IV. RESULTADOS
4.1. Evaluación y análisis del expediente técnico y expediente de liquidación del proyecto
4.1.2 Evaluación y análisis de expediente de liquidación
Outsourcing is a powerful management tool and is a major management decision taken by the client (Johnson, 1997). The outsourcing process involves an on-going review process and should be viewed as a strategy with life cycle stages rather than a one-off transaction (Cullen, Seddon, & Willcocks, 2005; Dibbern et al., 2004). Various organisational, business and informational perspectives are considered to make informed decisions and to take remedial actions in the various stages of the outsourcing process. Thus, each stage paves the way for the following phases and helps in providing insights for the next sourcing strategy and its subsequent life cycle.
Dibbern et al. (2004) have extended Simon’s four-stage generic model of decision-making into five stages for outsourcing processes. Their proposed model shows two phases where client organisations reflect and make decisions in the outsourcing process. Phase one consists of stages involved in helping clients make decisions on the outsourcing arrangements, while the phase two consists of stages after the decision on outsourcing
arrangement has been made and involves implementation and post evaluation of their decisions.
Table 5 illustrates the five stages of Dibbern et al.’s (2004) model for the outsourcing process.
Table 5 Stages of outsourcing
Phases Stages Strategy
Intelligence WHY
Organisations weigh the risks and rewards, advantages and disadvantages at this stage.
They ask: Why should outsourcing be considered?
Design WHAT
This stage is linked with the first stage, and could also be combined as “why outsource what”?
They ask: What functions should the organisation outsource?
Phase 1
Decision Process Choice WHICH
Organisations go through some selection criteria and this stage reflects actual decision made on the outsourcing arrangement.
They ask: Which is the best selection? What criteria are used? How is the evaluation done? Who makes the final decision?
Implementation HOW
This stage relates to implementation of best practices – methods and techniques to achieve a higher degree of success.
They ask: How to best negotiate contracts with the vendor, and manage the subsequent relationship.
Phase 2
Implementation
Implementation OUTCOME
Organisations review their activities/ tasks to understand what led to successful or failed outcomes.
They ask: What was their experience? What lessons have they learned? How could they lead to better results? What implications do these practices have for their future business?
Source: Dibbern et al, 2004
The first phase comprises three stages, as clients make informed decisions and evaluate their decision to outsource by asking:
⎯ Why should an organisation consider outsourcing? ⎯ What to outsource?
⎯ Which choice to make?
As the client eventually implements the outsourcing arrangement with the provider or vendor they enter into the next phase which comprises of two stages. The questions asked
⎯ How to outsource?
⎯ Were the outcomes successful?
A second model describing the different phases of the outsourcing process is the Outsourcing Life Cycle Model (OLCM) (Cullen et al., 2005). The OLCM comprises of four phases namely architect, engage, operate and regenerate, which help clients manage their business strategies. Each phase consists of building blocks which lay the foundation for the following phase and its associated building blocks.
Table 6 lists the four phases of the OLCM and the associated building blocks for each phase. Each phase comprises of key activities, which help clients to identify the expected goals or outcomes from these activities.
Table 6 Outsourcing life cycle model
Life cycle phases
Building blocks
Key activity Goal
Investigate ⎯ Gather insight
⎯ Collect market intelligence
⎯ Peer assessment
Understand what can be achieved, and how it can be achieved.
Target ⎯ Outsourcing model
⎯ Target service identification
⎯ State profiles: services, cost, asset, staff, stakeholder
Targeted and defined scope
Strategise ⎯ Rollout
⎯ Determine key rules: governing docs, number of suppliers, asset ownership
⎯ Communications strategy
⎯ Business case rules and base case ⎯ Feasibility and impact analysis
Develop informed and holistic strategies
Phase 1 Architect
Design ⎯ Prepare blueprint
⎯ Develop metrics
⎯ Draft service level agreement ⎯ Draft contract
⎯ Relationship
⎯ Retained functions
⎯ Contract management function
Well designed future state
Select ⎯ Competitive stages
⎯ Evaluation team
⎯ Selection strategy and criteria
⎯ Bid package
⎯ Bid facilitation
Determine the best value for money and select sustainable solution and provider
Phase 2 Engage
Negotiate ⎯ Negotiation strategy
⎯ Negotiation team
Complete contract
Transition ⎯ Final plans
⎯ Transition team
⎯ Managed staff
⎯ Knowledge retention and transfer
⎯ Governance structures
⎯ Engineering
⎯ Acceptance
Efficient and complete mobilisation
Phase 3 Operate
Manage ⎯ Relationship
⎯ Reporting, Meetings
⎯ Administration and record keeping
⎯ Risk management
⎯ Issues, variations and disputes
⎯ Continuous improvement
⎯ Evaluations
Ongoing results
Phase 4 Regenerate
Refresh ⎯ Next open options
⎯ Outcomes and lessons
⎯ Knowledge refresh
⎯ Options business case and strategy
Refreshed strategy and options
Both models described in Table 5 and Table 6 describe the phases in which client organisations evaluate their outsourcing experiences to identify drivers for achieving success and to avoid undesirable outcomes. This helps the clients to select better strategies and factor in best practices for success (Dibbern et al., 2004; Herbsleb & Moitra, 2001; Rottman & Lacity, 2004).
The outsourcing process however, involves both the client and the vendor, where each contributes to the learning experiences through the practices that are adopted. Both client and vendor are partners in the outsourcing relationship once the contract has been signed by both parties. It is also in the interest of the vendor to follow the outsourcing process as a strategy with a life cycle rather than as a one-off transaction. Hence the second phase (implementation) of Dibbern et al.’s (2004) model would apply to the vendor also. Similarly, the third and fourth phases (operate and regenerate) of the Cullen et al. (2005) model would be applicable to the vendor.
In short, various researchers and practitioners have recognised the importance of the outsourcing process, but limited studies have been proposed from the vendor’s point of view. Vendors too can strategise and operate in a cost-effective manner when they proactively manage the entire outsourcing life cycle stages to identify practices for project success.
Table 7 has thus been derived from Table 5 and Table 6 to show the stages of Dibbern et al.’s model and phases of Cullen et al.’s model which are relevant from the vendor’s viewpoint.
Table 7 Vendor stages and phases
Stage model (Dibbern et al. 2004)
Outsourcing life cycle model (Cullen et al. 2005) Stages Phases Investigate Target Strategise Intelligence – WHY Design – WHAT ARCHITECT Design Select
Stages/ phases for clients only
Choice – WHICH ENGAGE
Negotiate Transition
Implementation – HOW OPERATE
Manage
Implementation – OUTCOME REGENERATE Refresh
Stages/ phases for both clients and vendors
Source: Dibbern et al, 2004, Cullen et al. 2005
Table 7 shows that after a client has selected a vendor, then both client and vendor’s relationships are crucial for effective completion of the project. They each implement strategies to negotiate relationships, finalise the project transition plan, manage knowledge transfer and ultimately reflect on outcomes to refresh past practices and re-define better practices for future offshore projects. Thus vendors too learn from their past experiences as they evaluate their outcomes to identify successes and failures.