Technical Communication Outsourcing: The Twelve Driver Framework Tutorial

Poornima Padmanabhan

doi:10.1109/tpc.2007.897603

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2007

Technical Communication Outsourcing: The Twelve Driver Framework Tutorial

Poornima Padmanabhan Burnaby Hospital

Abstract

Almost all IT, engineering research, financial analysis, and manufacturing industries are confronted with a question: to outsource or not? The outsourcing and offshoring trend is inspired by success stories of huge cost savings, decreased time-to-market, and better quality. Simultaneously, outsourcing-gone-bad stories highlight how hidden costs exceed benefits, cross-cultural problems impact quality, and intellectual property risks shadow project lifecycles. Managers in companies are presented with a confusing picture for which there are no easy answers. Companies, vendors, and policymakers need a framework to understand the outsourcing phenomenon and plan implementation strategies for outsourced projects. At present, many companies go with the gut based on the experience of others and media reports. But very rarely are two technical documentation tasks alike and never are the concerns of two technical communication tasks the same. This tutorial presents the twelve driver framework and the driver-model percentage matrix to assess the benefits and risks of outsourcing a technical communication task. In the end, qualitative decision-making will determine an organization's decision about outsourcing, but the use of such a framework and related metrics will greatly enhance the quality of the final choice.

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published: 2007-06-01
DOI: 10.1109/tpc.2007.897603
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Open Access: Closed
Topics: technical communication
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Technical Communication Outsourcing: The Twelve Driver Framework Tutorial

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