The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) organized a forum for the 42 companies in the first two batches participating in the Grow IT Program at ITIDA's premises in Smart Village on 26th of October 2010.
The 42 companies successfully completed the Assessment Phase starting with the Diagnostic Interviews and Prioritization Data Gathering and finishing by defining their individual Business Upgrade Plans (BUPs). They are set to begin implementation of the selected best practices outlined in the agreed plan of transformation.
During the event, the findings of the Assessment Phase were shared with the companies to provide a comprehensive overview of the ICT sector's strengths and weaknesses as represented in the sample companies as well as how the identified challenges can be addressed. The presentation also discussed how the beneficiary companies stand in comparison to similar local companies in Egypt.
The forum showcased the Implementation Phase's next steps and illuminated the roles of the consultants, the man-days distribution, and the company's responsibility during this phase, including how progress results will be reported and outlining the goals of the Best Practices implementation program.
The event concluded with a Q&A session that gave companies an opportunity to find out more about the program progress from ITIDA's and GrowIT's consulting teams.

Batch 2 companies completed the second stage of the Assessment (Prioritization stage) in August 2010. The Prioritization stage is a deeper analysis of the company's organization, business processes, and systems involved in those areas previously identified as requiring urgent action for improvement is carried out. A map that prioritizes those areas is developed with the goal of identifying a subset of international best practices in business management that will be then implemented in the company.

Batch 2 companies completed the first stage of the Assessment (Diagnostic stage) in May 2010. During the Diagnostic stage the companies go through a diagnostic process that will reveal both their current maturity and development status in the Strategy, Operation and Finance areas.

The second batch of participating companies began the Assessment Phase on March 14th, 2010. Five consulting teams composed of one lead and one specialized consultant worked with the 22 companies of Batch 2, split between 19 Type A and 3 Type B companies.

Batch 1 companies completed the second stage of the Assessment (Prioritization stage) in June 2010. The Prioritization stage is a deeper analysis of the company’s organization, business processes, and systems involved in those areas previously identified as requiring urgent action for improvement is carried out. A map that prioritizes those areas is developed with the goal of identifying a subset of international best practices in business management that will be then implemented in the company.

Batch 1 companies completed the first stage of the Assessment (Diagnostic stage) in March 2010. During the Diagnostic stage the companies go through a diagnostic process that will reveal both their current maturity and development status in the Strategy, Operation and Finance areas.

Following the completion of the Inception Phase and shortly after the GrowIT kick-off celebration, the first batch of participating companies began the Assessment Phase. Five consulting teams composed of one lead and one specialized consultant worked with the 22 companies of Batch 1, split between 11 Type A and 11 Type B companies, during this seven-week diagnostic stage to identify the companies’ strengths and weaknesses using the SOFT Model.

In a high profile event inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, held on July 27th, 2009, ITIDA announced the selection of the 100 beneficiary companies that will participate in the GrowIT Program, as well as the kick-off of the Assessment Phase. The event was held in Smart Village.

Several advertisements in the most spread news papers where made between March-1st and March-3rd to complement the awareness campaign within the ICT community.

ITIDA organized, on March 12th, 2009, at the Smart Village Convention Center, an awareness event about GrowIT Program which aims at increasing the international competitiveness of 100 Egyptian IT companies that are either existing exporters or have export potential. High profile executives representing ITIDA explained to the audience the benefits of the program, the enrollment process as well as the selection criteria, based on which 100 companies will be picked to participate in the program.

During the awareness event, High profile executives representing ITIDA explained to the audience the benefits of the program, the enrollment process as well as the selection criteria, based on which 100 companies will be picked to participate in the program. Representatives of Atos Consulting, an international consulting company which leads the consortium of local and international consulting firms carrying out the program, clarified the methodology and implementation phases of the program. The final list of companies was selected according to a rigid set of criteria to ensure a fair, transparent selection process. Eligible companies are assigned objective scores based on 11 parameters that are weighted according to the objectives of the GrowIT program. Companies selected are those with the top scores.

The session was attended by Dr. Hazem Y. Abdelazim, ITIDA, Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Zeinab Zaki, ITIDA, Executive Vice President and Mr. Ahmed Yahia Darwish, ITIDA, Senior Programs Director, the PMU and a representative of each company from the consortium.

Dr. Abdelazim pointed out that the selection process was based on the program’s transparent and effective terms and criteria. He also highlighted that the program offers the incentive of highly specialized consultations that the companies will receive based on their needs, which will be identified during the assessment process .

The contract was signed between ITIDA and a consortium of four international and one local firms to materialize the collaboration for the capacity building program execution. This three year program supports companies to increase their local market share, enhance their export capabilities, and penetrate new markets.