Thursday, August 12, 2004
Understanding the Realities of Offshoring: a panel discussion
Offshoring - it's a newly coined word, it spans many industries, and it is
one of the hottest topics in the news these days. If you're not currently involved
in an offshore development project, the likelihood is strong that you will encounter
one in the next few years. To help you understand the realities of working on
such a project, we have gathered a panel of high-profile offshoring experts.
They will be directing their comments towards offshore development projects,
and will help us understand: what shouldn't be done offshore, what can successfully
be done offshore, and what is required in order to produce usable products.
Our esteemed panel includes:
- Wesley Bertch, Director of Information Systems at Life Time Fitness, Inc.
- Sean McCoy, System Architect at Trane
- Mani Subramani, Associate Professor at the Carlson School of Management
- Paul Wehrman, Development Director at UGS
- Delight "DeeDee" Demulling, 2005 UPA-International Conference Co-chair and
Principal of Prodex Consulting, will be moderating the panel discussion.
Meeting Details:
- Date/Time:
- August 12, 2004, 6:00 PM
- Place:
- UGS: The PLM Company
- Address:
- Guidant Campus, 4201 Lexington Avenue North, Arden Hills, MN
55126
- Host:
- Tia Chung at UGS
- Speakers:
- A panel of local Offshoring experts
- Topic:
- Understanding the Realities of Offshoring: a panel discussion
Agenda:
- 6:00 pm Networking and refreshments
- 6:20 pm Business meeting
- 6:45 pm Panel Discussion
- 8:00 pm Adjourn / After-meeting food, suds and networking
More about our panel:
- Wesley Bertch - As the Director of Information Systems at Life Time Fitness,
Inc., Wes has first-hand experience working with a well-known offshore development
company. Based on his direct experience, as well as his research and investigation
into offshoring, Wes has been sought after as a speaker and as a resource
for various articles on the topic. Recent articles may be found on CIO Magazine,
InfoWorld, and MSNBC - Newsweek.
- Sean McCoy - Currently a System Architect at Trane, Sean has over twenty
years of software design and development experience that spans a variety
of industries. Working as a consultant for eleven years, he gained exposure
to a wide-range of outsourced projects. Most recently, Sean has been working
on a project being developed for Trane by an outsourcing firm in India.
- Mani Subramani - As Assistant Professor in the Carlson School of Management,
Mani's research focuses on the strategic role of information technology
for knowledge management and the leveraging of organizational capabilities
using information technologies. With practical experience working at software
development firms in India, Mani recognizes the value and potential of offshoring,
and has recently begun offering classes on the topic to Carlson School of
Management students.
- Paul Wehrman - Paul is currently the Development Director at UGS. He has
more than twenty years of experience in information technology, and was
a member of the team that created the first commercial Project Data Management
(PDM) system in the United States. Continuing his work in Project Lifecycle
Management software, Paul has directly, and indirectly, managed several
development teams working in India.
RSVP & Dues
Please RSVP if you wish to attend. Just send the names of the people in your group who'll be attending to LBennett@LifeTimeFitness.com.
Non-member visitors are welcome, but are asked to pay five dollars to attend each meeting.
Haven't joined our chapter yet? It's only $20 for the calendar year, and you can sign up at our monthly meetings. More information is found at: http://www.upamn.org/join.shtml
Directions & Map:
Map URL: http://snipurl.com/UPAatUGS
Driving Directions:
From the West / 35W & 694 Interchange:
- From 35W take 694 East to Lexington Avenue exit.
- Turn left to go North on Lexington Ave.
- Look for the "Guidant" sign on the left side of the road, which marks the
entrance to the campus.
- After turning left to enter the Campus, take the next right into the
parking lot.
- The first building entrance will be 4201 Lexington Ave N. (If you get to
4233 Lexington Ave N, you've gone too far.)
From the East / 35E & 694 Interchange:
- NOTE: A long-term construction project is underway at the 35E & 694
Interchange.
- From 35W take 694 East to Lexington Avenue exit.
- Turn right to go North on Lexington Ave.
- Look for the "Guidant" sign on the left side of the road, which marks the
entrance to the campus.
- After turning left to enter the Campus, take the next right into the
parking lot.
- The first building entrance will be 4201 Lexington Ave N. (If you get to
4233 Lexington Ave N, you've gone too far.)
Parking: Parking is free and located on the east side of the building, near
Entrance 1.
Help Spread the Word:
Know someone interested in usability? Feel free to invite them to an upcoming meeting. Visitors are always welcome. Please forward this announcement to other area professionals who might have an interest in UPA-MN meetings or activities.
Upcoming Meetings & Events:
- October 14th - UPA Board Nominations, Human Factors Engineering process in
the Defense Industry, hosted by Nick Everhart at United Defense in
Minneapolis, MN
- November 11th - UPA Board Voting, Lab Tour and Usability in Practice at
Unisys, hosted by Kristine Betcher at Unisys Corporation in Roseville, MN
Do you have an idea for a future meeting or know someone you think would be a good speaker? Contact Laurie Bennett (LBennett@LifeTimeFitness.com) with your suggestions.