FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT  1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES  2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

Title of invention:

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING A CUSTOMIZED TRANSITION SOLUTION FOR IT OR IT-ENABLED SERVICES

Applicant:
TATA Consultancy Services Limited
A company Incorporated in India under The Companies Act  1956
Having address:
Nirmal Building  9th Floor 
Nariman Point  Mumbai 400021 
Maharashtra  India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates  generally  to the field of transition solution engineering. More specifically  the invention relates to a method and system for generating customized transition solution enabled to transfer accountability of services while mitigating any risks associated with disruption of business services across different organizations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In an IT and IT Enabled Services outsourcing industry  transition solution engineering  in general  is initiated with the preparation of the outsourced/offshore site to commence client operations through documenting the processes  training associates to execute the processes  designing  procuring and deploying technology and bandwidth to access client systems as required and finally fulfilling the service-level agreements (SLA). The overall success of the outsourcing engagement is very much dependent on the comprehensive nature of the transition solution engineering process.

The vendors or service providers require diligent efforts during planning and execution of the transition solution for transfer of Information Technology (IT) or Information Technology enabled (IT-enabled) services  hereinafter referred to as services. The examples of such services include application development and maintenance services  business process outsourcing services  infrastructure services and combinations thereof. These services are also referred to as various towers engaged in the outsourcing deals. The transition solution includes the transfer of knowledge  management  systems and support of these services within a business function to an external service provider.
The transition of the services includes knowledge transition process  transfer of human resource  assets such as software/hardware and other resources from the client. The Knowledge transition process includes due diligence  transition planning  knowledge transfer  primary and secondary support  transition closure  and finally arriving at the steady state. Due diligence involves obtaining a snapshot of the present services being transferred; analyzing data collected from the obtained snapshot of the present services to design an optimal transition solution and cost of maintenance and support work in steady state phase.

Transition planning involves a series of activities to be performed by a service provider taking over the services (referred to as incoming vendor form here on and incumbent moving out from providing the services referred to as outgoing vendor from here on) and a customer for preparations of transition execution. Output of this activity is usually a revised transition plan jointly agreed by the service provider  outgoing vendor and the customer after factoring in various constraints and dependencies arrived during transition execution. Further  knowledge transfer involves transfer of the knowledge from one team to other. More specifically  the knowledge transfer takes place from the client/customer/outgoing vendor team to vendor or service provider team. In general  the work of maintaining and supporting applications is gradually handed over to the vendor team. The transition closure ensures that the vendor team is ready to execute the tasks assigned through SLA signed between the customer and the vendor and provide the applications and maintenance support to the client.

In the current practices  a predetermined knowledge acquisition based transition solution approach is followed. The current transition solution design does not address an outsourcing transition holistically (the changes customer is subjected to) and focuses mainly around knowledge acquisition. The solution design team does not analyze the customer context and is therefore unable to create a customized transition solution. Further  the present transition solution lacks a defined framework for transition that addresses the outsourcing trends: transition from an incumbent service provider  offshore to offshore transition  and involvement of third party advisor etc. Also  it lacks guidelines on defining approach for multi-tower and operating model transition. The present transition solution design lacks focus on validating transition execution while moving from the current state to the end state of the transition.

Thus  the transition solutions designed in the present scenarios tends to focus more on knowledge acquisition irrespective of the context in which the transition has to take place. The customer transition context includes consideration of factors such as feasibility to implement the transition solution  portfolio assessment  business constraints  and commercial impacts with respect to the specific requirements of the customer. Further  these solutions lacks in deriving transition solution based on transition end state and therefore fails to capture various changes related to transition while moving from as-is state to end-state of the transition.

Therefore  devoid of a transition context analysis  the implemented transition solution engineering process may lead to improper transition planning and thus a significant waste of effort and cost. Further  there are no guidelines or framework currently in marketplace or in the organizations that holistically addresses the engineering of transition solution addressing alignment of various IT services or towers. An engineered transition solution is expected not only to consider knowledge-based acquisition  but also to propose a customized transition solution such that it is synchronized to the customer’s existing Information Technology (IT) environment and fulfils the business requirements without impacting business as usual activities. Accordingly  considering the varying dynamics of the context  environment and technology  each transition is desired to be customized. Also with the increasing demand for multi tower transition  there is a need to prepare a transition plan that is integrated across the towers for optimal utilization of resources  efforts and time from all the stakeholders.

Therefore  considering the present scenarios in outsourcing industries  it is apparent from the background art  that  there is a high possibility of transition failure due to large dependency on knowledge acquisition during design of transition solution. Various business constraints  services  alignment of businesses across various towers or services may be ignored as a result of lack of identifying gaps in the transition process during transitioning of the services from present state to the end-state. Thus  lot of efforts of the business deal teams along with the capital investment of the vendors is wasted if the transition solution is failed which is more likely in the present scenario. Further  the transition failure may result in creating impact on the execution of services at customer’s IT environment. For example  the transition solution derived may cause delay in actual execution of the services transferred  delay in the scheduled services tailored to the customer  increase in the costs and decrease in the efficiency of governance during transition execution etc. Therefore  the present approaches of designing transition solution may impact both the customer and the vendor involved in the execution of business outsourcing deals while transitioning the services from one IT environment to the other.

In light of the current transition solution processes  there is a need for a method and a system that provides a structured and comprehensive framework for transition solution design. More particularly  there is a need for a framework that enables designing of a customized transition solution for organizations that is based on the transition scope  risks and approaches in context of the organizations and their requirements in an outsourcing engagement.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of a present invention is to enable a method and system for generating a customized transition solution based on the customer‘s IT environment.

Another object of the invention is to enable a method and system for analyzing transition scope  risks  approaches in context of the customer for generating said customized transition solution.

Yet another object of the invention is to enable a method and system that generates the customized transition solution considering the past historical data such as transition methodologies  expert advice  outsourcing trends and customer feedback.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and system enabling a holistic view of the customized transition solution and addressing the outsourcing trends impacting the transition.

Still another object of the invention is to enable a method and system for providing an integrated transition solution design and addressing unique requirements of multi-tower and operating model transition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

Before the present systems and methods  enablement are described  it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular systems  and methodologies described  as there can be multiple possible embodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only  and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

In one embodiment  the present invention discloses a method and system for generating a customized transition solution engineering framework in an IT Services outsourcing engagement model. The framework provides a recommended approach to develop/design transition solutions based on the past historical data such as transition methodologies with implementation experience  expert advice  outsourcing trends and customer feedback. The framework suggests how bid pursuit teams should design effective transition solutions.

In one of the embodiment  the system of the present invention comprises a transition scope module identifying changes to be incorporated in the present outsourcing models during the transition  a transition context module for analyzing customer’s outsourcing environment for design of transition  a risk identification module for monitoring the risks associated with the suggested changes  an assumption analysis module for implementing particular set of assumptions while developing the transition solution  a transition solution strategy engine for designing of a customized transition solution based on the identified transition scope  transition context  transition risks and transition assumptions. Further  the system comprises an individual track plan module for providing a comprehensive transition plan and guidelines for individual tracks. Also  the system facilitates an integrated plan module for providing integrated and synchronized plan illustrating dependencies across different tracks. Further  the system comprises a transition governance module to define effective governance for complementing the transition solution strategy engine.

In one embodiment  the present invention enables the business deal teams to implement the optimal  context-based and customized transition solution framework considering the factors  parameters and scenarios for developing the efficient transition solution by various modules so that the generated solution is customized to customer’s ecosystem and the context of the outsourcing deal. More specifically  the present invention enables a framework that provides a recommended and structured approach for developing transition solution catering customer-specific needs according to the transition scope and the context of the deal taking into account the finer aspects and the challenges involved in the transition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary  as well as the following detailed description of embodiments  is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention  there is shown in the present document example constructions of the invention; however  the invention is not limited to the specific methods and systems disclosed in the document and the drawings.

Figure 1 is a system block diagram (100) illustrating various modules enabling the development of context-based customized transition solution according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a flow diagram (200) illustrating various steps implemented for enabling the development of context-based customized transition solution according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of this invention  illustrating all its features  will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising " "having " "containing " and "including " and other forms thereof  are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items  or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims  the singular forms "a " "an " and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention  the exemplary  systems and methods are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention  which may be embodied in various forms.

The present invention discloses a method and system for providing the customized transition solution based on the customer specific requirements. In an exemplary embodiment  the transition scope for a particular outsourcing project is identified by a transition scope module. The identified scope enables to define the set of activities to be performed during the transition. The defined scope includes the modifications or changes to be implemented in the current delivery model. A transition context module enables analyzing the outsourcing environment in which the transition derived is to be executed. The output of the transition context module is identification of environment specific variables and constraints under which transition is to be implemented. This is a key step in shaping the transition strategy as per customer’s outsourcing environment. In an exemplary embodiment  in the next step of design of the transition solution  the risks associated with the changes to be done are identified by the risk identification module. The risk identification module facilitates the assessment of different risks identified based on the changes suggested.

In an exemplary embodiment  the present invention enables listing of various assumptions in order to develop a transition solution with respect of the defined context and scope of the transition by the transition context module and the transition scope module respectively. In an exemplary embodiment  the present invention enables adoption of efficient strategies by a transition solution strategy engine based on the identified transition scope  transition context  risks and the assumptions for design of the customized transition solution.

In an exemplary embodiment  the present invention enables generation of integrated transition plan and individual plan from the identified transition solution strategies. For example  the individual track plan module is enabled to generate the individual plan tracks for the overall transition solution designed. In an exemplary embodiment  the individual track plan module develops strategies to rehire human resources  knowledge transfer  transfer of the processes  etc based on the scope and context of the designed transition solution.

In an exemplary embodiment  the present invention enables development of integrated plan for the transition solution designed and adopted by the particular organization. In an exemplary embodiment  the integrated plan module enables integrated and synchronized plan with sorted dependencies across different individual tracks. Further  the system comprises a transition governance module to define effective governance for complementing the strategies devised and defined by the transition solution strategy module. A stakeholder preparedness module is configured to determine various stakeholders’ pre-requisites while adopting the designed transition solution. Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with the help of appended figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 illustrates a system block diagram (100) comprising various modules enabling the development of context-based customized transition solution according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in figure 1  the system (100) comprises a transition solution engineering framework (104) that further comprises a transition context module (106)  a transition scope module (108)  a risk analysis module (110)  an assumption analysis module (112)  a transition solution strategy engine (114)  an individual track plan module (116)  an integrated plan module (118)  a transition governance module (120) and a stakeholder preparedness module (124). In an exemplary embodiment  the transition solution engineering framework (104) interactively communicates with an input module (102) and a database module (122) as illustrated in figure 1. The database module (122) is a repository of knowledge-specific information including rules  policies  best practices  historical data pertaining to transition solution and prior customer feedback utilized by said modules of the transition solution engineering framework (104) in order to design effective context-based transition solution.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment  the transition solution engineering framework (104) is initially configured to receive customer-specific requirements for design of transition solution plan for said customer’s organization through input module (102). More particularly  the transition solution engineering framework (104) receives input parameters pertaining to context of customer requirements such as complex tasks  critical applications  compliance requirements and security procedures etc through the input module (102). In an exemplary embodiment  as a result of receipt of the multiple customer specific requirements for design of transition solution  the transition context module (106) is configured to comprehend the context of customer’s outsourcing environment in order to design effective transition solution.

The transition context module (106) comprehends the context based on various factors including customer preparedness  portfolio appreciation  transition constrains  transition logistics readiness and commercial elements. In an exemplary embodiment  the customer preparedness is assessed with respect to prior outsourcing experiences  Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) availability  retention plans  retention roles  processes  business customers and other vendors etc. The portfolio appreciation includes a transition specific portfolio analysis. The transition specific portfolio analysis includes assessing various parameters pertaining to the transition process such as the portfolio of the customer with respect to number of applications  support-levels  tools  products  technologies  on-going projects  incumbency benefits and type of outsourcing. The transition constraints considered for comprehending the context of the customer-specific requirements by the transition context module (106) includes transition timelines  rehire requirements  security policies and standards  transition budgets  and transition transformations etc. The transition logistics readiness is assessed with respect to parameters such as volume of service delivery locations  transition tools available  software licenses  and availability of infrastructure such as space  desktop  server etc. Finally  the transition context module (106) comprehends the context based by assessing the commercial elements such as customer-specific business cases  Human Resource development costs and Legal requirements. The objective of the context comprehension is to develop a transition plan that is tailored to customer’s outsourcing environment/ constraints etc.

In an exemplary embodiment  the transition context module (106) enables to generate a comprehensive list of criteria to understand the context of the transition approach. The transition context module (106) is configured to implement parameterized assessment analysis in order to identify the context of the customer’s outsourcing environment during design of the transition solution for the customer’s outsourcing environment. The parameterized context analysis is done for both the current and the target state in order to identify the risks  assumptions and constraints while transferring the services from the customer’s outsourcing environment to that of the vendor’s environment. Such parameterized context analysis enables to determine the boundaries and constraints under which transfer of accountability of services is to be facilitated for execution of the derived transition.

In an exemplary embodiment  the understanding of context of the customer-specific requirements is followed by the next phase of devising the scope of the transition plan to be executed for the customer-specific needs. The objective of defining transition scope is to ensure transition builds foundation for the target state. This task of defining the scope is implemented by the transition scope module (108). The transition scope module (108) identifies the scope of transition primarily based on identification of changes required to move the present service delivery model from Point of Departure (as-is state as on contract commencement date) state to Point of Arrival (Day 1 of steady state as on service commencement date) state. Point of Arrival is derived based on target (to-be) state and solution approach. The changes identified for deriving the scope includes change in contract/service agreements between client and service provider  change in delivery locations  change in governance model for service delivery  change in processes and tools  change in Human Resources  and changes in roles and responsibilities etc. In an exemplary embodiment  the transition module (108) is configured to define the scope of the transition solution to be devised based on assessed parameters by the transition context analyzer tool in context of the customer’s outsourcing environment.

In an exemplary embodiment  devising of transition is then followed by identification of risks associated in context of the business deal. The steps implemented for identification of risks by the risk identification module (110) includes identifying a particular change  identifying the stakeholders responsible for said particular change  identifying resources required to execute the particular change  identifying threats and its probability to the change and analyzing the impact of the change on different stakeholders associated with the business deal.

In an exemplary embodiment  the assumptions analysis module (112) as illustrated in figure 1 is configured to derive the assumptions required for design of the transition solution in context with the customer-specific requirements. The assumptions derived relates to understanding of Point of Departure (as-is state as on contract commencement date) state  expectations from the Point of Arrival (Day 1 of steady state as on service commencement date) state and the availability of resources to execute changes. In an exemplary embodiment  the objective of deriving assumptions is to help customer evaluate solution with parity across different vendors and mitigate execution risks by getting customer buy in on assumptions.

In an exemplary embodiment  the derived transition context  transition scope  transition risks and the transition assumptions are then utilized by the transition solution strategy engine (114) . The transition solution strategy engine (114) enables designing of a customized transition solution based on the identified transition scope  transition context  transition risks and transition assumptions. The output of the transition solution strategy engine (114) includes identifying efficient strategies such as people rehiring  resource mix  kick-off approach  tools  transition transformation and transition locations etc for design and implementation of the transition plan solution. The people rehiring requirements are identified based on assessment of parameters such as business criticality  domain skills  technology skills  local language specifications  transition constraints and human resource policies including costs  benefits  conditions  organizational structure  line management and HR processes and tools. Similarly  the other strategies are assessed as per the standard requirements and policies.

In an exemplary embodiment  as illustrated in figure 1  the transition solution engineering framework (104) further comprises an individual track module (116) enabling generation of transition plan across individual tracks. For example  the individual track module (116) generates individual track plan for transition solution strategy constraints such as people rehire and knowledge transfer. The individual track plan for people rehire is generated by the individual track module (116) based on the factors such as people rehire approach  sub-contract approach  on-board timelines  roles and key-responsibility areas (KRAs)  and customer pre-requisites etc. Similarly  the individual track module (116) generates individual track plan for knowledge transfer by grouping tower scope into multiple waves  facilitating kick-off approach for each wave  determining sequence of waves  providing duration for each wave  designing ramp-up plan for each wave and considering customer pre-requisites for each wave respectively.

In an exemplary embodiment  the grouping of waves is done primarily to divide the project into logical sub-projects in order to maintain control and manage risk in the transition solution approach. The waves are tower-wise grouped based on various parameters such as business domain  technology applications  alignment to various outsourcing engagements  infrastructure and business processes etc. Next  the kick-off approach for the waves grouped is determined. The objective is to determine if the transition to all groups can be kicked off simultaneously or need to be scattered. The key assessment parameters for determining the kick-off approach includes Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) availability duration  SMEs location spread  number of applications supported by each SME  customer outsourcing maturity  business critical applications  planned transformation level  skills required with respect to languages  technologies  components and security assessment. Further  the sequencing of waves is determined based on assessing the parameters such as SME availability  business interdependency  and vendor resource availability etc.

In an exemplary embodiment  as illustrated in figure 1  the transition solution engineering framework (104) further comprises an integrated plan module (118) that generates an integrated transition solution for multiple tracks concurrently. In this embodiment  the framework (104) comprises a rule-based engine (not shown in figure) that is adapted to integrate one or more individual plans through a set of rules. More particularly  the integrated plan module (118) generates comprehensive and synchronized plan with guidelines across various different tracks and is not limited to individual tracks. Further  the integrated plan module (118) is configured to detect and sort the dependencies associated with individual tracks while generating the integrated plan. The transition solution engineering framework (104) further comprises a transition governance module (120) that enables developing effective governance to complement the transition solution strategies adopted through the transition solution strategy engine (114). For example  in an exemplary embodiment  the transition governance module (120) comprises a metrics analysis engine configured to generate a validation and transition governance strategy to measure the completeness and effectiveness of the transition solution strategies and the derived transition governance mechanism during execution. The transition governance module (120) also facilitates defining an organization structure based on parameters such as number of towers  geographical spread  geo-location  outsourcing strategies  landscape change level  approaches or procedures  and guidelines. The assessment of these factors enables the transition governance module (120) to determine the human resources  hardware/software  tools and processes required to utilize the defined organization structure for executing the transition solution designed. The objective of the transition governance module (120) is to define a strategy to track the overall program management of transition to be governed  manage the roles and responsibilities of the customer and the service provider while governing the transition and monitor the transition progress by means of metrics analysis engine so corrective action can be taken.

In an exemplary embodiment  the transition solution engineering framework (104) facilitates various enabler tools (not illustrated in figure 1) that enable customer to get acquainted with the transition solution approach proposed. More particularly  these enabler tools help in aligning the transition solution to different outsourcing trends. For example  a treasury enabler tool is a web-based self-assistance tool that helps in identifying similar transition experience in context of the customer’s requirements. A risk enabler tool is a web-based repository containing the historical transition risks experienced. Further  the transition solution engineering framework (104) comprises multiple overview artifact enabler tools that provide an overview on the tools and elements considered during designing transition solution from timeline  applicability  cost and customer- pre-requisites perspective. Further  an application portfolio enabler tool is a tool with predefined charts that help in analyzing application data from the transition perspective.

In an exemplary embodiment  the framework (104) further comprises a stakeholder preparedness module (124) configured to determine various stakeholders’ pre-requisites while adopting the designed transition solution. Transition may involve various parties (service provider  customer  incumbent  third party services provider etc) during the transition and their preparedness is key to the successful transition kick off. The Stakeholder preparedness module is a parameterized system that enables identification of prerequisites for all relevant stakeholders during a transition depending upon the environment under which transition will be executed. The prerequisites include key focus areas  activities to be performed by the stakeholder to create an optimal environment for transition execution.

In an exemplary embodiment  the database module (122) stores all data that is referred by the individual modules during implementing the transition solution. For example  the database module (122) comprises historical transition experienced  historical transition risks repository  and pre-defined charts utilized by different enabler tools for assisting the customer in meeting its requirements. Also  it facilitates storage of customer-specific requirements  customer feedbacks and various rules and policies that facilitates generation of effective transition solution. The database module (122) stores several libraries of scenario data such as assumptions  experience profiles  risks  mitigations  questionnaire  strategies and charts etc that are utilized for enabling the scenario-referral approach for design of the transition solution. In this embodiment  if a request for designing a transition solution for a specific IT outsourcing environment is received by the framework (102)  the context  scope  risks  and assumptions for the transition solution to be devised is identified by the framework with the help of relevant modules and a transition scenario similar to the context of the solution is referred from the stored transition data. More  specifically  the framework (102) iteratively scans the libraries of said scenario data stored in the database module to identify and derive an efficient transition solution in context of the customer’s IT outsourcing environment. The system (100) is also adapted to optionally generate new scenarios in a real-time if the framework identifies new risks  parameters and variables while devising the current transition solution. The newly generated scenario data then can be stored in the database module (122) in the form of libraries for future reference and transition analysis.

Thus  the transition solution engineering framework (102) provides details on factors the deal team must consider while carrying out steps to design an effective transition solution. The transition solution engineering framework (102) enables the team to ensure that various elements of transition such as Analysis  Clustering  Risks  Estimation  governance etc. are customized to customer’s ecosystem and the context of the deal. The framework further provides guidelines on how various tracks are synchronized with clear identification of dependencies across each other. Also  the transition solution engineering framework (102) provides tools/enablers for analyzing customer context  defining transition scope and identifying risks associated with the transition.

Referring to figure 2 is a flow diagram (200) illustrating various steps implemented for enabling the development of context-based customized transition solution according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

As illustrated in figure 2  at step (202)  customer transition context is determined based on the analysis of the outsourcing environment of the customer.

At step (204)  the scope of the transition solution to be developed is defined based on the determined customer transition context.

At step (206)  a solution strategy to be implemented for generating the transition is defined based on the inputs received from the context and scope identified in the previous steps.

At step (208)  an integration approach for the defined solution strategy is formulated.

At step (210)  individual track plan pertaining to the formulated integration approach for the defined solution strategy is defined.

At step (212)  transition governance for the defined individual track plans is formulated.

At step (214)  pre-requisites required pertaining to stakeholders associated with the solution are identified.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a structured framework and guidelines for design of effective transition solution.

The present invention takes a holistic view of outsourcing transition addressing all the changes subjected to the customer requirements.

The present invention enables analysis of transition scope  risks and approach in the context of the customer’s outsourcing environment.

The present invention enables facilitation of various enabler tools to align transition solution to outsourcing trends.

The present invention provides a configurable system enabling parameterized context and scope analysis for the transition to be derived.

The present invention enables deriving transition solution based on the end state of the transition.
The present invention enables a collaborative framework to capture global expertise for continuous enrichment of the libraries through regular and periodic expert feedback.

The present invention facilitates generation of metrics enabling the performance measurement of the transition.

The present invention leverages organization’s expertise gathered from various outsourcing engagements while designing the transition solution.

The methodology and techniques described with respect to the exemplary embodiments can be performed using a machine or other computing device within which a set of instructions  when executed  may cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed above. The machine may comprise a server computer  a client user computer  a personal computer (PC)  a tablet PC  a laptop computer  a desktop computer  or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further  while a single machine is illustrated  the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine may include a processor (e.g.  a central processing unit (CPU))  a memory which communicates with each other via a bus. The memory stores the instructions when executed  may cause the processor of the machine to instruct one or more modules illustrated in figure 1 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed above.
The illustrations of arrangements described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments  and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other arrangements will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Other arrangements may be utilized and derived there from  such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated  while others may be minimized. Accordingly  the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims:

1. A system (100) for developing a customized transition solution for an outsourcing engagement during transfer of IT or IT-enabled services from one service provider or in-house team to another service provider characterized by real-time analysis of context and scope of a current state and an end state of the transition solution  the system comprising:
I. a collaborative framework (104)  the framework being accessible by plurality of machines dispersed at different geographical regions by means of a communication network;
II. a database module (122) electronically coupled to the framework (104)  the database module (122) comprising a plurality of libraries storing a transition scenario data;
III. the framework (104) further comprising:
a) a transition context module (106) to identify the context of the transition by performing parameterized analysis based on parameters and constraints impacting transition during transfer of the services;
b) a transition scope module (108) to identify the scope of the transition by analyzing the changes to be implemented in the current outsourcing platform while transitioning from the current state to the end state of the transition;
c) a risk identification module (110) to identify and assess a comprehensive list of risks impacting the transition based on said identified context and scope of the transition;
d) an assumption analysis module (112) to develop a list of underlying assumptions based on which the transition solution is to be derived;
e) a transition solution strategy engine (114) to formulate an effective transition solution strategy for the transition by referring a similar transition scenario from the libraries based on analysis of the identified context  scope  risks and assumptions;
f) an individual track plan module (116) to generate one or more transition solution plans corresponding to one or more services across different individual tracks based on the formulated transition strategy;
g) an integrated plan module (118) to integrate said generated one or more transition solution plans based on a set of rules;
h) a transition governance module (120) to design an effective transition governance mechanism for the generated transition solution plans ; and
i) a stakeholder preparedness module (124) to identify pre-requirements pertaining to different stakeholders associated with the transition for the generated transition solution plans.
2. The system of claim 1  wherein the stored transition scenario data includes assumptions  experience profiles  risks  mitigations  questionnaire  solution strategies  charts  prior feedback from the customers and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1  wherein the transition strategy is generated by referring to similar transition scenario data stored in the libraries by mapping the parameters  risks  assumptions and constraints of the identified context and scope of the transition.

4. The system of claim 1  wherein transition governance module (120) comprises a metrics analysis engine adapted to generate validation metrics and governance strategy metrics for the generated transition plans.

5. The system of claim 4  wherein the validation metrics and transition governance strategy are generated to measure the completeness and effectiveness of the generated transition plans during transition execution.
6. A method for deriving a customized transition solution for an outsourcing engagement during transfer of IT or IT-enabled services from one service provider or in-house team to another service provider characterized by real-time analysis of context and scope of a current state and an end state of the transition solution  the method comprising processor implemented steps of:
a) performing parameterized context analysis to determine the boundaries and constraints of the outsourcing platform where the services is to be transferred;
b) performing parameterized scope analysis to determine the activities to be performed during transfer of the services;
c) identifying and assessing a comprehensive list of risks impacting the transition based on analysis of context and scope of the transition;
d) developing a list of underlying assumptions based on which the transition solution is to be derived;
e) deriving an effective transition solution strategy for the transition by referring a similar transition scenario from the libraries based on the analysis of said identified context  scope  risks and assumptions;
f) generating one or more transition solution plans for the transition based on the derived transition solution strategy;
g) integrating said generated one or more transition solution plans corresponding to one or more services based on a set of rules;
h) formulating a transition governance strategy for the generated transition solution plans; and
i) determining stakeholders’ pre-requisites for the generated transition solution plans to be utilized for implementing the transition of the services.
7. The method of claim 6  wherein the parameterized context analysis is performed based on the assessment of parameters  risks  assumptions  attributes impacting the transition.

8. The method of claim 6  wherein the parameterized scope analysis is performed based on the assessment of changes in parameters  risks  assumptions  attributes impacting the transition.

9. The method of claim 6  wherein similar transition scenario is referred by mapping the parameters  risks  assumptions and constraints of the identified context and scope of the transition to that of the transition data stored in the libraries.

10. The method of claim 6  further comprising the step of generating a validation and transition strategy metrics to measure the effectiveness and completeness of the generated transition solution plans during execution.

11. The method of claim 9  wherein the transition solution scenario data includes data assumptions  experience profiles  risks  mitigations  questionnaire  solution strategies  charts  prior feedback from the customers and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 6  wherein the services is selected from a group consisting of but not limited to application development management (ADM) services  business process outsourcing (BPO) services  infrastructure services (IS) and combinations thereof.

Dated this 26th day of March  2012

Priyank Gupta
Agent for Applicant
IN-PA-1454

ABSTRACT:

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING A CUSTOMIZED TRANSITION SOLUTION FOR IT OR IT-ENABLED SERVICES
A method and system for generating customized transition solution is disclosed herein. According to the method and system of the present invention  the customer-specific requirements are analyzed in order to identify the parameters such as scope  context  risks and assumptions associated with the design of the transition solution. These identified parameters are then utilized to devise transition solution strategies and accordingly an effective  context-specific transition solution is designed.

FIG 1