#Japan #Tokyo #Offshore Development #Miichisoft #Ken Taro Yamada

Unlocking Offshore Development Success for Japanese Corporations

In today’s globalized business landscape, Japanese enterprises are increasingly turning to offshore development to enhance operational efficiency and broaden their talent pool. However, the success of such ventures often hinges on several critical factors, especially when collaborating with teams overseas. In this article, we will delve into the insights provided by Ken Taro Yamada, a technology advisor at Miichisoft, on the essential timing for integrating Japanese personnel into offshore teams, coupled with practical examples of successful implementations.

Key Attributes for Offshore Development Success

Over the years, Miichisoft has identified two fundamental elements that lay the groundwork for successful offshore development tailored to the Japanese market:

1. Consulting Expertise - A profound understanding of business challenges and objectives is crucial. A consultant must grasp not only the technical requirements but also the unique nuances and expectations of Japanese corporations.

2. Technical Excellence - The presence of a skilled development team capable of transforming requirements into high-quality products cannot be overstated. Such teams must navigate the complexities of software development while delivering results that align with Japanese standards.

Challenges Related to High-Complexity Projects

Projects with specific business characteristics frequently encounter several hurdles:

• - Lack of documented implicit rules can create misunderstandings.
• - Coordination with multiple stakeholders adds layers of complexity.
• - Describing internal processes in a manner comprehensible to external teams can be daunting.

The Solution: Japanese Advisors in Essential Stages

Integrating a Japanese advisor early in the project, particularly during the consulting and upstream phases, significantly mitigates risks. The role of these advisors is pivotal in bridging cultural and communicational gaps, enabling smoother operations with overseas teams.

The Structure of Miichisoft's Model

At the heart of the successful offshore development strategy is the synergy between a competent Vietnamese development team and local Japanese advisors:

• - Vietnamese Development Team - Responsible for spearheading development activities, with expertise spanning architecture design, development (DevOps, Cloud, Infrastructure), and operations.
• - Japanese Advisors - Specialized professionals who decode subtleties that only a Japanese perspective can discern, ensuring solutions are well-aligned with local expectations.

This collaborative approach aids in addressing the unique challenges posed by the Japanese market, ensuring clear communication of requirements right from the design phase.

Interview Insights with Ken Taro Yamada

To gain a deeper understanding of the Japanese advisor's role in the offshore model, we spoke with Ken Taro Yamada, whose extensive experience in the IT industry spans over 20 years. Yamada believes that while having a Japanese advisor brings substantial benefits, it is not universally mandatory for all projects. He commented:

“If the development requirements are well-defined and there’s a capable project manager to ensure seamless execution, the absence of a Japanese advisor may not hinder the project's success.”

Key Components of the Standard Offshore Model
The standard offshore team model implemented by Miichisoft aims to strike an optimal balance between quality and cost for the Japanese market. This model can effectively address more than 80% of cases, provided the project is stable with clearly defined requirements.

Typical Composition includes:

• - Japan Team: Experts in IT consulting with a deep understanding of business requirements.
• - Tech Lead & Vietnamese Development Team: Handle the entire project cycle from architecture design to operational deployment.
• - QA & QC Team: Implement specialized testing processes based on business rules and quality standards to ensure product excellence.
• - Operations Team: Guarantees stability and support of the system post-release.

When Are Japanese Advisors Essential?

One of the most frequently asked questions from clients is, “When is it truly necessary to have a Japanese advisor in an offshore team?” According to Yamada, there are critical scenarios warranting their participation:

• - At the initial stages of the project, where there may be significant communication concerns.
• - When requirements are not clearly defined at the start of development, necessitating meticulous oversight and clarification.

Moreover, the presence of a Japanese advisor proves advantageous in projects characterized by:

• - A plethora of implicit rules that are undocumented.
• - Necessity for collaboration among many stakeholders.
• - Complex operational frameworks that resist easy documentation.
• - Frequently changing requirements, necessitating agile management.

Benefits of Engaging Japanese Advisors

Japanese advisors can dramatically reduce misunderstandings by ensuring:

• - Accurate comprehension of rules from the outset, minimizing revisits in operations.
• - High consistency between requirements and outputs, significantly lowering discrepancies.
• - Oh it potin ghetftingis capabilities serve as a bridge for rapid decision-making at the higher echelons of project management.
• - Outputs that align with Japanese business practices, enhancing the chances of user acceptance.

Success Story: WebinarBase Project

X-Lab, a prominent player in the B2B webinar and seminar market in Japan, faced challenges in navigating the implicit rules of event operations and engaging multiple departments. Earlier attempts to collaborate with domestic partners fell short, failing to meet set timelines and quality expectations.

Miichisoft's Approach
Integrating Japanese advisors in requirement analysis and business consulting, Miichisoft acted as a conduit, ensuring that intricate aspects of operations and culture were clarified between X-Lab and the Vietnamese development team. This collaboration enabled accurate sharing of business requirements from the design stage.

Results Achieved:

• - Development completed in a swift 6 months, culminating in the WebinarBase product launch.
• - Enhanced operational efficiency with a 61% reduction in webinar hosting time.
• - Established a one-stop service for clients.

As commented by Katsuyuki Fujii,

“What stands out about Miichisoft is their commitment to understanding our intentions, their readiness to respond, and their constant stream of innovative proposals.”

Miichisoft's Commitment to the Japanese Market

Moving forward, Miichisoft intends to bolster its capabilities in two key areas:

• - Japan Side: Investing in a team of experienced advisors to enhance business consulting capabilities.
• - Vietnam Side: Elevating technical skills and educating the development team on business knowledge.

The ultimate goal remains the long-term strategy of implementing a team model embedded with Japanese advisors for projects mired in complexity. Miichisoft firmly believes that success in offshore development transcends mere cost savings—it’s a synergy of technical acumen, business understanding, and profound cultural sensibility.

For Businesses Considering Offshore Development

Miichisoft offers comprehensive support for offshore development, engaging at upper management levels with seasoned Japanese advisors and a professional Vietnamese development team. This holistic combination prepares enterprises to effectively navigate projects with inherently complex business requirements.

For inquiries related to our services, please contact us.

Company Overview

• - Company Name: Miichisoft, Inc.
• - Established: April 1, 2018
• - Capital (Japan Branch): Approximately 5 million yen
• - Representative Director (Japan Branch): Hoang Ngoc Sinh
• - Location: 1-14-14, Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0063, Japan
• - Phone Number: +81-3-6555-3368
• - Business Activities: AI Solutions, Digital Transformation, Development Teams, IT Consulting, Cloud Computing, AR/VR, Software Development
• - Associations: Omotenashi ICT Association, AirTrip CXO Salon
• - Bank Relations: MUFG Bank.