Outsourcing contracts have long contained intellectual property clauses. How do old abuses and recent changes in technology and business influence these and what the parties should be interested in? Intellectual property (IP) has long been a difficult subject. Many have found to their cost that their rights differ from what they expect. The timing of…
The outsourcing market is in turmoil. Customers are frequently disappointed by what they see. CIOs mark the growth of shadow IT. Suppliers have delivered savings in the past but the business feels the manacles of inappropriate service. What can be done to restore order and performance? On 28th August 1963, Dr Martin Luther King stood…
Multi-supplier service is all the rage, together with its linking agent Service Integration and Management (SIAM). Wonderful in theory… How does one practically get multiple parties to collaborate towards a common end? It was recognised early in the development of multi-supplier models that there needed to be a unifying agent. A great deal of time…
The formation of a good sourcing agreement relies on clear thinking and agreement between the parties on what is to be done, why and how. The market and technology are changing so rapidly that the next agreement is likely to bear little resemblance to the last. How to make sure we ask the right questions…
Just when multi-supplier (also known as SIAM) contracting is starting to get under control, DevOps emerges. This article looks at the interaction of the two for the design of retained and sourced IT operations. The implications for service contracts are profound and largely un-tested. The pages of management journals have been liberally sprinkled with fads…
In the 1980s it was simple: there was little sourced service. Then came the bandwagon and many jumped on, keeping the thinnest retained shell. What are the challenges now as the pendulum of fashion and practice continues to swing? Trends in the Market Some projections of future events are little more than crystal-ball gazing. Others…
There is a fiction that suggests that business decisions are made on purely utilitarian grounds. Psychologists have shown convincingly that people value the avoidance of loss far more highly than capturing gains. There are many and significant implications for those seeking to implement change, particularly in an agile environment. The Agile Manifesto The Agile Manifesto and associated…
Outsource agreements are characterised by long durations and high switching costs. Some fail; some drive innovation and soar; most get by. What is the role of trust in such a service and what can you do to obtain the best value? Volkswagen is being pilloried world-wide for deliberately deceiving customers and the public in diesel…
Service Integration and Management (SIAM), also known as multisourcing, is all the rage. What is the essence of integration, what do you get from it and how do you make it work? I am suspicious of fashion, as anyone who has seen my wardrobe will attest. That there is a new management fad promotes interest…
There are many models by which a service may be priced and a deal constructed. Whatever the approach used, there are considerations that both of the parties should weigh before they agree. What is likely to be going on and how can you obtain the best outcome? During the process of engagement between customer and…
