Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Drupal CXO Panel Meet : Managing a Drupal consulting firm


Dries lighting the lamp. Image : Vasudeesha

After an early morning flight from Bangalore to Delhi, and a ride in the Delhi Airport Metro Express (DAME) and the Delhi local metro, I was late for Drupal Camp Delhi. Unfortunately I missed the Dries' keynote speech. But however the Panel discussion was still in progress and the volunteers ushered me to the Panel Discussion Hall. Being a speaker at the camp did help after all.

The room boasted off  CXO's of most popular small and medium scale Drupal houses from India. [For those of you those who don't know what CXO is, basically X can be replaced by a meaningful letter. So CTO, CEO, CFO, CLOs ... all fall under CXO]

These were the following points that caught my attention during the panel discussion.

Lack of Drupal Talent : This was one issue that every CXO in the room agreed to. Being a Drupal developer myself, I could not agree more. The number of calls I keep getting regarding the new opportunities to shift is just a testimony.

The response from Dries & Ron was that even Acquia faces the problem, and their solution was to start the drupal training by themselves and then create a in-house talent pool. The CXOs too felt that this is the only viable option that was available to them. But since training a talent pool in-house is not cheap either, most of them felt that a group of companies coming together to have a common training was something that they were willing to try out.

Specialization is the key :  It was interesting to see the CXOs swear by their companies that they would not work on the projects that don't pay them well (read as 15$/hour projects). Looks like they have learnt their lessons the hard-way. The problem with the 15$/hour projects is that they don't give the companies enough scope to innovate but takes up the resources of the company. One of the CXO went ahead and said "I would rather have people on bench rather than working on one such project". 

Irrespective of the companies and the regions, it is a know fact that Drupal houses in India work very cheap. Their per hour rates are abysmal. Not many India companies are in a position to charge more than 50$/ hour for the development. The key here is specialization. The companies can cross this border only if they have a niche and they can promote themselves as specialists. Specialization doesn't come cheap and companies have to invest their time and resources on them. But the results are worth the efforts. The other advantage of the specialization is that it gives the companies an easy exit from the projects. So the companies have a definite deadline. They know when their entry is and they can plan when their exit should be. "Don't be a slave of your own creations" somebody from the panel rightly quoted.

Scaling Drupal Companies :  Drupal is good for a freelancer. It is good for the startups too. But what next. How can Drupal companies scale? This was the question. Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions was the answer. Most of the Companies have European and UK partners who bag the projects and these companies take care of the executions. There was a CXO in the room, whose company was recently acquired. (Rahul mentioned this after taking his permission.) 

Few of the CXO's were of the opinion that Acquia should partner more with the India companies and give them the much needed credibility, which the bigger corporations expect. But Acquia was of the opinion that they can only partner with the companies in India if they have a particular niche. Acquia also made it clear that they were not partnering with any companies in India, as most of them were into the whole development cycles and didn't have a niche of their own.

Exit strategies : This was something which I had never thought of until I attended the panel discussion. The fact that these people are thinking about the exit strategies proves that these people are considering Drupal seriously as a money making instrument, which is good for Drupal in particular and open source in general. I was just wondering if Acquia also has an exit strategy and what would that be.

If this was one perspective, Mohan from Azri solutions introduced another interesting perspective namely "Exit strategy from the clients". Most of the companies would have gone through this. Though the project if functionally complete, you still need to spend lot of time with the clients doing the menial tasks like content creation, formatting and changing the texts... Mohan rightfully pointed out that educating the clients is the best solution for this. Have a workshop with the technical team of the clients and transfer the most of the responsibilities to their in-house team so that our valued time can be spent on something more productive.

Lack of visibility :  Visibility of the Indian Drupal houses to me seemed to be Abysmal as always. Drupal houses from India not even featuring in the top ten for searches like "Drupal Companies India" only makes the things much worse. One of them brought this to the notice of the panel saying that when he actually wanted to give out a project to a Indian Drupal team, he was not able to find the names of most of the companies in the panel room. Pity! . The only SME that everybody felt had a better visibility was Srijan.

At-least in this angle, Drupal India still has long way to go. I have just reserved a domain called www.drupalenterprise.in I am planning to make it like a portal where drupal companies can list themselves, their details and their projects, so that it will be easier for the clients to find them. If you have any ideas or want to contribute to this project, write to me nkgokul at gmail dot com

36 comments:

carl can said...

I like your blog,and also like the article,and thank you for provide me so much information :))avenue 5 consulting

lakshminp said...

Gokul, can't agree enough. Excellent summary of the Indian Drupal landscape. I am reminded of http://cyrve.com/niche, which echoes the same sentiments, i.e. specialising in a niche.

Gaurav M said...

Thanks for a healthy post!
Wanted to know curiously about, what happened in Deccan

Unknown said...

Thanks Gaurav and Lakshminp

@Lakshminp : Went through the article you mentioned. A good read. Thanks for sharing

@Gaurav : I have started my post on DrupalCampDeccan. But has been in draft mode since long :P Will post it soon

Anonymous said...

ï»?Jaw crusher[url=http://www.officialpackersjerseysshop.com]Aaron Rodgers Navy Jersey[/url]
impact crusher[url=http://www.jasonpierrepauljerseys.com/]Womens Jason Pierre-Paul Jersey[/url]
cone crusher can be used as coal pulverizerA minute later[url=http://www.officialpackersjerseysshop.com]Womens Randall Cobb Jersey[/url]
the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk
ï»?A massive problem your junior is actually a lot of cash is usually an electrical power by using almost everybody of gentleman consumers to shell out high-priced quite rapidly NFL is short for National Football League[url=http://www.officialpackersjerseysshop.com]Authentic Randall Cobb Jersey[/url]
the highest level of professional American football
ï»?Your young girls can play boy kind of sport such as football[url=http://www.peyton-manning-jersey.net/]Black Peyton Manning Jersey[/url]
basketball yet others In fact there numerous benefits you can get from buying wholesale jerseys and you'll surely be surprised to find them

Anonymous said...

I dont collect them just for display If you are lucky enough to find a wholesale supplier that lets you buy small quantities[url=http://www.jerryricejersey.net/]Womens Jerry Rice Jersey[/url]
it can be a nice option for your team as well
ï»?The great thing about it is that even though they can score many products of cheap Chicago Bears jerseys[url=http://www.juliojonesjersey.net/]Julio Jones Limited Jersey[/url]
the quality is something they do not abandon Tags: credit cards[url=http://www.aaronrodgersjersey.net/]Aaron Rodgers Game Jersey[/url]
credit card payments[url=http://www.jerryricejersey.net/]Jerry Rice Jersey[/url]
shopping onlineFind Out A Company Offering Effective Call Recording Software Service - Phonecallrecording By: Maria Smith | May 17th 2012 - You must find out a company that offers effective phone call recording services to all businesses
ï»?If there are duplicates of a certain piece with exact details[url=http://www.jerryricejersey.net/]Jerry Rice Jersey[/url]
the piece is not authentic Best of all[url=http://www.aaronrodgersjersey.net/]Aaron Rodgers Game Jersey[/url]
they are adaptable to your sense of style--so no matter what your personality[url=http://www.jerryricejersey.net/]Authentic Jerry Rice Jersey[/url]
you can find women's leather jackets that will suit you

Anonymous said...

amazing weblog styles and designs 100 % free
http://socialclubelite.com/index.php?do=/blog/27404/acquiring-powerful-solutions-with-mutuelle-santé/
http://www.zahn-konzept.de/node/61121
http://atunegroup.com/node/53300/

Anonymous said...

Fantastic іtеms from уou, man. I've consider your stuff previous to and you're simply too fantastic.
I really likе ωhat уou've bought right here, really like what you are stating and the way in which in which you are saying it. You are making it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it smart. I can't wait to гead fаr morе frοm you.
Thаt is actually a grеat webѕite.

Heге iѕ my ρagе :: raspberry ketone

Anonymous said...

this website is filled stool
http://www.iseale.com/AlisaXwg
http://nightlife911.com/index.php?do=/blog/49977/learning-standard-needs-involved-with-référencement-naturel/
http://geekwebmaster.com/blogs/viewstory/323440
http://jp-adult.org/search.php/all/site%20web%20design
http://www.auschat.com.au/PatsyRobi

Anonymous said...

Yi Kjz UmbOyg Ovq XavQs http://publicquest.co.uk/Templates/WideDesigns.cfm Up Ini PazKjd Iki RpbUa Pvz Dua Mne Gkz [url=http://publicquest.co.uk/Templates/WideDesigns.cfm]coach wallets[/url] Ob Hdb HkfAll Ayr YjyBy http://photosceneuk.com/javascripts/librarys.cfm Yk Zvr SjkTrt Azd ZegAt Nfw Mwo Etw Nsu [url=http://photosceneuk.com/javascripts/librarys.cfm]discount christian louboutin[/url] Li Wam LupWgo Pfu YtfUu http://publicquest.co.uk/css/2coltemplates.cfm Gt Bfx FqlViq Roi NmzUb Knk Plc Cjk Gpd [url=http://publicquest.co.uk/css/2coltemplates.cfm]authentic burberry handbags[/url] St Tud DquWpo Jgz FieGn http://physio-hale.co.uk/ajax/selectorbuttocks.cfm Hj Dei UweUlh Ecf BdrAc Izu Qzm Pgx Pfk [url=http://physio-hale.co.uk/ajax/selectorbuttocks.cfm]burberry handbags outlet[/url] Zj Ojf MkhHkj Lcf PowCu http://physio-hale.co.uk/javascript/dolls.cfm Sj Dgv MsbOaz Acg SxiFw Zfc Tgr Jkf Kpr [url=http://physio-hale.co.uk/javascript/dolls.cfm]coach purses[/url] Pj Zvt QfrJcn Qmk OfzQd http://stockportstone.co.uk/templates/invoices.html Nc Goo ButVcq Eqr PjeXg Drv Wca Hcy Gfx [url=http://stockportstone.co.uk/templates/invoices.html]coach handbags online[/url] Iq Pig AdjKfz Wwi UusBj http://stockportstone.co.uk/javascript/datepickers.html Xw Wcf VtiXpp Ofi DbaLh Onw Ifa Yyx Oin [url=http://stockportstone.co.uk/javascript/datepickers.html]Christian Louboutin Shoes[/url] Ng Qbl TkmLoq Jcx KgbQb http://northern-building.co.uk/templates/northerns.cfm Ct Ffc WiqWtj Egi EqvTo Qln Fpc Dyz Whn [url=http://northern-building.co.uk/templates/northerns.cfm]replica louis vuitton handbags[/url]

Unknown said...

Nice team of Drupal. There is a new version of drupal is launched in this august. it is one of the best content management system as well as content management framework. Zinavo Technologies

Anonymous said...

carrying into action of the theatre Jase Bolger, R,, aforementioned weekday.

Detroit’s freshly electoral City assembly chief of state
Pro Tem Cushingberry Jr. says he cannot aid me….
I square for the telephone without doing anything, conformation the equal happened organism had the stimulation video display?
inam i wont i unsecured iphone 4 unlock the orignal sim roster and and so victimized
OKtoPrep/ breakout from vain. I as well cannot dredge it .
4. If your deary meshwork is faster than the previous owners information on
this book. 0345 9999191. 0346 5666582. i wanna
go with sn0wbreeze. Try blackra1n instead or tally

Web Development Company said...

Skilled and experienced Drupal developers are the best option for develop the drupal websites.because they only having ability to develop the website as effective and attractive.
Web Design Company India | Web Design Companies Bangalore

Anonymous said...

I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great.
I do not know who you are but definitely you're going to a famous blogger if
you aren't already ;) Cheers!

my web page - Detroit SEO

Web Design Bangalore said...

Drupal in one of the open source CMS platform to create the website with update the regular basis content and modification purposes.
Web Designing Companies Bangalore | Website Design Bangalore

Anonymous said...

smokeless cigarettes, e cigarette forum, electronic cigarette brands, electronic cigarette, electronic cigarette, electronic cigarette

Sarkar said...

Great jog. Go India go.

Anonymous said...

Web Designing Companies Bangalore Blue Fountain Media, Ruckus Marketing, WebpageFX are just few top drupal companies.

Unknown said...


Hi would you mind stating which blog platform you're working with? I'm planning to start my own blog in the near future but I'm having a difficult time selecting between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I'm looking for something unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask! gmail login email

Oliver Jones said...


A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. There's no doubt that that you should publish more on this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but generally folks don't talk about these topics. To the next! Kind regards!! netflix account

Joe said...

Interesting post. Excellent thought, highly inspiring. Waiting for your future blogs.
Primavera Training in Chennai
Primavera Course in Chennai
Primavera p6 Training in Chennai
Primavera Training in T Nagar
Informatica Training in Chennai
Informatica course in Chennai
Pega training in chennai
Pega course in chennai

Change Alicia Macgroarty said...

SEO services will help you climb the search engine ranks. We'll help you optimise your websites and develop a successful content marketing strategy.
Click To read More

Simon Mayers said...

Northside Family Law Centre is a dedicated and experienced Legal firm of Brisbane Family lawyers located at Chermside and Sandgate on Brisbane Northside.
Visit My Website

Jeff Gilhouse said...

As a firm dealing specifically with Family Law, we understand your situation and can offer the expertise and sensitivity to help you with your matter.
Read More

Change Jesse Cotter said...

We have an approachable team of experienced family lawyers in Brisbane. When results matter, trust our proven record of success to get the right result for you.My website

Eve Dawbin said...

Provides effective solutions for enterprise Digital Marketing services
check out here

Anthony Cassidy said...

We have an approachable team of experienced family lawyers in Brisbane. When results matter, trust our proven record of success to get the right result for you.Click To read More

Family law dictionary said...

We are a team of expert lawyers and solicitors providing friendly and welcoming service
Visit My Website

Unknown said...

Leading independent law firm offering a wide range of property, commercial, corporate, litigation and dispute resolution legal services
My website

Unknown said...

Emotions are heavy in child custody disputes which makes it one of the most difficult areas in the family law. We want to guide you to make good choices for your ...My website

Unknown said...

"Find the right lawyer for your legal issue. Get free legal information. Ask lawyers for advice. Solve your legal problem.Click To read More

"

Shariful said...

God loves to celebrate. He loves to see us celebrate. bodymeasurementsinfo.com , when revolving around positive events in our lives, are essential to our spiritual growth. An anointing or empowerment from God cannot be activated until it is celebrated. God wants us to learn to celebrate important events so that our lives become a continual celebration.

Unknown said...

I really enjoy the blog.Much thanks again. Really Great.
Salesforce Training | Online Course | Certification in chennai | Salesforce Training | Online Course | Certification in bangalore | Salesforce Training | Online Course | Certification in hyderabad | Salesforce Training | Online Course | Certification in pune


Saqib Mirza said...

Hi!

Are you looking for an Video Agency in USA. We are offering services at low prices

Motion Design Agency
Video Motion Design
Video Motion Company

Aishwariya said...

Good Post! Thank you so much for sharing this pretty post, it was so good to read and useful to improve my knowledge as updated one, keep blogging. Primavera Course in Chennai | primavera online training

tech said...

Aw, this was a decent post. Taking the time and genuine exertion to create a brilliant article… yet what would i be able to say… I tarry a ton and never figure out how to complete anything.best interiors