Use this scorecard to determine the type of outsourcing relationship you have.
Outsourcing relationships today can be either consultative or transactional. When a client and vendor agree that their relationship is one or the other, that understanding goes a long way to ensuring the relationships smooth sailing. But treacherous waters await partners who set out with disparate mindsets about the nature of their relationship.
To better understand where that disparity can arise, we need to look at the expectation set at the outset. Your honest answers to the following 10 questions can help set expectations and the overall tone of your client-vendor relationship.
Following each question below are two possible answers reflecting mindsets at opposite extremes. Rate how you would respond between the two extremes, on a scale of 1 to 5.
Scores less than 20 indicate a strong leaning toward a more consultative model. Scores higher than 30 indicate a leaning toward the transactional model. It may be of interest to see your responses next to those of your provider or outsourcing partner.
