By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

In our past few blogs we’ve been talking about the outsourcing lifecycle and its five phases. We started with an introduction to the outsourcing lifecycle, and then delved into the first two phases: assessing outsourcing opportunitiesand selecting an outsourcing service provider. This brings us to Phase III: contract development and service provider negotiations.

This is the phase in which you develop the framework for your relationship with your new business partner. Yes – your outsourcing service provider is essentially a business partner! Here’s what you need to know…

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

The decision to outsource a business process or an IT function is a significant one, and to ensure you achieve the desired outcomes care must be taken at each stage of the outsourcing lifecycle. In previous posts we introduced the outsourcing lifecycle and talked about each of the first three phases of this cycle: assessing outsourcing opportunities, selecting an outsourcing service provider and developing and negotiating an outsourcing contract.

In this final post in the 5-part series we will cover phases IV and V of the outsourcing lifecycle. In these phases the contract is implemented, and the relationship and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are managed on an on-going basis.

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

This is the third installment of our series on the outsourcing lifecycle. The first article provided an introduction to the outsourcing lifecycle and its five phases. The most recent article was about Phase I of this lifecycle, Assessing and Documenting Outsourcing Opportunities. Today we’ll do a deep dive into Phase II: Evaluating and Selecting a Service Provider.

This phase starts with the creation of a Request for Information/Proposal (RFI/RFP) and concludes with the selection of an outsourcing service provider.

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

It is an unfortunate reality that most outsourcing deals fail to reach their true potential. Over the course of assisting many clients with outsourcing, we have found that the following seven things, either alone or in combination, are the major causes of dissatisfaction with outsourcing:

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

Considering hiring one of the big systems integrators (SIs) to help you with a large-scale project? This could be an excellent move. After all, the big systems integrators are known for their expertise in identifying, designing and deploying complex IT solutions for the enterprise.

Unfortunately, hiring a big systems integrator usually means big teams and big bills. It can also be a financial train wreck, as many of these organizations are renowned for bidding one thing and then by accident or design presenting change orders and scope creep that leads to much higher costs and longer schedules.

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

Thanks to the wonders of technology and transportation, today many (if not most) business processes can be performed almost anywhere in the world. As a result, your organization has countless options for global sourcing – so much so that analyzing all of the options can be challenging.

To assist you in this area, CIOPS has developed a matrix that serves as a succinct strategic framework for illustrating your global sourcing alternatives. Here’s what you need to know…

By Jeff Richards
Managing Partner

In today’s highly competitive global environment, many companies are taking a close look at outsourcing. Should they outsource? And if so, why?

What exactly is outsourcing?