4. Follow Up

After the novelty of the outsourcing relationship finally wears off, it is only natural for one to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride for some time. Sadly, this usually leads to complacency and of course most times attention to performance will be totally forgotten. So, in order to avoid these issues, you will need to set up a time table or schedule to review your outsourcing company’s performance. You will also need to appoint an executive or manager that will be held responsible for the periodical follow up of the outsourcing vendor. If the need arises, you can send your employee to be well trained in vendor management techniques and skills – you can start by checking with your local universities and colleges. This tactic will also yield the ability to handle unforeseen circumstances (which are bound to occur) in a timely fashion and mitigate the risk that is associated with outsourcing.

5.  Know When You are going Way In Over Your Head

You will need to seek a very well experienced consultant or advisor if your outsourcing job involves any one of the following situations:

• The task is big enough that it will expose the organization to significant risks – that is, if it is not well handled.
• Organization politics are totally jeopardizing the achievement of the task
• Management most certainly do not have the experience in vendor selection and vendor evaluation.

Important Note

When choosing a vendor one of the most important things to do is to analyze your business requirements. Before you start to gather information or perform interviews, you will need to put together a team of individuals who have a vested interest in the specific vendor selection process. The first assignment that the vendor selection team will need to accomplish is to clearly define (in writing) the product, service or material that they looking for in a vendor. Then go on ahead to define the business and technical requirements, and also clearly define the vendor requirements as well. Lastly, publish your document to the specific areas that are relevant to this particular vendor selection process and then seek their input. You will need the team to analyze the comments and then create a final document.

In a nutshell:

a. Gather an evaluation team
b. Clearly define the material, service or product
c. Clearly define the business and technical requirements
d. Clearly define the vendor requirements
e. Lastly, publish a requirements document for approval.

Daven Michaels is an award-winning outsourcer and author of the book, ‘Outsource This!’ Daven has been honored more than any other individual or outsourcing organization. You can get more information on outsourcing by visiting www.123Employee.com