Engagement Models

Aspire Systems partners with customers through various modes of engagement on different levels – in terms of taking responsibility for a customer’s R&D requirements, location of the team and pricing model chosen. Our different working models give our customers the flexibility of choosing how they would like to work with us.

Responsibility

Complete Product Development: In this model of engagement, Aspire takes complete responsibility of customer’s product(s) from concept-to-market. This helps customers focus on ideating next-generation products.

Modular Development: This happens when customers outsource the development of bits and pieces of their product(s), which are primarily considered non-core, to Aspire. Product integration skills to put together these modules become a key aspect for both the customer and Aspire.

Co-Development: This is a model where the customer and Aspire work in a coordinated manner to develop a product. Aspire's team is considered an extension of the customer's team and has all the rights and privileges to work on the customer’s code base.

Specific Services: Here, customers outsource certain activities of the product lifecycle, such as testing, documentation or product implementation, but not the core development activity itself. This helps customers develop a comfort level with Aspire's capabilities; another key advantage of this model is that the source code of the product does not have to be shared with Aspire to begin working together.

Location

Pure offshore: In this model the software development effort fully happens in Aspire’s Offshore Development Centers at Chennai & Gurgaon and the customer takes care of project management locally. This works out to be the most cost effective working model, in terms of location, for the customer. But this model is fruitful only in cases where the requirements are very clearly defined and well documented.

Partial onsite/offshore: Typically, in this working model, Aspire’s Project Leader travels to the customer’s location for a short duration during the initial requirements understanding phase and the deployment phase. He/she then travels back offshore and transfers the knowledge to the development team. This model enables effective knowledge transfer and is more cost effective when compared to onsite / offshore model.

Onsite/offshore: Aspire's onsite/offshore model provides customers the satisfaction of co-ordinating and discussing requirements and deliverables with an onsite Aspire team, while enjoying the benefits of offshore outsourcing. Our onsite team and marketing offices serve as a front end and maintain proximity with customers while the bulk of the work happens offshore.

Pricing

Dedicated team: In this model, the customer engages a dedicated Aspire team for a period of time, who acts as the virtual extension of the customer’s in-house development team. This works out to be the most cost-effective pricing model as the customer takes the onus of getting work done effectively from the Aspire team. Other advantages of this model include knowledge retention and the flexibility of utilizing the team for different requirements. Monthly billing is raised based on the number of resources dedicated every month.

Time and material: When requirements change frequently, as is often the case in new product development, the Time and material (T&M) arrangement works best. The long cycle of communication and documentation required with fixed-bids and change orders can be avoided in this model where Aspire assigns a team to the customer and the actual time spent by the team on the project is billed. Monthly invoicing is pro-rated based on the total hours spent on the project and the rates for the skill sets involved.

Hybrid and other innovative models: Hybrid is a combination pricing model where customers can derive the benefits of different models, based on the stage of development or the nature of work involved. In a hybrid model, customers could start on a Time and Material mode when they do not have defined requirements upfront. Once the requirements are base-lined, a Fixed-bid or a Dedicated team model could be adopted. Another example could be that besides engaging a core Dedicated team, customers can choose to work on a T&M model for additional requirements or sporadic needs.

Aspire also partners with customers in various other innovative ways, including risk-reward model, transactional pricing model, BOT, taking a stake, etc.