Through my work with people from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, I've often been surprised by how straightforward tasks can sometimes lead to unexpected results. Now, obviously much wiser (hahahaha!), I understand that everyone's perspective is unique. This means I need to take the time to explain my goals and expectations clearly, while also actively listening to my collaborators. It's important to understand when they disagree, don't understand, or see potential problems – but also to value their ideas.
In my experience, the biggest challenges with outsourcing services, tasks, or departments are twofold. First, there can be a disconnect regarding the desired outcome. Second, there's sometimes an expectation that once something is outsourced and paid for, it requires no further involvement. However, outsourcing doesn't mean handing something off and walking away. It's about building a working relationship that requires ongoing effort.
My experience doesn't come form IT, so I don't even want to imagine......
A politically incorrect fairy tale that -obviously- never happened. I made it all up.
## The Bank Outsources Software Development
Obce upon a time, happy software engineers were a happy bunch, working at a bank, writing happy software. But, as so often in stories, such happy times could not last.
The bank decided outsource its software development. The engineers knew: everything would go to shit and problems would start to surface, until customers got impacted. These guys knew their trade, they were completely right.
Yet, despite all warnings, the team got sacked.
Looked good financial-wise, didn't work software-wise. Problems popped up and customers started complaining. What could management do?
## Keep the Lights On
Management was incentivised to not rock the boat and to secure their EOY bonus - wifey wants to go skiing during the winter holidays, and, happy wife, happy life.
Management got a great idea. How about: Get a team of crack engineers to form a squad of super-experts that (a) know how to fix everything, (b) get god-like access to every system, because obviously they need to, if they are to fix everything.
How about naming that squad "The SWAT Team"? The SWAT team performed admirably: problems got fixed ASAP, often even before customers noticed. What's more, SWAT engineers never ever stole from the bank, despite their god-like powers.
*(But remember, this is just a story, it never happened. I was never in a SWAT team with Jos at ABN-Amro Bank.)*
## The CFO
The CFO was sitting in his high backed chair, sipping something from a silver chalice. Was that red liquid wine, or was it something else, the life juices of squeezed out software develpers? By the light of the chandelier one could not tell.
He'd just sacked a bunch of in-house developers, so the personnel costs had gone down. To keep the business owners happy, he'd signed a contract with some outsourcing company to do that work (or at least, pretend, who cares).
Years before he'd passed "How-To-CFO-101", so he knew that this was gonna look really good on the balance sheet.
- The cost for the in-house developers was gone. Boom. Expenses slashed.
- There'd been the necessity to introduce a cost for the outsourcing contract, but never mind. On the benefits side of the balance sheet this yielded an equal gain of credited services. Boom. Net zero.
The balance sheet looked GREAT. The company was ready for take-over. The CFO was contendly looking forward to the next skiing vacation and his happy wifey.
> I don’t give out cake, but if you subscribe to Wednesday Wisdom, you do get a free article every wake.
This typo appeals to my morbid humor.
Thanks :-) I'll fix it regardless.... :-)
Through my work with people from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, I've often been surprised by how straightforward tasks can sometimes lead to unexpected results. Now, obviously much wiser (hahahaha!), I understand that everyone's perspective is unique. This means I need to take the time to explain my goals and expectations clearly, while also actively listening to my collaborators. It's important to understand when they disagree, don't understand, or see potential problems – but also to value their ideas.
In my experience, the biggest challenges with outsourcing services, tasks, or departments are twofold. First, there can be a disconnect regarding the desired outcome. Second, there's sometimes an expectation that once something is outsourced and paid for, it requires no further involvement. However, outsourcing doesn't mean handing something off and walking away. It's about building a working relationship that requires ongoing effort.
My experience doesn't come form IT, so I don't even want to imagine......
Thank Jos for sharing!
# Story Time
A politically incorrect fairy tale that -obviously- never happened. I made it all up.
## The Bank Outsources Software Development
Obce upon a time, happy software engineers were a happy bunch, working at a bank, writing happy software. But, as so often in stories, such happy times could not last.
The bank decided outsource its software development. The engineers knew: everything would go to shit and problems would start to surface, until customers got impacted. These guys knew their trade, they were completely right.
Yet, despite all warnings, the team got sacked.
Looked good financial-wise, didn't work software-wise. Problems popped up and customers started complaining. What could management do?
## Keep the Lights On
Management was incentivised to not rock the boat and to secure their EOY bonus - wifey wants to go skiing during the winter holidays, and, happy wife, happy life.
Management got a great idea. How about: Get a team of crack engineers to form a squad of super-experts that (a) know how to fix everything, (b) get god-like access to every system, because obviously they need to, if they are to fix everything.
How about naming that squad "The SWAT Team"? The SWAT team performed admirably: problems got fixed ASAP, often even before customers noticed. What's more, SWAT engineers never ever stole from the bank, despite their god-like powers.
*(But remember, this is just a story, it never happened. I was never in a SWAT team with Jos at ABN-Amro Bank.)*
## The CFO
The CFO was sitting in his high backed chair, sipping something from a silver chalice. Was that red liquid wine, or was it something else, the life juices of squeezed out software develpers? By the light of the chandelier one could not tell.
He'd just sacked a bunch of in-house developers, so the personnel costs had gone down. To keep the business owners happy, he'd signed a contract with some outsourcing company to do that work (or at least, pretend, who cares).
Years before he'd passed "How-To-CFO-101", so he knew that this was gonna look really good on the balance sheet.
- The cost for the in-house developers was gone. Boom. Expenses slashed.
- There'd been the necessity to introduce a cost for the outsourcing contract, but never mind. On the benefits side of the balance sheet this yielded an equal gain of credited services. Boom. Net zero.
The balance sheet looked GREAT. The company was ready for take-over. The CFO was contendly looking forward to the next skiing vacation and his happy wifey.
I am so going to throw a wake, and I want my article!