Wycliffe USA
SITUATION
Wycliffe USA is the administrative hub for the Wycliffe family of organizations, the largest non-profit Bible translation organization in the world, with over 3,800 workers in 90 countries. Since it’s founding in 1942, the organization has translated the Bible into over 700 languages. They have challenged themselves globally to have all significant translations underway by 2025 – only 15 years away and involving another 2,200 languages – a magnitude of growth that can only be addressed through technology.
The Wycliffe IT team needed help to meet these critical organizational objectives. They had a pressing need for skilled programmers in Oracle APEX, PL/SQL, Microsoft .Net, SQL Server, and SharePoint. The organization began investigating options for establishing an offshore development center in a country that had access to cost effective IT talent, was politically stable, and had convenient visa arrangements. India was at the top of the list, but they needed the right partner.
SOLUTION
In early 2007, EC Group’s Hosted Offshore Software Teams (HOST) service provided a cost-effective and scalable long-term solution by recruiting and hiring two Oracle PL/SQL developers to support Wycliffe’s goals. Wycliffe team members from the United States spent time in India to accelerate team development and knowledge transfer. By the end of 2007, the team had grown to a total of six developers. The EC Group team has been instrumental in making significant advancements in Wycliffe’s Oracle-based enterprise Human Resources application.
Additionally, EC Group assisted Wycliffe USA to expand its Microsoft team to enhance the functionality of the wycliffe.org portal and their enterprise applications on the SharePoint platform. The team from the US worked side-by-side with the team in India and several actually relocated to the EC Group office in India. As an added benefit, Wycliffe staff working in India enjoyed lower cost of living and therefore were less reliant on donor support. EC Group arranged for housing and visas for the Wycliffe staff and gladly welcomed them in as a part of the EC Group family.
RESULTS
Wycliffe was looking for a solution provider and what they found was a trusted, long-term partner. As a result of this partnership, Wycliffe has saved close to $1.5 million in wages compared to the US market. Additionally, key modules of Wycliffe’s Oracle-based Human Resources application and other strategic applications have been completed several years ahead of schedule.
The benefits of this engagement have extended beyond meeting organizational objectives. Because of Wycliffe’s innovative and cost-effective approach to meeting their goals, several foundations have allocated new funding toward this initiative.