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Outsource It!

Outsource It!

by Nick Krym
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
Release Date: December 2012
ISBN: 9781941222638
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Book Description

If you need to expand your business but not your budget, if your group has an intense but short-term project, if you don't have the skill set to get a job done-it's time to think about outsourcing. Starting from the first step (should you outsource part of your tech work?) to the last (how can you protect your intellectual property?), you'll learn everything about setting up projects overseas.

Table of Contents

  1. Outsource It!
    1. Copyright
    2. For the Best Reading Experience...
    3. Table of Contents
    4. What readers are saying about Outsource It!
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. Introduction
      1. Why Outsourcing?
      2. Who Is This Book For?
      3. What Is in This Book?
      4. How to Read This Book
      5. Online Resources
    7. Part 1: Decide If, What, and How to Outsource
      1. Chapter 1: Make an Educated Decision
        1. Get SMART: Defining Outsourcing Objectives
        2. The Risks of Outsourcing
        3. The Rewards of Outsourcing
        4. Understanding the Fine Print
        5. Cost Savings: Expectations Versus Reality
        6. Ability to Scale
        7. Quality of Deliverables
      2. Chapter 2: Define and Refine Your Action Plan
        1. What—and How Much—Should You Outsource?
        2. Working Together: Finding the Right Outsourcing Model
        3. A Sample Outsourcing Action Plan
      3. Chapter 3: Select the Right Sourcing Model
        1. Multisourcing: Tame the Risks by Diversifying
        2. Microsourcing: Outsourcing to Freelancers
        3. Out-Tasking and Crowd-Sourcing
        4. Outsourcing Your Life
        5. Best-of-Breed Sourcing Strategies
    8. Part 2: Find the Right Vendors
      1. Chapter 4: Start with a Broad Search
        1. The Golden Rules of Vendor Selection
        2. Selecting the Destination
        3. High-Level Vendor Selection Criteria
        4. Generating a List of Prospective Vendors
        5. Detailed Vendor Selection Criteria
      2. Chapter 5: Move from a Long List to the Chosen Few
        1. The RFI Process
        2. The RFP Process
        3. Evaluating Proposals
        4. It’s PowerPoint Time
        5. Watching Out for Warning Signs
      3. Chapter 6: Choose the Right-Size Vendor
        1. The Large-Vendor Selection Process
        2. The Small-Vendor Selection Process
        3. The Individual Provider Selection Process
      4. Chapter 7: Find the Personality Magic
        1. The Impact of Personality
        2. Understanding Vendor Personality Types
        3. Matching the Engagement to a Vendor’s Personality
        4. Identifying the Personality of the Vendor
        5. Managing Personality Differences
      5. Chapter 8: Finalize the Selection
        1. On-Site Visits
        2. Technical Due Diligence
        3. The X-Factor
        4. The Final Decision
    9. Part 3: Negotiate Solid Contracts
      1. Chapter 9: Negotiate for Long-Term Success
        1. The Basics of Negotiations
        2. The Forces That Influence the Outcome of Negotiation
        3. Navigating the Negotiations Process
        4. Negotiations Walkthrough
        5. Getting What You Need with Win-Win Negotiations
      2. Chapter 10: Learn Contract and Rate Essentials
        1. Offshore Contract Basics
        2. Controlling the Total Cost of Outsourcing with Your Contract
        3. The MSA Invisibility Cloak
        4. Rates and Total Cost of Outsourcing
        5. The Enigma of Rates
        6. Researching Offshore Rates
        7. Negotiating a Fair Rate
    10. Part 4: Lead Distributed Engagements
      1. Chapter 11: Control Your Engagement
        1. Communicating with Your Offshore Team: Practical Matters
        2. Communicating with Your Offshore Team: The Squishy Stuff
        3. Managing Project Execution
        4. Accepting Deliverables
        5. Setting Up Metrics
        6. The Outsourcer’s Toolbox
      2. Chapter 12: Build and Lead Distributed Teams
        1. Laying the Groundwork
        2. Staffing Offshore Engagements
        3. Choosing Candidates: The Personality Factor
        4. Maintaining Your Team
        5. Team Morale: Motivation and Rewards
      3. Chapter 13: Adjust Your Development Model to Fit Your Situation
        1. Offshore Waterfalls
        2. Agile Offshore
        3. Outsourcing Quality Assurance
        4. Outsourcing Code Development
        5. “Black Box” Outsourcing
    11. Part 5: Keep Risks under Control
      1. Chapter 14: Mitigate the Risks of Your Engagements
        1. Using Contracts to Mitigate Offshore Risks
        2. Protecting Data and IP
        3. Joint Responsibilities
        4. Dealing with Internal Risks
        5. Minimizing Team Impact Risks
      2. Chapter 15: Minimize the Cost of Failures
        1. You Are More Dependent Than You Think
        2. The Benefits of Disposable Outsourcing
        3. The Path Toward Disposable Outsourcing
        4. Intermediaries in Disposable Outsourcing
        5. Moving Toward Disposable Outsourcing in QA
        6. The Complacency Trap
      3. Chapter 16: Maintain the Spirit of Partnership
        1. Watching the Pulse of the Engagement
        2. Investing in the Relationship
        3. Fixing What’s Broken
        4. Terminating an Engagement
        5. Closing Remarks
    12. Appendix 1: Destination: Asia
      1. India
      2. China
      3. Southeast Asia
    13. Appendix 2: Destination: Europe
      1. Russia
      2. Central and Eastern Europe
      3. Ireland and Israel
    14. Appendix 3: Destination: The Americas
      1. Brazil
      2. Mexico
      3. Latin America
      4. Canada
      5. The Rural United States
    15. Appendix 4: Outsourcing Readiness Assessment Checklist
    16. Appendix 5: Vendor Search Criteria
      1. Macro Factors
      2. Critical Factors
      3. Subjective Considerations
      4. Tie Breakers
      5. Personal Factors
    17. Appendix 6: Outsourcing Checklist
      1. Deciding If, What, and How to Outsource
      2. Defining Your Outsourcing Strategy
      3. Finding Partners for Your Outsourcing Initiative
      4. Negotiating the Contract with Selected Vendors
      5. Building and Leading Your Offshore Team
      6. Mitigating Risks and Minimizing the Cost of Failures
      7. Terminating the Outsourcing Engagement
    18. Appendix 7: Offshore Vendor Technical Assessment
      1. Processes
      2. Competence
      3. System Architecture
      4. Technical Support and System Monitoring
      5. Security and Privacy
      6. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
      7. Other
    19. Bibliography
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