I used to be an Accountant, so why am I blogging on outsourcing ?

Outsourcing is still a young industry – we are still only at the 3rd or 4th iteration of ITO contracts and even fewer for BPO work. Accordingly, the body of knowledge is still evolving. Compare this to retailing which has been going as long as people have had surplus subsistence goods to sell, and the “personal services” industry that has been going as long as their have been people. As a result, the body of knowledge about outsourcing is thin on the ground and remains fragmented. One major source of information about outsourcing is the service providers in the form of case studies and other marketing material. An alternative source is provided by the usual market analysts and commentators. These sources are useful, but outsourcing has such a deep impact on an organisation that the personal, emotional and ethical impacts need an airing as well. Blogs from the growing body of people that have actually “done it” can be helpful here in a way that marketing and technical thought pieces cannot.

I have “done it” now for the last 10 years, and I am still involved in the industry, “shaping” deals and specialising in the financial and contractual elements of outsourcing agreements. In the past, I have worked for service providers and consultants as well as operating on the client side. I have bought and sold outsourcing. I have been through both insourcing and outsourcing transactions….from both sides of the fence. In short, I have been through the mill of outsourcing….and I still believe passionately that there is, and will continue to be, a healthy market for ITO and BPO services. I find that it is a fun place to work, simply because the market is immature and the body of knowledge continues to develop. I believe that my experiences give me a wide, and potentially balanced, perspective on developments as they arise. To date these have been shared within the Finance Director community through conferences and round table discussions. This blog, and your feedback comments, will determine whether they are useful and worth sharing across the wider business community.

What will I cover ? Well, I will blog as the fancy takes me, based on ideas that come to me as I mow the lawn or run down the country lanes of deepest Warwickshire, however, expect a few recurring themes to arise such as:

• Stewardship
• Outcomes
• Passion
• Business Value = capability x usage
• The eternal triangle of trades offs between time, cost and quality

The first one is about Stewardship – an old fashioned concept, but readily adapted to our time and industry.

Let me know what you think and together we can contribute to growing the knowledge base of this young and dynamic industry. All my views are, of course personal, and cannot be attributed to either my current employer, or any of my past employers, customers or clients. Nor can they be interpreted as criticism of any contracts or parties to those contracts that I have been involved in in the past. They are merely the musings of an Accountant who found an industry specialism and is thoroughly enjoying being involved in a developing field.