With the current status of the economy, outsourcing has become not just a trend but a necessity. With the expanding outsourcing industry, it need not be emphasized that more and more companies opt to outsource certain tasks to service providers. In most aspects, outsourcing has provided a lot of benefits to the service seeker. However, if not handled well, it outsourcing can be a loss instead of a gain.

A company may seek service from a software developer from another country. A time frame was given but after a few weeks of work, all it gets is a half baked one. What happened? Was the developer not skilled enough? Was there a misunderstanding between the company and the service provider? What happened in the beginning that made the project a failure? Or was it somewhere in the middle?

Even if hiring an expert means getting quality work, there is a few things that need to be done to ensure that this is what you are really going to get---and pay for. Since outsourcing means getting service from someone you could not constantly oversee, it is still essential that certain measure be done to ensure a successful outsourced project.

GIVE CLEAR DEFINITION OF THE PROJECT

Project objectives determine where the project is going. Therefore it should be made sure that they are clearly identified. As a client, you should make sure that the service provider knows what is expected of them. Your web developer cannot fully exercise his skills if he does not know what he is expected to do. Unclear definitions of what you, as a client, expect, can be one of the reasons why projects are not delivered on time or projects are not done well. It is not enough to just enumerate these objectives. It is imperative that both the client and the service provider discuss to ensure that there are no vague areas.

ENSURE PROPER MANAGEMENT

There is a tendency that there is inconsistency in managing the projects. To make sure that the project is going the way it should be, service providers should be lead properly. It should be made sure that objectives are clearly followed. Management entails proper leadership. If the person managing is inconsistent in his directions and is faulty in the way he leads his team, there is no way the service provider goes in the direction he is expected to go to.

If you have multiple projects done by different service providers, a project manager should oversee everything. Once again, good leadership is the key.

BE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT

A client usually takes for granted the necessity of his involvement in the project. Since he employs the experts to take care of the project, he feels that there is no need to be involved and only expects the output. As a client, this will be one of your big outsourcing mistakes. No one knows your business more than you. Although the ones doing the project is not internally part of your business, the output of the project will clearly affect your business in that way. It is therefore more advantageous that you involve yourself. You do not have to do it everyday. Although they already have a clear picture of what you want, feedbacks regarding their performance is always beneficial. In addition, if you involve yourself in the project, major mistakes will be avoided. If you stay involved in the project, this gives them an idea that you take every project by heart. This is another way that can propel them to also take their tasks with passion. Of course, this assures of an output with better quality.

COMMUNICATE

With internet and an advanced telecommunications technology, communication with offshore service providers is never a problem. You should regularly communicate with your service providers. This goes hand in hand with getting involved. You should hear from the service provider at the same time give feedback. Time is of the essence here. On time reports and feedback should be given. As mentioned previously, if this is not done so, major mistakes might be done that cannot be easily fixed. This will be a waste of money. In the case of multiple projects, your project manager will oversee everything and give you status of all the projects. He will then relay your feedback to all of them.

Outsourcing is proven to be an advantage to any client. Although you do not need to supervise your service providers the way you should your internal employees, these things above cannot be ignored. If these are not properly executed, then chances are, you will not reap the benefits of your outsourced service providers.