Cegeka: To overcome the IT crisis, companies must change their mindset and make the move to strategic partnerships

The IT market in Romania is going through a period of transformation, and the traditional outsourcing model, based on the outsourcing of human resources, is starting to show its limits.

In the current economic context, IT companies must rethink their approach and evolve beyond the role of service providers, especially since in terms of costs they begin to align with countries such as Poland, Spain, Greece or other European states.

In such a competitive market, the question arises, what is the added value that a Romanian company can bring to its customers, both local and international?

Moving from outsourcing to product development, consulting and assuming a strategic partner role can bring significant value to both suppliers and customers.

For many years, the outsourcing model was a convenient solution for companies that needed short-term IT resources. This model has generated steady profits for service providers, but has also brought limits to innovation and long-term engagement. In the classic body leasing scenario, IT companies make specialists available to clients for specific periods, but without assuming significant risks related to the success or viability of the project. But this approach has, in many cases, generated projects with unforeseen additional costs, missed deadlines and a lack of control over the final results.

Outsourcing companies now have the opportunity to evolve into strategic and proactive partners for clients, offering much more than just temporary labor. The “fixed price” model, for example, involves the joint assumption of risks and responsibilities, providing greater transparency on costs and delivery times.

Lucian Popovici, Engineering Director at Cegeka, explains: “From our experience, we have noticed that the fixed price model, in addition to the predictability of costs and delivery times, allows customers to focus on their strategic business objectives. By transferring IT responsibilities to the partner, clients can focus on increasing revenue, leaving the technical aspects to the specialists. This type of collaboration contributes significantly to increasing efficiency and strengthening mutual trust, providing a stable and sustainable working framework for both parties.”

Through such partnerships, outsourcing companies bring knowledge and innovation directly into the client’s ecosystem, using Agile methodologies that ensure flexibility and rapid adaptation to market changes. In this way, the relationship becomes a long-term one, focused on results, remaining constantly aligned with the strategic objectives of the client.

Through such partnerships, outsourcing companies bring knowledge and innovation directly into the client’s ecosystem, using Agile methodologies that ensure flexibility and rapid adaptation to market changes. In this way, the relationship becomes a long-term one, focused on results, remaining constantly aligned with the strategic objectives of the client.

A study by the association of IT and telecommunications companies in Germany shows that an overwhelming percentage – 75% of IT projects – fail to meet business expectations. Although many projects start from promising ideas and have teams of dedicated specialists, this does not automatically ensure the viability of the idea.

The reasons for failure are varied: from lack of communication, misaligned objectives, insufficient planning or lack of coordination between teams to an incorrect market assessment. Such an approach often results in wasted time and money resources, plus exceeding delivery deadlines.

After numerous positive feedbacks from clients, Cegeka has transformed the Discovery Phase service into a product with clear deliverables and a positive impact on their clients’ projects. This process allows for a detailed assessment of the project prior to implementation, ensuring a shared understanding of the objectives, resources and risks involved.

The most important part is that Discovery Phase offers customers predictability, scalability, plus much better management of expectations. In the Discovery Phase, the Cegeka consulting team collaborates in an iterative and consultative process with the client’s key departments to identify real needs and provide customized solutions. This process includes the organization of workshops and repeated feedback sessions, through which the client’s suggestions and observations are constantly incorporated.

This helps to clearly define the scope of the project, estimate costs and identify a realistic implementation schedule. This approach offered by Cegeka ensures that projects are aligned with the client’s business strategy, thus avoiding the risk of them failing due to wrong initial assessments. Thus, the Discovery Phase becomes not just a necessary step, but a strategic investment that brings long-term value.

“In conclusion, there should be a change in mentality at the market level, and thus outsourcing companies should also turn to the development of innovative products and solutions, especially in an increasingly competitive market. In a world dominated by emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, IT companies have the opportunity to bring more value, proposing technological solutions that transform clients’ businesses”, concludes Lucian Popovici.