Telus

At TELUS, their purpose-driven team works daily to innovate and do good. From providing technological solutions that make lives safer and easier, to supporting those who need it most. Their inclusive, spirited, and giving people are passionate about empowering their customers, communities, and each other to thrive in the digital world.

Resources provided: one project manager with scrum manager skillsets.
Length of contract: ongoing two years.
Time to onboard: two weeks.  

Challenges:

• Technical debt and fixes to legacy project
• Finding candidates with the right skillsets
• Unanticipated budget cuts

Solution:

• Technical debt and fixes to legacy project
• Data-Driven Approach
• Vetting process and reassurance
• Global and Local Options for Agencies
• Process & Timeline to Project Delivery  

Results:

“Outforce won compared to other partners based on results and speed. The proposal that came back was thorough and inline with the timeline of the project and with agreed upon rates”  

-Cédric Gauthier
Manager Core Network Engineering Automation

1.     How did TELUS find out about Outforce.ai?
TELUS had previously engaged with Outforce.ai in another part of their business, and they came highly referred from both the engineers and leadership within the company.

2.    What was TELUS’ problem before engaging with Outforce.ai?
TELUS was struggling to find the perfect project manager with a scrum master background who had agile methodology. Most candidates did not have both requirements, which was an issue. Gradually, they were also looking to hire other engineering talent that aligned with budget adjustments and a pause in full-time hiring during the realignment of priorities at TELUS.  

3.    Why not rely on internal HR? Or other traditional ways of hiring?
TELUS has a multiple funnel approach for the acquisition of new team members and has used third party in the past for recruiting or outsourcing, but because of the rapid speed that things were evolving at TELUS, they needed a partner with a SOW approach that could work in real-time with the changing business requirements.  

4.    What was the selection and interview process with Outforce.ai?
TELUS was keen to continue their work with their previous outsourced engineering team from Argentina, so both the selection and interview process moved quickly, with one meeting to confirm the availability and skill sets of the engineers and another to establish team chemistry and touchpoint cadences.  

5.    What were the must-have criteria for the outsourced team delivered by Outforce.ai?

• Professional
• Technical debt and fixes to legacy project
• Good follow-up and follow-through
• Flexibility within budget
• Alignment on priorities and progress  

6.    What was the impact on TELUS’ business after engaging with the outsourced engineering team?
A. The heavy workload was removed from the senior engineering team so they could focus on emerging project priorities.
B. TELUS was able to stay within budget even with the cutbacks, and on time even with the full-time hiring freeze.

7.    Compared to a traditional HR or SOW experience, what are the benefits of partnering with Outforce.ai?
One of the main benefits of partnering with Outforce.ai is that the skillsets of the engineers went above and beyond TELUS’ expectations, and the high quality of the code also allowed for the project to progress on time without code re-writes or moving outside of the set budget.  

8.    What were TELUS’ results of partnering with Outforce.ai?

1. Network slicing project: phase one  
2. Velocity dashboards build-out
3. KPI dashboard development
4. IP Top-Up Project: sprint planning and review and retro session  

9.    What does a future with Outforce.ai look like?
The outstanding work that Outforce.ai completed for TELUS more than justified going outside of the usual hiring solution. Outforce.ai won based on results and speed. The proposal that came back was thorough and in line with the project's timeline and the agreed upon rates.

10.  What is the TELUS perspective when it comes to IT outsourcing?

“Outsourcing is a recommended strategic approach based on our experience. The recruitment process is generally cumbersome, so it is good to have a trustworthy partner who can provide the appropriate candidates based on the requirements. Outsourced contractors always allow for flexibility in scaling up and scaling down based on changing needs as well as supplementals kill expertise within the team, but you do need a stable strong team that keeps the foundation of the project strong, especially with complex architecture.”

-Cédric Gauthier
Manager, Core Network Engineering Automation

Conclusion

TELUS' partnership with Outforce.ai has proven to be a strategic advantage in navigating the complexities of their projects and evolving business needs. Faced with challenges such as finding the right candidates with specific skillsets and managing unanticipated budget cuts, TELUS turned to Outforce.ai for their expertise in delivering a tailored solution. Outforce.ai's data-driven approach, thorough vetting process, and flexible engagement model allowed TELUS to quickly onboard a project manager with scrum master skills within a tight timeframe.

The collaboration has not only alleviated the workload on TELUS' senior engineering team, enabling them to focus on emerging priorities but also ensured the delivery of high-quality work within a set budget. The success of the network slicing project, velocity dashboards, and KPI dashboard development highlighted the effectiveness of the partnership, with Outforce.ai's team exceeding TELUS' expectations in skill and code quality.

Looking ahead, TELUS envisions continuing their relationship with Outforce.ai, recognizing the benefits of outsourcing as a strategic approach. The ability to scale resources flexibly, coupled with the assurance of receiving candidates who align with the company's requirements, positions TELUS to adapt swiftly to changing business needs. The partnership has demonstrated that with the right outsourcing partner, TELUS can achieve project goals efficiently and effectively, maintaining a strong foundation even amidst complex architectures and dynamic market conditions.