Sustainable IT Outsourcing

Outsourcing has many benefits – cost savings, access to experts, a delegation of responsibility, increased ability to focus on core functions, and more. For many large businesses, outsourcing has been the order for quite a while; but companies of any size can consider outsourcing and derive the same benefits.

Following are some fundamental rules that may be followed to achieve early tactical successes while establishing a long-term strategy for outsourcing.

Evaluate your need for outsourcing

You must answer several questions internally. For example –

1. Can some of the work you do, be intuitively categorized as core & non-core?
2. What level of skill do your non-core activities require?
3. Is there a need for cultural knowledge to accomplish some of the non-core work?
4. Is there internal experience with outsourcing or off-shoring? Or is there a manager who has done it before?
5. Do you currently have a process framework, estimation techniques, and work management tools to track work?

Once you have agreement on some non-core activities, which you can quantify in terms of the current cost or time needed to accomplish them; then it is time to move forward with the next steps. Note that this internal evaluation also helps you get buy-in for outsourcing from your organization as a side effect.

Identify parameters to track performance

Once a decision is made that outsourcing is the way to go, there is a need to think through what exactly you would like to achieve and in what timeframe. It is important to keep expectations realistic while identifying the parameters that need to be measured. For example, your parameters could be Cost per Resource, Cost for Quantum of Work, Task Turn Around Time, etc. At this point, you must choose parameters for which you have values available from your own experience in doing them or getting them done by on-shore partners. Then set the target values for these parameters for your organization and vendors to achieve.

Find a suitable outsourcing vendor

You need to define what kind of vendor is suitable. While the basic factors don’t differ in that you must find someone with the skills you require and the right credentials to deliver, there may be minor variations in your selection depending on what you need to be done, the scale of outsourcing, the management bandwidth you can deploy, availability of in-house experts, etc.

Typically, if the idea is to establish a long-term relationship and save costs, you must find a vendor at an offshore location and somehow ensure that they have the potential to deliver incremental value with time.

So, it is important to do a review of vendor capabilities, experience, processes, infrastructure, and management depth, before proceeding. The vendor’s experience in situations similar to yours, or their capability to suggest a solution and a model that helps you achieve the targets on your performance parameters is very important too. To assess the vendor’s maturity level, it is always a good idea to transparently share your performance parameters and targets for the vendor to provide a detailed proposal addressing those.

Start small and keep going

Big things start small, and so it is with outsourcing. Even if you have evaluated your vendor well, and are sure of their capabilities, it is best to identify small bundles of work that can help establish the working protocols and team relationships while giving small early successes. If the need is to outsource a larger project, then explore incremental models and prototyping approaches.

It is also important to be not deterred by small setbacks, as the relationships, communication, and processes get established. The best outsourcing strategy is to treat a vendor as your partner and set the expectation for them to commit to your business goals from the relationship. This helps everyone involved to keep the larger goal in mind and keep moving forward.

Once operational processes, communication channels, verifiable performance metrics, and a strong core team are established, scaling the relationship is far easier and less prone to risk.

Look for higher value, not lower cost

The one mistake that is often made while trying to outsource is to look for the lowest-cost vendor. It is important to look for the right vendor, evaluate several for the suitability, and make a balanced value v/s cost decision. It is important to be aware that projects are not delivered by putting resources together; rather they are done by creating teams that commit to them. The level of commitment and experience that a vendor can bring into an outsourcing relationship often defines its success. Beyond a point, cost-benefit delivered in terms of lower rates is meaningless in a long-term strategic relationship. It has to be realized from the higher value that stems from the smart execution of work, process excellence, and shared goals.

In conclusion, successful outsourcing involves a strategic approach with careful consideration of your organization’s needs and objectives. Begin by evaluating which tasks can be categorized as non-core and assess your readiness for outsourcing. Define clear performance parameters, find a suitable vendor with the right capabilities and experience, and start with small, manageable tasks to establish effective working relationships. Remember that the focus should be on higher value and shared goals, rather than simply seeking the lowest cost. A well-thought-out outsourcing strategy can lead to long-term success and business growth.