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3 Things To Know Before You Outsource
Contractors, Consultants and Vendors can be a valuable resource in the success of any company.
They allow you to leverage skills that you don’t need to pay to build, acquire a knowledge base that has been perfected in other environments and benefit from a new perspective.
The first step to gaining these benefits is to be clear about the each of these resources can benefit you so that you can choose the correct provider.
- Do you have a short term staff augmentation need that requires basic skills available in the market? Then you probably need a Contractor. These are people with a skill set that you generally find in a job, which they can provide to you for a briefer duration without the time and expense that goes along with an employee.
- Do you have a challenge that your business has not faced before and you need someone to guide you through that? Then you probably need a Consultant. A Consultant has a depth of knowledge not generally gained in a long term job because they are able to gain experience with numerous companies and across multiple industries.
- Do you need a specific solution implemented? A Vendor is an expert on their product and can provide you a depth of knowledge on the product that neither a contractor nor a consultant can. The limitation of a Vendor is that they don’t generally have expertise beyond their product, but within their zone they are the hands down expert.
Once you are clear on which type of resource you need, it is important to define exactly what you expect from them so that you can choose the correct provider.
- Do you need someone who can fit in with your team? Then personality will be key.
- Do you need an expert that can lead your team through your challenge without really being a part of it? Then skill and experience will be critical.
- Do you just need it done with limited or no involvement from you and your team? Then you will focus heavily on expertise and independence.
Now that you know what type of service you need and how it will be delivered there is one final step in this process.
Get it in writing, in either a Contract, Statement of Work or a Master Services Agreement. Outsourcing is like dating, everyone is on their best behavior at the start, a written agreement will make sure the rules of engagement are clear going forward.
Choosing the right type of provider, defining the key factors for success and getting it in all writing will allow you to maximize your investment and display your ability to deliver on your objectives which in the corporate world, makes you a Rockstar!
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About The Author
Shauna Gingras is the founder/VP of Project Management at SRP Consulting. Shauna founded SRP Consulting in 2015 to bring her experience working with large clients in business and technology to the changing small business market. Since it’s founding, SRP Consulting has grown to include consultants from 5 countries providing consulting and advisory services to their clients throughout North America and Europe.
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