If you would look at outsourcing articles, there are a lot of step by step instruction or pieces of advice which would somehow "help" companies that are thinking of outsourcing. This article entitled "The three steps to outsourcing" is no exception.

This article quotes the three-step framework which was defined by Forrester research that would help firms in having a coordinated approach in outsourcing. Here are the three steps mentioned:

Step 1: Shortlist only outsourcing models that align with the current IT realities of your firm. Some outsourcing models simply do not fit with existing IT structures and behaviors.

Step 2: Evaluate internal IT staffing issues. A significant outsourcing project brings substantial changes in IT staffing. Planners must be clear which skills must be retained and which can move to an external provider. For example, a company whose custom applications deliver a competitive edge will aim to keep the relevant software development group in-house.

Step 3: Shape the outsourcing approach to meet your IT spending and maturity issues. An IT organization that shows best-in-class cost benchmarks and operates mature, robust processes, will require a very different strategy from one that falls short in these areas. For example, companies that have poor process maturity in the application development group often struggle to work well with process-centric Indian service providers.

Do you think these steps would help you?