Our group took various routes as we returned to the United States. England, Germany, Austria even New Zealand were just a few of the stop over destinations on "the way home."
To be honest, re-entry into Deloitte US has been a little on the stressful side. In December/January a lot of projects across the county are "winding down." Transitioning to our home offices seemed a little awkward. Feeling a little "out of the loop" was a shared emotion, as we returned.
Some of us have moved off the beach more quickly than others. Only one of us was extended on the projects with which we were associated in India. Several others took short term roles on non-SAP projects, just to get back in the saddle. All of us, but especially "second year" BTAs, are concerned with hitting our annual utilization targets, after a slow start in Hyderabad and additional downtime upon our return.
I've been really fortuante to get staffed on a large SAP project in Brooklyn through August, at least. While I didn't land a functional role to start, my senior manager is very aware of my immersion experience and our recently developed functional capabilities. As the project ramps up, he'll be looking for opportunities for me use the new skills that were gained in Hyderabad.
For me personally, it's taken only a couple of weeks to start reaping the benefits of the immersion program. Our team will be adding off-shore expertise from Deloitte USI next week. During a prep meeting, I made several suggestions to encourage attentive integration of our Indian team members. AND you're not going to believe this part! The two USI team members are from HYDERABAD. Among them will be Harleen, a woman that we met during our trekking weekend in Goa. Now if that does say, "it's a small world after all," I don't know what does!
Post Script II: On February 4th, six BTAs, three from the first trip and three from the second participated in a conference call with senior managers to provide feedback about our experiences. As a result, a tentative plan is under consideration to offer the Immersion Program again in the Fall of 2014.
At the moment, Hyderabad appears to be the preferred site. The most exciting news is that the program will no longer be limited to SAP personnel, but will be expanded to include all Deloitte services lines! More details will follow.
Post Script III: On February 8, 2014 Parliament passed the bill that will split Andhra Pradesh, India into two separate states, with Hyderabad as the capital of both states for a period of ten years. Telangana, which will include Hyderabad, will be the name of the new state. It will be very interesting to see how this decision effects the HiTec City area. For more information about the historical, political and religious discord that produced this result, see additional posts labeled Politics, in the Topics list.
Post Script II: On February 4th, six BTAs, three from the first trip and three from the second participated in a conference call with senior managers to provide feedback about our experiences. As a result, a tentative plan is under consideration to offer the Immersion Program again in the Fall of 2014.
At the moment, Hyderabad appears to be the preferred site. The most exciting news is that the program will no longer be limited to SAP personnel, but will be expanded to include all Deloitte services lines! More details will follow.
Post Script III: On February 8, 2014 Parliament passed the bill that will split Andhra Pradesh, India into two separate states, with Hyderabad as the capital of both states for a period of ten years. Telangana, which will include Hyderabad, will be the name of the new state. It will be very interesting to see how this decision effects the HiTec City area. For more information about the historical, political and religious discord that produced this result, see additional posts labeled Politics, in the Topics list.
