DIY? – Think it Through Before You Act

There is a perception, sometimes correct, sometimes not, that you can save money by doing a task yourself (DIY). You can save the expense by not contracting a successful Outsourced Service Provider to complete a task that you can do yourself. – Hey. What could go wrong?

?A LOT!

?It is my experience that the decision to have a process completed by Internal Resources, versus by an experienced Outsourced Service Provider can be made by carefully evaluating the following alternatives.

• How experienced is your internal staff at completing the specific tasks at hand? – How many times and how recently has your Internal Resource successfully performed the task at hand? (Are they current in understanding what is needed to successfully complete the desired task?)

• What are the Operational, Compliance, and Financial risks of having your internal team complete the task at hand? – Does your Internal Resource have a complete understanding of the current regulatory and legislative environment in which the delivered solution will need to operate?

?

• How does the savings/convenience of having Internal Resources deliver the desired outcome relate to the ability to maintain the desired level of service to your existing customers, while internal resources are dedicated to completing the DIY project? – When outsourced experts are hired, Internal Resources can continue to be dedicated to completing their traditional operating tasks.

?

• What is the cost to your operation to have your internal resources dedicated to the DIY project and not complete their traditional deliverables on time and at the expected level of accuracy? – When external resources are utilized, Internal Resources will be able to continue fulfilling their traditional deliverables.

?

• What remedies exist for any operational and financial expenses that may arise if your internal resources do not deliver the DIY project as intended? – Outsourced Service Providers bring insurance and assurance to remedy any shortfalls in the delivered solution.

?

Comparing the expenses and benefits of having a task completed by Internal Resources versus by an experienced and successful external resource, will reveal if going the DIY route is appropriate for the task at hand.

?

Ernie Russom is the Executive Director of the Retained and Dedicated Executive Search Firm The Westview Associates. Enhancing the ROI of the hiring process through a proprietary methodology that provides longer-tenured and more productive employees. Ernie can be contacted at [email protected]