How can you monitor IT outsourcing projects?

1 Define clear goals and expectations

Before you start any IT outsourcing project, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, how you will measure success, and what are the roles and responsibilities of each party. Communicate these goals and expectations to your outsourcing provider and make sure they are aligned with your business objectives and standards. You can use tools like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to define your project goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to track your progress.

2 Establish regular communication and feedback

Communication is key to any successful IT outsourcing project. You need to establish a communication plan that specifies the frequency, mode, and agenda of your interactions with your outsourcing provider. You also need to provide timely and constructive feedback on their work and address any issues or concerns as soon as they arise. You can use tools like Slack, Zoom, or Trello to facilitate your communication and collaboration with your outsourcing provider.

3 Use project management tools and methods

Project management tools and methods can help you monitor IT outsourcing projects efficiently and effectively. You can use tools like Jira, Asana, or Basecamp to manage your project tasks, milestones, deadlines, and dependencies. You can also use methods like Agile, Scrum, or Kanban to organize your project workflow, prioritize your backlog, and deliver value incrementally. You can also use tools like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket to manage your code repository, version control, and code review.

4 Conduct quality assurance and testing

Quality assurance and testing are essential to ensure that your IT outsourcing projects meet your requirements and expectations. You need to define your quality standards and criteria, and conduct regular quality checks and audits on your outsourcing provider's work. You also need to perform various types of testing, such as unit testing, integration testing, functional testing, performance testing, and security testing, to verify that your IT outsourcing projects are bug-free, reliable, and secure.

5 Review and evaluate the results

Finally, you need to review and evaluate the results of your IT outsourcing projects and compare them with your goals and expectations. You need to analyze the data and metrics that you collected throughout the project lifecycle, and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your outsourcing provider's performance. You also need to solicit feedback from your internal and external stakeholders, such as your employees, customers, or partners, and measure their satisfaction and engagement with your IT outsourcing projects.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?