Just In Time Group marks 25 years spearheading digital transformation

Just In Time Group (JIT) has been instrumental in setting the foundation and driving Sri Lanka’s digital transformation over 25 years in operation. From humble beginnings in a small basement office, JIT has morphed into a leading systems integrator. The group offers solutions including systems integration services, geographical information systems, support and maintenance services, infrastructure solutions, data analytics, and more.

JIT Group CEO Chrishan Mendis commented, “Whether it’s in person or remote, as a technology provider, our focus is to provide end-to-end agile digital solutions to suit our customer’s needs, addressing their pain points, to be smarter, effective and sustainable It’s all about optimising ourselves for a more robust and agile way of doing business.”

JIT has helped many customers embrace change on their digitalisation journey. Chrishan pointed to a digital banking project JIT undertook for a local public bank, which took its digital transactions to Rs. 300 billion in one year, and won several awards locally and globally. From supporting the Real Time Gross settlement system of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to the implementation and maintenance of the National Payment system at LankaClear Ltd., to the digital banking system at People’s Bank, JIT’s list of innovations is extensive. 

After 25 years in business, Chrishan remains optimistic about the local technology industry. He credits the e-Sri Lanka initiative with providing a clear digital roadmap, enabling collaboration between the public and private sector. 

Though Sri Lanka has a strong tech industry, Chrishan sees room for improvement. “In other regional countries, we see that technology secures 60% of foreign direct investment. In Sri Lanka, it accounts for 12% of total FDI. We can make a substantial contribution to our economy by accelerating and optimising the growth of the sector.” He emphasised that Sri Lanka needs to adopt a short, medium, and long-term vision to seize the opportunities that lie ahead, to develop a skilled workforce that can meet evolving needs.

In this regard, the Government is looking at setting up regional IT hubs, which Chrishan believes could attract foreign tech companies. However, this requires the collaboration of local agencies and foreign missions along with business-friendly labour regulations and foreign exchange rules.

He highlights that it requires investment towards setting up research labs at universities and dedicated funds for R&D initiatives. Alongside such efforts, exchange programs should be in place for academics to learn from foreign universities and commercial entities. 

In the long term, the entire educational system will need restructuring. As Chrishan put it, “Create a passion for IT early so that students will naturally opt to select IT as a preferred stream early in their lives.”

For JIT, the focus remains on enabling and embracing change. By maintaining a close connection with customers and understanding their needs, the group aids the digitalisation of several industries, which has allowed it to grow over the past 25 years. 

He noted, “Today, 25 years down the road, we have transitioned into a Data-Driven Business that disrupts, transforms and innovates our customers’ digital transformation journey to stay agile – ahead of the competition. There is no silver bullet, but the lessons learnt have helped us manage the new era of change into an agile business environment.”

Looking towards the future, Chrishan is optimistic. “I believe the short-, medium-, and long-term plans can be implemented strongly. Now more than ever, because of the newly established Ministry of Technology overseen by Mr. Jayantha De Silva, which oversees 13 institutions. It’s the first time in Sri Lanka where all technology-related public agencies are under a single umbrella. Thus, upholding the President’s vision of a digitally inclusive and prosperous Sri Lanka. 

He concluded, “We firmly believe in value creation through technology for our customers. This is our strength, stemming from the payments landscape and telco domain, which spans over two decades and has allowed us to confidently say that our contribution towards an essential ecosystem has been instrumental in changing Sri Lanka’s ICT landscape.”