Most companies opt to outsource a certain project in the hope of maximizing productivity and minimizing their costs and consequently to reach project accomplishment. Thousands of sprouting outside source companies has provided a false security blanket on clients regarding project accomplishment as something to grow into its own fruition without their help.
But paying someone to do the job doesn’t necessarily mean placing the responsibility of a project completion to the service supplier. Frustration on a project gone awry usually is solely pointed to the outsourcing firms today without regard to the lacking directions the client has taken for granted.
What are the general things a client must do when they have decided to outsource a project? Below are five practical tips to help clients:
1. Maintain a proactive relationship between you and the outsource provider. Treat the work commission as a partnership and not merely a sub-contractor. It would build a foundation of trust and cooperation that are essential for any project completion.
2. At the initial stage of negotiations, air your expectations to the supplier. Discuss the concrete results and the duration of the project. If possible, set stages of the project until its end.
3. Keep track of the highlights and status of the project. When the project is already ongoing, draw a progress chart and compare it to the stages you have initially discussed.
4. Open communication is a key to a more fruitful partnership. Delays and changes are inevitable and solutions can be found when you keep an open mind. Use obstacles as opportunities to improve initial plans. Instead of letting the service provider figure out resolutions by themselves, provide a direct interaction so your feedbacks can be accounted.
5. Ask the about the project. Acknowledge the fact that you need assistance in understanding the undertaking. This will educate and not hinder you from contributing valuable insights to the project management.
It would be wise to remember that outsourcing is not to be treated as an out-of-your-hands project completely but to manage the whole thing without doing too much dirty work. It would be fair to say that outsourcing is only a tool to be used not a magic wand that handles a project management on its own. Business is almost always better done with two heads than one, so to speak.