Comments on: Outsourcing Debate – Two Guys Talk it Out

By: Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:11:37 +0000

Thanks Amy for sending me a link off-line to a review of outsourcing services providers. She has put together a top-ten providers list that looks both comprehensive and credible. Should be a great resource for folks looking to engage an outsourcer.

By: Outsourcing Services

Outsourcing Services — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:54:46 +0000

This is an interesting article, i have a few comments on this
first, i don’t think this is a debate its more like a discussion and
second, something really caught my attention when Bill said he doesnt like the changes thats taking place in IT industry, though he said its just his personal reasons but that didn’t stopped me from questioning…i thought the changes thats been happening is for a better services?

By: Choosing the best party - the 1st or the 3rd? « Station Street Springs

Choosing the best party - the 1st or the 3rd? « Station Street Springs — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:37:00 +0000

[...] I recently read a discussion in the Tyner Blain blog that helps put the decision into a more detailed context. In Outsourcing Debate – Two Guys Talk it Out Bill Miller clearly spells out two fundamental criteria: [...]

By: Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:27:59 +0000

Hey Jacy, thanks for commenting. We actually agree. When you keep “product design and solution architecture” inside the walls, as you describe, then you are in “high-level outsourcing” which I believe can be effective.

My “slow death” point is only reached when you send ALL of the technical work outside. By keeping your finger on the pulse of the market, and by retaining responsibility for inventing and architecting innovation solutions, you don’t lose the IP. It’s when you give that stuff up that you’re toast. I used to work for a company that tried some of this stuff, and faced similar challenges to the ones you describe.

Thanks again!

By: Jacy

Jacy — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:40:08 +0000

Great discussion. I don’t agree that it’s a slow death, assuming your center of product management, product design, and solution architecture stay within your walls. The company I work for is trying to build a development network that mimics manufacturing networks like the Government’s military parts manufacturing network. Under this model, my team is responsible for the requirements, product definition, design, and system architecture. The development network is filling in the rest (implementation & QA). This network is composed of hundreds of vendors competing for work and we don’t pay for it unless the work passes our acceptance criteria. Development costs have dropped about 5x, and are trending downwards with more competition for each project. The cost of managing the project and writing requirements has gone up about 2x as we have had to dramatically increase the detail of requirements to support this factory model. Project management is a little challenging for us right now as we learn how to use this new model. There is a greater risk of implementation failure and a longer lead time to get components built, leading to a greater amount of variance (risk) in the project plan. We have also had to change the way we optimize the architecture of our solutions. We favor modular designs with many “black-box” components that have strong interfaces and test cases.

I got a little off-topic, but to summarize, I don’t feel like the team has lost any responsibility for innovation. They still remain the foremost experts in the market problems our products address.

By: You Want It When? | Outsourcing Debate - Two Guys Talk it Out

You Want It When? | Outsourcing Debate - Two Guys Talk it Out — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:05:11 +0000

[...] Scott Sehlhorst, who writes Tyner Blain, a blog dedicated to software product success, and I had a debate over email about outsourcing. Scott recommended a topic and I decided to focus the discussion on his concern as Scott describes it, “… it (outsourcing) is a recipe for long term failure.” While I prefer the old model of developing software entirely in house with teams working all under one roof, I believe outsourcing is an inevitable change that needs to be accepted, and the specious predictions of the demise of American corporate competiveness are mistaken. Read the discussion, and please join in and share your views. [...]