http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Outsourcing A listing of the most recently indexed works about Outsourcing in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Outsourcing http://tc.eserver.org/35719.html http://tc.eserver.org/35719.html Most technical writers see outsourcing as a real threat. But, if you look at it from another angle, it’s one huge business opportunity. http://tc.eserver.org/35667.html http://tc.eserver.org/35667.html Outsourcing has become a solid strategy for organizations looking to improve productivity and reduce costs. Today, companies are no longer asking “should we do this?” but rather, “what region makes the most sense?” Outsourcing Institute’s Frank Casale shares why a successful partnership starts with ‘transformation mindset’ and what factors should be considered when outsourcing offshore. http://tc.eserver.org/35671.html http://tc.eserver.org/35671.html Business Process Outsourcing has become a leading business model of our time. While the increasing pressure to cut cost is still among the primary drivers for this trend, today quality has become a major issue when it comes to choosing an outsourcing partner. Here is an overview of standards and models that help measure and improve the quality of outsourcing services. http://tc.eserver.org/35672.html http://tc.eserver.org/35672.html Improving your performance, using your in-house resources more profitably, staying focused on your core business, accelerating time-to-market and decreasing costs – the benefits of outsourcing sound very promising. But how can you jump on the bandwagon of outsourcing? Between Russia and India, Dubai and Vietnam – where do you find your outsourcing provider? And how can you trust that the provider will help you achieve the promised benefits? tcworld investigated. http://tc.eserver.org/35673.html http://tc.eserver.org/35673.html Crystal-clear waters, splendid white beaches and luxurious ressorts – these are usually the things associated with Mauritius. Far away from the world’s major markets and sources, the island nation in the Indian Ocean seems more of a touristic center of recreation than an international business hub. However, in recent years, Mauritius has come a long way in implementing its vision: transforming the island into a regional hub for information and communication technology (ICT). http://tc.eserver.org/35680.html http://tc.eserver.org/35680.html Although the creation and translation of technical documents are essential parts of the product lifecycle they still play a subordinate role in most international organizations. Many companies are therefore leaving these tasks to an outsourcing provider. To ensure a smooth collaboration and guarantee high quality technical documents, the outsourcing process needs to be planned and supported thoroughly. http://tc.eserver.org/35685.html http://tc.eserver.org/35685.html Many international companies in India struggle to find and keep the right people for the job. High attrition rates cause unforeseen expenses and sometimes even crush the entire Indian business venture. Motivating workers becomes a vital part of the business. But how do you motivate the Indian employee? http://tc.eserver.org/35534.html http://tc.eserver.org/35534.html Unconditional Text is the result of three three technical writers with varied backgrounds from across the globe coming together to share their knowledge and experiences with the community. http://tc.eserver.org/35104.html http://tc.eserver.org/35104.html Hosting a company's content and services on 3rd-party social networking sites involves both tactical risks (lower usability) and strategic risks (less user loyalty). http://tc.eserver.org/34697.html http://tc.eserver.org/34697.html A reluctance to learn new skills holds you back and complaining about potential employers raising the bar hurts us all. http://tc.eserver.org/34602.html http://tc.eserver.org/34602.html When you have materials that need to be translated into a foreign language, how do you decide where to send them? Your basic choice is between an agency that uses only freelance translators or one that has employee translators in-house. Your decision on which to use should depend on the type of final product you are looking for and the subject matter of the material to be translated. This article describes the two types of agencies in more detail, to help you make an informed decision regarding the type of agency that will work best for you. We have tried to maintain an impartial view of both types while making potential clients aware of the industry and its various practices and levels of quality. http://tc.eserver.org/34589.html http://tc.eserver.org/34589.html Whether you are new at the translation business or a veteran of many globalization projects, a benchmarking study of your translation supplier(s) is a worthwhile endeavor. In benchmarking, you compare suppliers against one another based on specific criteria. The suppliers’ performance in the study can reassure you that your current relationship is a good one, or can lead to you a more compatible agency. http://tc.eserver.org/34590.html http://tc.eserver.org/34590.html There is no single factor that will determine your best choice of a translation agency. It should not be based on price alone, because as the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for”. Nor should it be based solely on the company’s size, number of employees, or any similar strictly objective measurement factor. Although such information may be important, and should be considered, it is just part of the total picture you need to adequately evaluate an agency. http://tc.eserver.org/33599.html http://tc.eserver.org/33599.html In support of the IEEE Professional Communication Society's 50th anniversary conference, this paper suggests ways in which the technical communication profession can ensure its sustainability throughout the next 50 years of business evolution. This paper seeks to present a compelling argument directed at conventionally-employed technical communicators that a paradigm shift towards consulting employment is in their best interest - and in the technical communication profession's best interest. Because of exposure to many and varied companies and methodologies, technical communication consultants tend to have more wide-ranging and current skills that they can offer to companies over their peers who work in conventional employment arrangements. For this argument, this paper will look at how technical communicator consultants can make significant contributions to business by comparing the attributes of technical communication consultants to the attributes of the untouchables defined and discussed in The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, the maverick analysis of the globalization phenomenon by Thomas L. Friedman. http://tc.eserver.org/33363.html http://tc.eserver.org/33363.html One of the most significant realities about offshore developers is that they will build exactly what you tell them to build. This is both good and bad news. The good news is that they are likely to take your specification very seriously--not merely as a suggestion or starting point from which to improvise. The bad news, of course, is that if you don't clearly plan and articulate every aspect of your product from user interface and product behavior to business logic and algorithms, developers are forced to rely on their own experience and judgement to determine an appropriate solution to an unforeseen problem or vaguely documented feature. The reality with offshore resources, however, is that they are very unlikely to have that experience. http://tc.eserver.org/33171.html http://tc.eserver.org/33171.html In a downturn, priorities in a business often change, and these changes can affect technical authors as much as others. At the London Connections event earlier this week, where I was promoting Cherryleaf's technical writing services, I was chatting to Mike Southon about business strategies in a downturn. Mike is Visiting Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at London South Bank University, amongst other things, so I value his judgement. He said, in a downturn, businesses should focus on its Return on Investment, minimising risk and watching its cashflow. So, does this mean you should favour contract technical authors over permanent staff, or vice versa? Should you outsource technical writing work instead? Actually, each option has its merits. http://tc.eserver.org/31374.html http://tc.eserver.org/31374.html Outsourcing has been a routine practice in the communication field for some time now—fully 20 percent of IABC members are self-employed or have a communication/PR consultancy. The last economic downturn strengthened this trend even more. Offshoring is being studied everywhere from Washington, D.C., to the academic world to well-known consulting firms such as McKinsey and Mercer. The general consensus across the board is that offshoring is a growing phenomenon that won’t go away, jobs lost to offshoring are unlikely to come back, and the trend may affect as many as three million jobs in the U.S. by 2015. http://tc.eserver.org/31224.html http://tc.eserver.org/31224.html Outsourcing is not new to the corporate communication department. The breadth and complexity of communication technology and the widely varied skills needed to communicate effectively to all audiences make it nearly impossible for a corporate communication department to do it all. Every organization handles communication outsourcing differently. However, there are two basic models of outsourcing currently in use. http://tc.eserver.org/31225.html http://tc.eserver.org/31225.html When considering possible staffing models for structuring your corporate communication function, your choices typically range from the extremes of establishing an all in-house staff to totally outsourcing the function by enlisting the services of a PR agency (or agencies) to do it all for you. More common is the combination that takes advantage of the benefits of the two previous options, while hopefully minimizing their disadvantages. http://tc.eserver.org/31162.html http://tc.eserver.org/31162.html Nowadays, outsourcing seems to be a de facto approach in the IT industry. As a part of the software development process, it seems reasonable to consider technical writing as a candidate for outsourcing. Through this article, I propose to explore the pros, cons, risks, and opportunities for outsourcing your technical documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/31116.html http://tc.eserver.org/31116.html Calculate the time of the manager and your time to do edits. Determine the cost to the company based on average salaries. Chances are it's costing MORE than if it was outsourced. http://tc.eserver.org/30456.html http://tc.eserver.org/30456.html Thailand, India, Taiwan, China, and pretty much every other country in the vicinity with an economy worth talking about, is facing heavy capital inflows. In spite of the Rupee appreciation vis-a-vis the dollar, foreign capital inflows have been on the rise. http://tc.eserver.org/29665.html http://tc.eserver.org/29665.html Increasingly, many U.S. companies are locating documentation projects offshore, in countries such as India. Setting up and managing offshore documentation teams creates a special set of challenges, in areas such as hiring, training, planning, coping with time zone and cultural differences, and coordinating work done offshore and onsite. This presentation provides an overview of the offshoring trend and its implications for technical writers and managers. It also describes the challenges of managing offshore documentation projects and provides some guidelines and best practices for resolving them. http://tc.eserver.org/29870.html http://tc.eserver.org/29870.html This paper presents strategies for technical communication managers who may be disenchanted with past outsourcing experiences or uncertain about how to make outsourcing relationships work. Research shows that if expectations are not set up front with the service provider or if the manager's in-house team feels threatened, the relationship is likely to fail. In this paper, I focus on reasons for outsourcing, which technical communication tasks to outsource, what to consider when choosing a service provider, and ways to prepare for and support an outsourcing relationship so that it results in a phenomenal--rather than a nightmarish--experience. http://tc.eserver.org/29594.html http://tc.eserver.org/29594.html With revenue flattening, David Galbenski needed a bold new plan. But was outsourcing everything to India really the right move? Darren Dahl speaks to some of the complexities in outsourcing legal work overseas. http://tc.eserver.org/29666.html http://tc.eserver.org/29666.html This paper discusses some of the aspects that should be considered when evaluating the required resources and total cost of offshoring documentation development. The actual metrics for assessing offshoring costs are not included in this paper. Rather, it is suggested that you take each of the topic areas and measure the costs as they relate to your specific situation. It is only after factoring in the dollars related to these activities that you and your company’s executive team can make a complete assessment of offshoring’s potential financial benefit. http://tc.eserver.org/29122.html http://tc.eserver.org/29122.html The growth of international online access has given rise to a new production method--international outsourcing--that has important implications for technical communication practices. Successful interactions within international outsourcing require individuals to understand how cultural factors could affect online interactions. Today's technical communication students therefore need to understand how factors of culture and media could affect the success with which they operate in international outsourcing activities. This article provides technical communication instructors with a series of Web-based exercises they can use to familiarize students with different aspects that can affect intercultural online interactions. It also provides a series of online resources students can use to enhance their understanding of cross-cultural communication in cyberspace. http://tc.eserver.org/28555.html http://tc.eserver.org/28555.html In today's shrinking global marketplace, many technical communicators face challenges related to intercultural communication. This article examines ethical issues in intercultural communication, beginning with a brief survey of classical ethical models, then focusing on the guidelines for ethical communication developed by Allen and Voss to provide a framework for discussion. Of Allen and Voss's 10 values for ethical communication, we focus on privacy, legality, teamwork, social responsibility, and cultural sensitivity. We offer specific suggestions for avoiding stereotyping, tokenism, and ethnocentrism in technical documentation, including before-and-after examples. We examine the risks involved in using graphics and icons and in attempting to translate idiomatic usages. The article concludes with guidelines for technical communicators preparing documentation for international audiences and with suggestions for managers who wish to give their employees guidance regarding ethical and effective intercultural communication. http://tc.eserver.org/28525.html http://tc.eserver.org/28525.html When offshoring manufacturing to low-cost regions, executives need to determine the savings lower labor rates contribute to the bottom line. Meanwhile, the biggest cost for most companies engaging electronics contract manufacturing partners is the materials cost of goods sold (MCOGs) for products being manufactured. Whether outsourcing or offshoring your product manufacturing, the Outsourcing Calculator can help you uncover costs, and potential savings, as you evaluate low-cost manufacturing destinations. http://tc.eserver.org/28402.html http://tc.eserver.org/28402.html To use freelance talent effectively it's important to know your strenghts and weaknesses, to be aware of the risks and have contingencies to handle when things go wrong. http://tc.eserver.org/28174.html http://tc.eserver.org/28174.html Traditionally, contractors have played an important role in the technical writing field by providing specific expertise, thereby allowing companies to focus on their core competencies. Contactors have made it possible for companies to add temporary personnel when needed ' an important benefit in a field where work output peaks periodically. http://tc.eserver.org/27866.html http://tc.eserver.org/27866.html Whether we like it or not, offshoring is here to stay. 'If' or 'when' to offshore is no longer an issue. The heart of the discussion is 'how much' – how much we can afford to offshore or, more precisely, how much we can afford to keep. The User Experience (UX) profession has gone a long way in making the distinction between software design and UX design known. Will we be able to hold on to that distinction when it comes to offshoring? http://tc.eserver.org/27643.html http://tc.eserver.org/27643.html This paper discusses some of the aspects that should be considered when evaluating the required resources and total cost of offshoring documentation development. As consultants to the documentation industry, The Integrity Group is committed to recommending the overall best solution for each business need. We have, therefore, drawn some conclusions from our research and made recommendations for those who are considering offshoring. http://tc.eserver.org/27403.html http://tc.eserver.org/27403.html Businesses large and small can focus on what they do best by outsourcing non-core functions such as debt recovery. http://tc.eserver.org/27400.html http://tc.eserver.org/27400.html The Outsourcing Institute is a professional association dedicated to outsourcing--a source for outsourcing information, consulting and networking opportunities. http://tc.eserver.org/27402.html http://tc.eserver.org/27402.html The next wave in the evolving dynamic outsourcing markets is here. The emerging Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is the process where businesses outsource high end knowledge or judgment services such as investment banking research, sales and marketing research, IP/patent research, R&D, legal research and case writing and even animation design. A provider must have an educated, skilled work force able to think independently and provoke their own free thought behind any research criteria. KPO involves a high degree of execution risk as providers look to create and combine complex levels of process, technology, and services. The business processes will require domain expertise and high-end talent such as MBAs, engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants and other highly skilled professionals. KPO will move outsourcing up the value chain from simply executing commodity processes to carrying out processes with advanced analytical and technical skills and more decision making. http://tc.eserver.org/27401.html http://tc.eserver.org/27401.html In the last two years, more than 300 state bills were introduced directly targeting outsourcing. While the 12 bills that made it into law will impact government contracting most directly, certain pending legislation, if enacted, may force providers to have onshore operations for purposes of providing certain services or handling certain data. http://tc.eserver.org/27252.html http://tc.eserver.org/27252.html With the proliferation of outsourcing, there is little doubt that it has become the business byword of the last few years. Organisations of all sizes are realising the benefits of using suppliers to handle processes such as technology, HR, finance and procurement. Lured by the cost savings and the ability to harness external expertise much more economically than providing that experience in-house, more and more organisations believe outsourcing to be the cure all for business ills. http://tc.eserver.org/27210.html http://tc.eserver.org/27210.html I’m sick of hearing all the whining about how outsourcing is going to migrate all IT jobs to the country with the lowest wages. http://tc.eserver.org/26132.html http://tc.eserver.org/26132.html As a project manager there are many things going through PM's mind. Many tasks - knowledge bank - technical and as well as business wise. http://tc.eserver.org/25136.html http://tc.eserver.org/25136.html A very simple tool for calculating ROI for outsourcing developer labor. http://tc.eserver.org/25137.html http://tc.eserver.org/25137.html To determine the Risk of outsourcing your business. http://tc.eserver.org/25135.html http://tc.eserver.org/25135.html Have you calculated the risks of outsourcing, and how do you find the best vendor and what would you outsource? http://tc.eserver.org/24265.html http://tc.eserver.org/24265.html Summarizes a discussion about offshoring held at the Philadelphia Metro chapter's annual conference during which panelists suggested ways that technical communicators based in the United States can make their positions more secure. http://tc.eserver.org/23678.html http://tc.eserver.org/23678.html Commodity writing is the type of technical communication characterized as the creation of formulaic documentation on demand, and is closely tied to writing code. Companies are increasingly comfortable outsourcing both of these tasks. Those are the jobs being sent offshore, as evidenced by the surge in job openings on STC job boards in the Asia-Pacific countries. http://tc.eserver.org/23653.html http://tc.eserver.org/23653.html Small- to middle-sized companies are often dependent on third-party service providers to complete tasks related to documentation production. Formally evaluating service providers is one way for documentation managers to ensure that their company and documentation team are getting maximum service, top quality, and competitive prices. Evaluations must be carefully planned and implemented in order to produce reliable results. The planning phase lets the documentation managers “set the stage” for an evaluation by defining and communicating the main objectives. The subsequent implementation phase lets participants gather the key information required to select the best service provider. http://tc.eserver.org/23139.html http://tc.eserver.org/23139.html Technical Writing in India has experienced explosive growth in business volumes as a result of outsourcing. 75 writers based in India are registered with the STC. Estimated 2,500- to 3,000-strong workforce. http://tc.eserver.org/23138.html http://tc.eserver.org/23138.html A presentation about management issues for offshore outsourcing firms. http://tc.eserver.org/23032.html http://tc.eserver.org/23032.html New models of client-vendor relationships, competition, and cooperation are guiding corporate contracting strategies. Client companies seek service providers who can help them maintain agility, flexibility, and responsiveness in the face of constant change. Consequently, companies are “outsourcing’’ in-house functions to competent service providers. In addition, service providers themselves confront the same challenges of responding to change. They preforming “virtual corporations”, in which they pool skills and resources with complementary partners into made-for-the-task alliances to respond to business opportunities. Outsourcing and virtual corporations are related concepts that will shape the careers of many technical communicators. http://tc.eserver.org/22677.html http://tc.eserver.org/22677.html Even as the prospect of high-skilled American jobs moving to low-wage countries like India ignites hot political debate, some entrepreneurs are finding that India's vaunted high-technology work force is not always as effective as advertised. http://tc.eserver.org/22437.html http://tc.eserver.org/22437.html Do you ever find yourself causally picking up the phone to call your subject matter expert over in India? No, neither do I, and at least half my subject experts are in India. Another group is in Egypt, a few are in Russia, one is in Japan, and some are on the eastern U.S. seaboard. (And yes, there are a few in Oregon too?but I walk down the hall to ask them questions.) So how do you get information when your developers are many time zones away? http://tc.eserver.org/22261.html http://tc.eserver.org/22261.html I've heard from a multitude of readers annoyed by language difficulties when their calls go to offshore service reps. They say that offshore techs often seem to be reading from a script instead of listening to details, or that they seem ill-informed about products or company policies. And many complain that calls to far-flung tech support centers often get disconnected. http://tc.eserver.org/22002.html http://tc.eserver.org/22002.html There was a story in the news a couple weeks ago about how IBM was planning to move thousands -- perhaps tens of thousands -- of technical positions to India. This isn't just IBM, though. Nearly every big company that is in the IT outsourcing or software development business is doing or getting ready to do the same thing. They call this 'offshoring,' and its goal is to save a lot of money for the companies involved because India is a very cheap place to do business. And it will accomplish that objective for awhile. In the long run, though, IT is going to have the same problems in India that it has here. The only real result of all this job-shifting will be tens of thousands of older engineers in the U.S. who will find themselves working at Home Depot. You see, 'offshoring' is another word for age discrimination. http://tc.eserver.org/21796.html http://tc.eserver.org/21796.html Issues you should consider when selecting a service provider for documentation, help or other information projects. http://tc.eserver.org/21741.html http://tc.eserver.org/21741.html Requesting a quote for outsourced documentation services can be confusing and frustrating. Often it means that managers in IT, engineering or HR must negotiate with professionals whose skills they cannot effectively assess. This can easily lead to inappropriate expectations and disappointment. http://tc.eserver.org/21378.html http://tc.eserver.org/21378.html As the 90's come to a close, there have never been more options for technical communicators to ply their trade and make a good living. Today, in addition to working as company employees, we are thriving as temporary employees, independent contractors, and owners of temporary agencies and outsourcing companies. Consequently, temporary employment, independent contracting, and the management of technical communication businesses have become a way of life for many technical communicators. http://tc.eserver.org/21319.html http://tc.eserver.org/21319.html Herr, the manager of STC's Management special interest group, shares some informal observations on several economic and social trends affecting technical communication managers, including telecommuting, outsourcing, contracting, offshoring, and virtual and face-to-face professional networking. http://tc.eserver.org/20782.html http://tc.eserver.org/20782.html The current stampede toward offshore outsourcing should come as no surprise. For months now, the business press has been regurgitating claims from offshore vendors that IT work costing $100 an hour in the United States can be done for $20 an hour in Bangalore or Beijing. If those figures sound too good to be true, that's because they are. http://tc.eserver.org/20771.html http://tc.eserver.org/20771.html What is offshoring? It's shorthand for offshore outsourcing, the practice of hiring employees, usually through an outsourcing service, in another country. Companies seeking to reduce their labor costs use offshoring to employ workers at costs substantially less than at home. Typically, companies headquartered in the United States contract for employees in India, and increasingly in China, Russia, Israel, or Ireland, for example. Why is offshoring in the news? Because staff and contract workers in the United States see their jobs in the high-tech industry disappear as their current or former employers use offshoring to reduce costs. http://tc.eserver.org/20772.html http://tc.eserver.org/20772.html We organized this Roundtable because we thought we could get technical publications managers together to talk about the threat of offshoring and come up with ideas and strategies to protect our jobs. However, we learned that offshoring is inevitable and technical writers need to adapt. The speakers offered possible strategies for adaptation. http://tc.eserver.org/20783.html http://tc.eserver.org/20783.html The outsourcing of jobs to China and India is not new, but lately it has earned a chilling new adjective: professional. Advances in communications technology have enabled white-collar jobs to be shipped from the United States and Europe as never before, and the outcry from workers who once considered themselves invulnerable is creating a potent political force. http://tc.eserver.org/14397.html http://tc.eserver.org/14397.html Communications played an important role in a major organizational transformation and outsourcing undertaking by the Information Technology Organization (ITO) of BellSouth Telecommunications. A two-person team was assigned to plan and develop internal and external communications during the project’s 18-month duration. The approach they took was closely related to the process for planning and developing technical communications. An 11-step method resulted and it is now used to improve communications at many levels within the ITO. http://tc.eserver.org/14187.html http://tc.eserver.org/14187.html To save costs, some companies are outsourcing Web projects to countries with cheap labor. Unfortunately, these countries lack strong usability traditions and their developers have limited access -- if any -- to good usability data from the target users. http://tc.eserver.org/13098.html http://tc.eserver.org/13098.html This paper discusses the reasons why companies are interested in information outsourcing (the theory) and how it can be made to work for the benefit of companies and individual information developers (the practice). The paper examines how information developers can, and do, react to the prospect of outsourcing. And by doing so, I hope to help information developers to understand the process and take advantages of the benefits it does offer them, while recognizing that there are some downsides to the process. where an organisation can best utilise its own core competencies.