Mike SimonsIT outsourcing routinely fails to deliver the benefits expected
by clients and organisations, falls short of globally established
best practice, and repeats the same, obvious mistakes.
These are some of the key findings of a major new study of IT
outsourcing in Britain and the US by leading academics Leslie
Willcocks and Mary Lacity.
Speaking to Computer Weekly, Willcocks cast doubt on
fashionable techniques for establishing close partnerships with
outsourcers. In particular he warned against users throwing their
business open to outsourcers.
"Suppliers are very good at selling their services," said
Willcocks, "and a lot are asking to penetrate organisations in ways
that I don't think are healthy."
Willcocks told Computer Weekly that one source of
problems was that, "Suppliers are better at selling their services
than the users are at buying."
Willcocks and Lacity estimate that the global outsourcing market
will be worth $120bn (£76bn) by 2002, with major businesses
spending more than a third of their IT budgets with outsourcers.
However Willcox said, "There has not been a huge transfer of
learning," between suppliers and customers.
Inside IT outsourcing: A state of the art report, Mary
Lacity and Leslie Willcocks, sponsored by Origin, Templeton
Research, available from David Hall, Templeton College 01865
422515.