Is It Worth to Outsource? How one can outsource wiselyLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Is It Worth to Outsource? How one can outsource wisely article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
International division of labour has done its work. So nowadays, if you ask anybody about the regions he associates with IT-industry, you’ll get quite a short list: India, China, Russia, Eastern Europe. No wonder, historically these regions had the most efficient technically oriented education. In addition to lower cost of labour in the East, that is their main selling point, which determines their competitive strength. As a logical sequence, almost each leading company engaged in IT sphere, whether publicly or secretly, outsources a part of its current work to third parties, often offshore. No wonder that Indian and other offshore software development companies prosper. So what are the key factors that make companies outsource? 1. Cost of labour is often several times less than onshore. 2. There is no need to maintain the whole technical infrastructure 3. Company can concentrate mainly on marketing tasks Although that sounds good and promises several times bigger profits, incautious outsourcing can be a trap for any company. Don’t forget that you entrust your reputation to a company that is thousands miles away. Hence, if you have made a decision to outsource a part or the whole project to some company, you should take into consideration five simple tips. Make proper research The simplest way to find offshore software development companies is to try search engine or relative online directories. However, there is no guarantee that under inspirational promises any website has, you won’t find cheaters. Spend several hours and try to find the most info about the companies you have selected. Search engines should be your best friend in these efforts. Consult alliances and associations Almost each country where IT industry is well developed has national alliances of software development companies. These pools of developers can become your first step in search for an outsourcing company. Communicate carefully When you have decided to contact several, as you think, most reliable companies, you shouldn’t provide them with complete info regarding your project at once. Keep a little intrigue and give the info partially. That will make you aware about professionalism of companies’ project managers as well as about their communication policy. Communication is what you will appreciate during the whole project’s development. Therefore, it is better to find out whether they are communicative enough before you sign the contract. Ask for references/samples Although offshore developers cannot disclosure their recent contracts, anyway, they have several clients that can provide you with references whether they are bad or good. If there are no references at all, ask for some software the company has developed. See and try each example of their work you can. That will make you aware about the quality of their services. Phone or visit them The best way to test the company, which you would like to outsource to, is contact them directly. Emails are good, but you can find out more info about the possible partners if you phone them. At least you will know about their command of English (don’t forget, you are going to outsource abroad) and their real interest. Additionally, you can make them relax a little, so they will be less defended against your research of true situation. If you visit them personally you’ll see exactly who and where will work for you. At least, if the company doesn’t mind you visit them, that can mean that they are open enough for collaboration and they have provided you with more or less true info. If you can do at least three of these five steps, there will be little chances for you to be cheated by an unreliable company thousands miles away. You’ll be able to experience that kind of wise outsourcing that can give you required competitive ability. Each time you are going to give some project for offshore development, take into account that you should be an initiator and wise decisions maker. Research, consult, and communicate. That’s the motto of any company that is successful in outsourcing. It’s not too complicated, is it?
|
More Articles:1. Delegation For Managers: What Should You Do And What Should You Delegate? As a manager, you're expected to decide what needs to be done, gather the resources to do it, and then decide who does what. Okay, managing is a little more than that, but it certainly does include setting goals, gathering resources, and delegating tasks. Now, if you're like many managers, there sometimes isn't any clear line between the work you think you should do, and the work you think your staff should do. In fact, you may not be a 'pure' manager (is there such a thing?) in the sense that y… 2. Effective Ways to Give Performance Feedback By Garrett Coan Consequences of Not Giving Effective FeedbackLet’s take a look at some typical examples of what goes on in work environments when managers don’t give good feedback.Example #1: John has been working at his new job for one month. On his first day at work, Wilma, his boss, showed him what to do and got him started on a project. Since then, Wilma has communicated with him mostly through voice mail and e-mail. She walks past his cubicle and says hello a few times each day, but there hasn’t been muc… 3. Are Your Marketing Pieces Up to Date? By Mike Shannon The other day someone asked me for one of my informational brochures. As I was giving her the piece I stated that if I were printing these today it would be a little different. The piece was only about two months old and already the way I wanted to communicate things had changed slightly. Then I got to thinking. If I were to print informational brochures six months from now, they would probably be a little different too. Don't get me wrong. I am a big believer in consistency of marketing… 4. Stop Sickies and Make People Happy At Work Stop Sickies and Make People Happy At Work If you're an employer or a manager then work place absenceis costing you money, inconvenience, and upsetting yourcustomers. And as we all know, not all days taken off workare due to genuine sickness. Many employees 'take a sickie'because their morale is low and they just don't like orcan't do their work.The challenge for employers and managers is to make peoplehappier at work. And if people are happy at work then theyare less likely to take a day off ev… |
||||
