How You Can Solve the SOA Skills Shortage

A recent IBM survey announcing a SOA skills gap has caused quite a blog brouhaha.

I hate to criticize others, because every time I do, I have to snap my arm with this rubber band I’m wearing — Hey, bad habits are hard to break – but here goes …

Is there really anyone in IT who didn’t see this coming?

A simple Internet query shows this has been an issue since at least 2005. Isn’t it pretty obvious you’re going to have a hard time finding workers with service-oriented architecture experience, given how few organizations have built SOAs and how many are starting to build them? It’s simple supply and demand, people.

If, for some reason, you haven’t puzzled that one out for yourself, the IBM survey queried Fortune 1000 CEOs and found 56 percent say a shortage of SOA skills is the number one obstacle to “launching and delivering SOA projects with strong business impact.”

OK, the SOA skills shortage is a problem. Got it. Now what are we going to do about it? That’s what I want to know. So that’s the question I’ve been researching.

Frankly, it seems like people are more interested in pronouncing there’s a skills shortage gap than in offering solutions. So, many of the articles I’m referencing are 6 to 8 months old, but they’re still pertinent.

As I read through the information, a few patterns emerged:

1. Start small so your internal staff can make mistakes and learn.
2. Get training through conferences, certification, books, and maybe vendors.
3. Hire a SOA mentor.
4. Pool resources, preferably in a SOA center of excellence.

Sandy Carter of IBM and Joe McKendrick of ZDNet recommend starting small. McKendrick points out starting small is a particularly good option when you couple a budget crunch with a lack of SOA skills. In the survey article, Carter shares how IBM developed its own SOA skills by starting small on horizontal projects that drew in a vertical team.

If you’re short on time, the best article on the skills problem is, “SOA Talent Clearly Lacking…Now What?” by David Linthicum. The article covers three of the four tips I’ve mentioned.

His mantra is “SOA – an architecture you build, NOT a product you buy,” and his advice reflects that. Linthicum believes your first step should be to train or hire a good architect, which he defines as someone with a holistic understanding of IT architecture, which includes networking, database, systems, application development, user interface design, testing, the whole works. (Linthicum is a managing partner of ZapThink, which offers a license program for architects.)

I particularly liked his discussion of the SOA center of excellence, though I wonder how you’d do that in mid-size companies. If you don’t have enough SOA experience on staff, how are you going to staff a SOA center of excellence?

That’s why I’ve amended this tip to “pool your resources.” My thinking is perhaps some organizations — government agencies and perhaps user groups — could pool their resources to create a regional or industry-specific SOA center of excellence.

Pay attention, too, to Linthicum’s caution about vendor training. He fears you could otherwise stray into what he calls vendor-driven architecture.

He also recommends hiring a mentor, which is basically hiring a consultant who will guide your work, not do it for you. Rachel Reinitz at IBM made a similar suggestion last year in her excellent article, “Developing skills for the SOA world — an expert who’s been there tells all.”

Reinitz is a Distinguished Engineer with IBM Software Services for WebSphere focusing on Web services and now a SOA expert for IBM. She lists a plethora of resources in explaining how how she developed her SOA expertise. Her top suggestion is to find a mentor:

“In my opinion, there is no better form of learning than executing projects under an experienced leader or consultant. … Your education can be greatly accelerated when you have an experienced person to check in with or to lead you. It is much easier to learn the right way, the wrong way, and the best way through mentorship.”

That said, Eric Roch over at IT Toolbox has a list of cautionary advice about finding and hiring a SOA mentor.

Finally, check out this April 2007 article from BEA. Nearly a year ago, BEA warned old tactics — outsourcing, hiring consultants and hiring in new skills -– wouldn’t work with SOA. Instead, BEA outlines a more strategic plan for developing in-house SOA skills.

Virtualization: Yet Another IT Skills Gap

Posted by Ann All on June 25, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Earlier this week, I wrote a blog post about how companies’ insatiable appetite for new infrastructure is feeding a high demand for data center specialists. Of course, there’s generally a strong correlation between interest in new technologies and companies scrambling to find staff versed in them, as IT Business Edge’s Loraine Lawson points out in her usual succint fashion in a post addressing the SOA skills shortage.

So it’s not surprising that soaring demand for data centers crossed with an intense interest in virtualization is leading companies to conclude that, hey, they may need to staff up.

The proof is in the job listings. The Dice technology job site now contains some 1,500 listings for folks with VMWare experience, up from just a few hundred last year, according to a Computerworld article. An SVP of marketing and customer support at Dice tells Computerworld he expects to see up to 40 percent more of these kinds of listings within the next year.

Systems administrators willing to tackle virtualization basics initially brought it into the enterprise, says Forrester Research analyst Robert Whiteley, but companies are now seeking more sophisticated skills as virtualization expands into new areas such as as the desktop. Companies tell Forrester they are using contractors and outsourcing providers, as well as training internal staff, to address the skills gap.

An interesting gotcha, highlighted as one of seven side effects of sloppy virtualization in a Network World article, is that virtualization will create a broader need for new skills than companies may realize. For instance, notes the article, help desk operators may find themselves taking calls from folks needing assistance with virtual PCs.

Though these and other articles mention the skills gap, I haven’t encountered any with ideas on how to address it. Now, this is frustrating to say the least. As Loraine wrote in her blog post:

Frankly, it seems like people are more interested in pronouncing there’s a skills shortage gap than in offering solutions.

The good news is, Loraine offers some suggestions for SOA skills building that I think apply just as well to virtualization.

* Start small so your internal staff can make mistakes and learn.

* Get training through conferences, certification, books and possibly vendors.

* Hire a mentor.

* Pool resources, preferably in a center of excellence.

Vendors are aware of the skills gap, of course. A potential drawback in seeking vendor training, as Loraine writes, is getting locked into one way of approaching a technology. Still, vendor training can be valuable. So it’s worth noting that Microsoft is expanding its certifications to include virtualization. It already has one virtualization exam in beta, reports InfoWorld blogger David Marshall.

India Thinking Big to Tackle Talent Shortage

Posted by Ann All on June 26, 2008 at 11:19 am

Last week I wrote about a study that indicates that U.S. job losses due to offshoring are offset by growing sales of U.S.-produced services in other countries. This doesn’t mean there won’t be “losers,” say the researchers, economists Runjuan Liu of the University of Alberta and Daniel Trefler of the University of Toronto, who note that less-educated Americans may have more trouble finding jobs and remaining employed.

I cited an earlier post in which I commented on AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson’s contention that the telecommunications giant couldn’t find enough folks with the right qualifications to fill technical support positions it planned to shift from India back to the U.S.

Perhaps the U.S. should look to India’s example. The country’s outsourcing industry, which has long been portrayed as a poacher of U.S. jobs, is now struggling to fill job openings and cope with competition from lower-cost countries. Sounds familiar, yes? But while the U.S. responds to these issues with little more than hand-wringing and political posturing, India appears to be tackling them head-on.

Some examples:

* Fostering Technologies in Rural Areas (Fostera), an initiative designed to create jobs for residents of India’s rural districts, has found outsourcing jobs for nearly 200 young people from poor families in four villages, reports Hindu Business Line India. BPO provider Adventity just signed an agreement with Fostera to undertake a pilot employing 100 program participants. If the pilot is successful, Adventity could hire up to 1,000 more participants within two years. Frontera recently hosted representatives from companies including HP, Cognizant and Syntel. The program’s creator, Santhosh Babu, tells Hindu Business Line he was “initially skeptical” the model would work. But now he believes it can be duplicated across the country. The only hitch, says Babu, is a lack of ubiquitous broadband connectivity. Frontera is addressing this with plans to introduce WiMax to participating villages.

* India hopes to further leverage its rural areas by building 43 new information technology cities across the country to attract workers for the IT outsourcing and BPO industries, reports the Times of India. The idea is to create self-contained cities with commercial space geared toward the needs of those industries, followed by infrastructure investments in residential housing, education, health care, retail and recreational facilities. Also addressed will be access to airports and larger metropolitan areas. India’s government wants to shift 40 percent of the country’s outsourcing business, which is currently concentrated in seven cities including Chennai and Bangalore, to the new cities by 2018. All together, it hopes the cities will create employment for some 3.5 million people. Based on the article, it sounds as if private investors will be expected to provide much of the funding, with state governments expected to make the necessary investments in services such as sewage, drainage and utilities like water and electricity.

* Government initiatives aren’t the only way to address worker shortages and competitive pressures. NIT, a talent development and training company, is teaming with services provider Genpact to create an Institute of Process Excellence to supply employees with industry-specific skills. Vijay K. Thadani, NIT’s CEO, says the institute will cover subjects not necessarily stressed in college, including such “soft” skills as business processes, voice training, language skills and business communication, as well as specialized finance, accounting, banking, insurance and supply chain training.The two companies intend to have 250 training institutes across the country by 2012, reports Hindu Business Line India. If the program is successful enough, they hope to expand it to the Philippines and China.

Outsourcing Embraces Social Responsibility

IAOP Setting the Standards for Good Stewardship

Companies providing, using and advising on outsourcing are adhering to and advancing the highest ethical standards, contributing to communities, bettering the environment, and expanding career opportunities and training for employees.

IAOP named socially responsible outsourcing as the number one outsourcing trend for 2008 and is focusing on ways companies involved in outsourcing can become even better corporate citizens.

“As leaders in the outsourcing field, our members are always looking for ways to improve their business practices and create more value for their customers, employees and communities,” said IAOP Chairman Michael Corbett. “Socially responsible outsourcing is one way they and their organizations can significantly contribute to business and society at large.”

Socially responsible outsourcing focuses on three critical areas – people, community and the environment. The “people” component relates to employee issues such as fair pay, good working conditions and diversity, while the “community” area focuses on economic and charitable efforts, both locally and globally. The “environment” aspect relates to green practices that help reduce energy consumption and waste.

IAOP is addressing each of these areas through training programs and standards development. For employees, the association’s Training and Certification Committee takes the lead in identifying the educational needs of members and overseeing development and delivery of training programs. IAOP’s Certified Outsourcing Professional™ (COP) program offers professionals the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and education needed to design, implement and manage outsourcing initiatives. Professionals may also participate in the many informational meetings and seminars held by the various IAOP chapters around the world, as well as the annual Outsourcing World Summit®.

Community involvement and green practices are recognized by IAOP’s Advocacy and Outreach Committee’s Outsourcing Hall of Fame, which recognizes industry leaders for their positive and far-reaching contributions to business and society. Inductees have included executives from General Motors, Infosys, TPI, Capgemini, Procter & Gamble, Accenture and Applied Materials.

IAOP has been at the forefront of promoting ethical standards for the industry through its Code of Ethics and Business Practices Standards for Outsourcing Professionals, which were adopted by members in 2005. Going forward, IAOP will continue to build on its education and advocacy programs to promote socially responsible outsourcing.

IAOP recently established a Social Responsibility sub-committee of its Advocacy and Outreach Committee. The goal of the sub-committee will be to identify and promote discussion among IAOP membership of socially responsible policies and practices as well as identify policies that the membership would like IAOP to formally support. The ultimate goal of this sub-committee would be to spin off as a stand-alone chapter.

“We want companies involved with outsourcing to become known for adhering to the highest ethical standards, contributing to their communities, bettering the environment, and expanding career opportunities and training for their employees,” says Corbett. “It’s good for business, the economy and the planet.”

Building sustainable outsourcing relationships

Organisations need to recognise and embrace the change in dynamics of the business and allow the supplier to deliver what they want using their delivery models, skills and expertise.

The unenviable truth about 21st century business is that market
forces determine the winners and losers. Outsourcing is being
used at both a tactical and strategic level to deliver results, be
it reduced cost of capital or access to specialist skills. However,
if you outsource your catering services, back-office cheque
clearing, premises management or IT, you have made a decision
to let somebody else provide you with the service for less, in a
different manner or both. You, your specialists and your
business leaders need to recognise and embrace the change
in dynamics of the business and allow the supplier to deliver
what you want using their delivery models, skills and expertise.
A successful relationship is clearly important because a longterm
outsourcing deal may require realignment during its life
especially where business objectives change. If a successful,
inclusive relationship has been established, it will make any
ensuing renegotiation all the more successful. In this regard,
outsourcing is a two-way street, and if you and your business
can leave service delivery to the experts whilst ensuring that
you make them aware of your business requirements, the
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