NCC Members have free access to this Guideline on the NCC Membeship website.

Following years of steady growth, outsourcing is now established as a mainstream activity of the UK's IT industry. A relatively recent variant, offshoring, looks set to have an even bigger impact on the years ahead. That said, whatever and wherever you outsource, to get the best from outsourcing - and to avoid the pitfalls - you need to heed the many lessons that have been learned, often painfully, during the past few years as outsourcing has matured from a curiosity to a mainstream service.

These Guidelines for IT Management look at:

• Contract considerations
• Planning for the transition
• Keeping control
• The relationship with the supplier
• Governance
• Offshore outsourcing
• The future of outsourcing

(Published August 2006)