Intelligent IT Outsourcing enables practitioners to focus in on the essential issues that need to be addressed so that the fundamental structure of their sourcing strategy and its implementation is sound. The authors provide insight into the challenges likely to be faced and give detailed advice on how to pre-empt and manage these.
IT and outsourcing continue to be problematic, not least because fundamental learning about this subject fails to be applied systematically, and because IT is inherently difficult to manage. The economics are not obvious and emerging technologies have to be addressed, therefore IT goes to the heart of many enterprises and interfaces with multiple business units and processes, and there are continuous skills shortages.
Unfortunately complexities are not removed in outsourced situations where additional problems come into play, for example the supplier's capabilities, whether the IT is right for an outsourcing solution, and whether the contract is robust but flexible enough to allow for outsourcing to take place. Objectives need to be realistic, and factors such as whether the internal management is mature and capable enough in this field, and the impact of prohibitive switching costs on behaviour once an outsourcing deal has been signed all have to be taken into account.
The authors have built up over two decades of research, advisory and practitioner experience that enables them to distil the fundamental challenges in IT and outsourcing and demonstrate how these can be addressed.
Engage Phase: The Fifth Building Block - Commercial Mating: Select the Supplier(s); Selection is NOT the First Block - Ensure the ITO Foundation has been Laid; Gating and Refining via Staged Competitive Tendering; Getting the Right Perspectives - the Evaluation Team; Determining the Decisive Factors - the Criteria; Exhibiting Fairness - Probity; Preparing the Market Package; Successful Selection - ITO is not an Auction; Due Diligence Investigations; Negotiation; Finalising the Contract; The Sixth Building Block - The Starting Gate: Make The Transition; Key Transition Activities; Staff Transitions; Managing the Transition Project; Govern Phase: The Seventh Building Block - Get the Results: Manage The ITO; ITO Critical Success (and Failure) Factors; Key ITO Management Activities; Relationship Management; The Eighth Building Block - Do it Again: Reconsider the Options; Termination Triggers; Options; Assessments; Preparing for a Handover from an Incumbent Supplier;
Conclusion; References And brief further reading.
Biography
Sara Cullen
