Managing hi-tech: the sigma way

Sigma Software Solutions Pvt Ltd, located at Senapati Bapat Road, Pune is a model of how high technology products can be developed and supported offshore through the right mix of top management vision, technology focus, global development practices adapted suitably and special attention to building domain capability in cutting edge areas like broadband services.

Andy Jasuja Chairman	N Diwakar C.O.O.

Sigma Software Solutions is offshore Delivery arm of the Sigma group of companies based in Toronto which includes Sigma Systems inc, the Broadband Service Management market leader whose products serve over 16 million broadband subscribers worldwide (www.sigma-systems.com), Sigma Software Solutions inc with customer care, billing and retailing in the telecom and Sigma Global inc. Sigma Systems has created a very significant niche in the Broadband sector with customers like Comcast, Adelphia COX communications, Rogers, Telus mobility, @nethome Japan who are the world’s top tier 1 broadband services players offering data, video, VOIP and value added services with millions of subscribers and has in the past attracted investments from Kleiner Perkins, Caufield and Byers, Morgan Stanley, Cisco and Redwood Ventures.

Sigma group is fully owned by Arjun(Andy) Jasuja and VasuDev Chanchlani - Canadian citizens who are computer professionals who started their careers with TCS and worked with leading organizations in Canada before creating Sigma in 1996.

Sigma Software Solutions Pvt Ltd was formed in 2001 to accelerate the global growth strategy of the Sigma group to bring newer cutting edge solutions in the market place centered around VOIP, advanced digital video, IP TV and other value added services. The entry strategy in India was characterized by long term thinking, steady and controlled growth and cost effective and people oriented management practices that made the Sigma Group so successful.

Pune was a natural choice for Sigma as the city has the best technical manpower, good infrastructure and offers a good quality of life says N Diwakar Chief Operating Officer, an industry veteran with over 27 years of experience in IT services and consulting for may large global organizations.

Sigma group has made large investments in Pune and has created a world class facility at Senapati Bapat Road with over 40,000 sq ft space. Unlike typical offshore centers, Sigma Software Solutions is fully involved in all stages of the product lifecycle from product concept , design , development, Quality Assurance customer implementation and support for all of Sigma’s key products.

Products developed entirely in this facility have been very successfully deployed at customer sites which includes the Advanced Service Diagnostics Manager which won the “Best OSS/ Billing/ Provisioning Solution” product of the year award in the Cable & Satellite International/Mediacast Product of the Year Awards.

According to Diwakar, some of the key factors that’s have contributed to the success of Sigma Software Solutions are :

Top management vision and management philosophy- According to the CEO Mr Andy Jasuja , fostering an Innovative Culture is to have very few management layers, a much greater emphasis on empowerment .and the Indian operation was allowed a lot of latitude in decision making, both technical and managerial. (Also See http://www.higrowth.tx.co.nz/go/download/18181/wp-deloitte-designing-right-organisation.pdf.).

Our corporate values include a focus on customers, a focus on employees and a consciousness around costs. To increase customer focus, initially, even though the engineering organization in Canada was an internal customer, the same stringent norms for release of product components, documentation as for external customers was followed , creating the ability to quickly scale up delivery of software directly and services to Sigma’s customers in North America and Europe.

Strong Technology and Domain Focus – Working in the broadband industry which till recently did not exist in India, key measures were taken to help the team acquire the necessary domain knowledge and technology expertise rapidly. Even today, our constant training programs have helped us to gain technology leadership in new areas like VOIP.

Empowerment, trust and encouraging innovation – Sigma chooses its employees very carefully and then trusts the to deliver independently with the framework of well established processes guidelines. People can grow into leadership positions quickly and have the freedom to bring forth ideas to upper levels of management including the Top Management in Canada.

Sigma Software Solutions anticipates significant growth in the next few years and also targeting to service high technology product customers worldwide in key vertical markets including Telecom, Utilities, Retail and Manufacturing. “With our successful creation of a world-class Product Delivery Organization, we are strategically positioned to capture the next wave of opportunities in the Global Software Services market.” Says Diwakar.