What Shared Services Can Learn From India’s Moon Landing

This past week, India became the 4th country to land a spacecraft safely on the moon. This achievement was remarkable for several reasons. Not only was the spacecraft the first to land on the moon’s south pole, but the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) got the job done on a shoestring budget.

The ISRO operates on a minuscule $1.6 billion budget compared to NASA’s $25.4 billion annual budget, and the mission was accomplished with a $75 million budget. Despite this difference, the ISRO and the Chandrayaan-3 mission achieved a feat the Americans had yet to.

The success of the ISRO should be noted by shared services professionals for several reasons. ISRO had to overcome setbacks and remain focused for a year's long project. It also had to make cost-effective decisions to work with their limited budget. This article will explore each of these factors and more to determine how the India moon landing ties to many of the missions of Shared Services Organizations and Global Business Services today. 

Doing more with less

The SSON editorial team is constantly harping on the importance of being able to do more with less. We have written articles about it, and the concept will even be a key theme during the “Process Mining & BPM Digital Summit” this October. There is no better example of an organization’s ability to do more with less than the ISRO.

ISRO makes efficient use of its resources by carefully planning and executing its missions. For example, ISRO uses a single launch vehicle to launch multiple satellites into orbit, which saves money and reduces the risk of launch failures. ISRO also uses indigenous technology (technologies developed by native inhabitants) whenever possible, which helps to reduce costs and improve reliability.

Additionally, ISRO achieves cost-effectiveness through a number of measures, including building smaller and lighter spacecrafts, and reusing launch vehicles.

To stay relevant on the international stage, ISRO has also shown a willingness to take risks. For example, ISRO was the first space agency to launch a low-cost satellite into orbit using an indigenously developed launch vehicle. ISRO's willingness to take risks has also led to some failures, but these failures have been learning experiences that have helped the agency to improve its future missions.

More than anything, the success of ISRO’s missions can be attributed to the ingenuity and dedication of its scientists and engineers. 

Overcoming setbacks 

As mentioned, one outcome of taking risks can be experiencing a setback to the mission. However, in the case of ISRO, a setback is seen as a knowledge-gaining opportunity. ISRO scientists and engineers are known to be highly resilient. This is due in part to the strong culture of innovation and risk-taking that exists at ISRO. These scientists and engineers also work in a collaborative environment where knowledge siloes rarely exist. This means when a complex problem arises, they are more likely to come up with a solution.

Take the first two Chandrayaan missions, for example. In 2009, ISRO's lunar probe Chandrayaan-1 lost contact with Earth. ISRO scientists were able to recover the data from the probe and learn from the experience. This knowledge was used to improve the design of Chandrayaan-2, which was successfully launched in 2019. Yet again, ISRO experienced issues with the second launch. However, the organization showed its resiliency, learned from the experience, and eventually accomplished a feat that had never been done before. 

Indian Shared Services

The success of ISRO might not come as a surprise to many Indians who work in shared services due to their own accomplishments. According to data from SSON Research & Analytics (R&A), India is home to the second most service centers in the world, in large part due to the country being perceived positively in the shared services space. Data from SSON R&A’s “The Future Location Report: The Next Big Shuffle” showed that India is one of the top countries for businesses to set up shared service centers in. According to the report, India received extremely high ratings for cost, workforce availability, availability of digital skills, and productivity. Additionally, Indian shared services received higher ratings than most for agility and innovation.

The strong grades suggest Indian shared services are considered the gold standard. Similar to their compatriots in the space program, those working in shared services are constantly proving that Indian workers are smart, hardworking, and creative.