freelance engineers.

• Freelancer Turnover: Reliant on individual freelance engineers, the company faced frequent departures and inconsistent team dynamics, hindering project progress.
• Lack of Coordination: Individualistic practices led to quality and productivity issues, while communication gaps further slowed development.
• Rising Costs: Dependence on high-priced freelance engineers exacerbated the rising development budget.

Client’s requirements:

1. High-Performance & Long-Term Development System:

Desire a development system that exhibits long-term stability and reliability to ensure our software thrives for years.
Efficiency and maintainability are key; the system should minimize resource demands and facilitate smooth future adjustments.

2. Phased System Integration:

Gradually integrate into the existing system to mitigate disruption and maintain ongoing development.
This phased approach allows for seamless knowledge transfer and risk mitigation while transitioning responsibilities to SHIFT ASIA.

3. Process Improvement & Oversight:

Comprehensive supervision of the development process to streamline workflows and enhance overall performance.
Expert guidance is crucial to establishing, documenting, and disseminating best practices throughout our team, fostering a standardized and efficient development culture.

Our Solution:

• PMO Establishment: We set up a dedicated PMO within the existing system to oversee development, standardize processes, and implement best practices.
• Phased System Transfer: Instead of a complete overhaul, we gradually integrated our development team alongside the existing one and strategically migrated functionalities.
• Bridge Engineer Integration: Our team included BrSEs (bridge engineers) who are fluent in Japanese and skilled in bridging cultural and technical gaps, ensuring seamless communication.
• Cost-Effective Offshore Development: By leveraging our experienced Vietnamese engineers, we provided high-quality development at a significantly lower cost, reducing overall development expenditure.

Results

• Smooth Development: The new system enabled efficient and streamlined development with seamless integrations.
• Enhanced Quality: Standardized processes and expert oversight led to improved code quality and reduced bugs.
• Cost Reduction: Utilizing offshore development lowered the development budget considerably compared to expensive freelance engineers.
• Sustainability: We established a robust and sustainable development framework for future growth and maintenance.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how our PMO expertise and offshore development capabilities delivered a practical and effective solution for the customer’s complex challenges. By implementing a structured approach, integrating seamlessly with their existing system, and leveraging our cost-competitive development team, we helped them significantly improve development efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness.