Business case meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why choose an agile approach for outsourcing?

• Classical outsourcing projects produce a lot of “muda” and result in custom solutions the suppliers wouldn’t recommend (and later fail to deliver).
• Collaborative iterative solution building ensures that the customer includes the expertise and experience of the supplier.
• Agile outsourcing avoids the classical scope creep and wrong scope/price requirements and expectations.

How do we conduct this outsourcing project in an agile way?

• We align our internal stakeholders with this new approach.
• We communicate the approach early to the supplier to avoid confusion.
• Instead of creating chaos along with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, we follow a step-by-step process.

What questions will we ask to outsource the agile way?

• What are the improved outcomes of an agile outsourcing approach?
• What’s the necessary information to communicate to our internal stakeholders and external suppliers?
• What’s our scope/schedule/budget/risk assessment in comparison to a classical outsourcing approach?

Follow-up email

Project planning meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we need a plan for our agile outsourcing project?

• The “agile” term refers only to a specific part of this project, leaving the rest for a classical waterfall approach.
• Organizational leaders don’t like risks and ambiguity, therefore we must present them with a classical project approach.
• The suppliers want to understand the approach and plan ahead to contribute to this project.

How do we design the plan for our agile outsourcing project?

• We determine the necessary steps/meetings/deliverables or any other linear system of activities.
• We define a specific part of the project as “the agile part” and explain how this part works differently.
• We combine waterfall and agile planning approaches even though the “methodological leaders” want to kill us for doing it.

What questions will we ask to develop our agile outsourcing project plan?

• What necessary steps/meetings/deliverables can we plan ahead?
• What’s the agile approach within the waterfall project?
• What additional planning information can we conduct to reduce risks?

Follow-up email

Stakeholder alignment meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we align our stakeholders throughout the agile outsourcing project?

• Outsourcing projects have various requirements from many teams and departments we want to include.
• Non-alignment can slow down the process and threaten the project schedule.
• We value the viewpoints of our stakeholders on improving the quality of the project outcomes.

How do we align our stakeholders throughout the agile outsourcing project?

• We meet regularly with internal stakeholders to collect their feedback.
• We invite many stakeholders (and their subordinates) as passive listeners to the meetings with the suppliers.
• We explain our communication and information approach to include our stakeholders in decision-making.

What are the questions to ask to align our stakeholders throughout the agile outsourcing project?

• Who are the project stakeholders?
• What are the interests of our project stakeholders?
• What’s our project's communication, coordination, cooperation, collaboration, and information approach?

Follow-up email

Stakeholder interviews preparation meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we interview our stakeholders as part of our agile outsourcing project?

• We need to collect the requirements early in the project.
• We want to include them in planning our outsourcing project methodology.
• We want to include them early in our organizational change management activities.

How do we interview our stakeholders as part of our agile outsourcing project?

• We develop questions in the areas of general outsourcing and the project specifics.
• We use the questions as a rough guideline but dig deeper if useful.
• We collect their concerns about the iterative steps as part of a waterfall project.

What questions will we ask to prepare for the stakeholder interviews as part of our agile outsourcing project?

• What do we want to learn through these interviews?
• What are the questions we want to ask our stakeholders?
• Who are the stakeholders we want to interview?

Follow-up email

Stakeholder interview meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we interview you early in the agile outsourcing project?

• We want to learn your requirements about our agile outsourcing project and the services we’ll source/procure.
• We want to incorporate your feedback early in the project so that we get the best outcomes for our organization.
• We want to prepare you early about possible upcoming changes.

How do we learn from you early in the agile outsourcing project?

• We incorporate your feedback into our project.
• We talk to the stakeholders you recommend.
• We answer your questions as accurately as we can today.

What questions will we ask you?

1. What are your expected outcomes regarding this outsourcing project?
2. What are your expected outcomes for an outsourcing project with agile/iterative elements?
3. What are your requirements regarding the services we source/procure?
4. What are your requirements regarding the outsourcing approach we choose?
5. What are the challenges and risks of outsourcing?
6. What are the opportunities for outsourcing?
7. What are the tactics to mitigate the risks of an outsourcing project?
8. What are your role model outsourcing projects and organizations?
9. What do these organizations do better than our organization?
10. What are your recommendations for our organization's outsourcing approach?

Follow-up email

Employee survey meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we survey our employees in preparation for our agile outsourcing project?

• We want to include as many requirements in our considerations as possible.
• We want to collect further knowledge about our agile outsourcing approach.
• We need to start early with organizational change management activities.

How do we learn from our employees in preparation for our agile outsourcing project?

• We conduct the survey and discuss the answers with our outsourcing project team.
• We invite interesting respondents to an additional interview to dig deeper into his/her expertise and experience.
• We provide general feedback to all respondents (also as an organizational change management activity).

What questions will we ask our employees?

1. What are your expected outcomes regarding this outsourcing project?
2. What are your expected outcomes for an outsourcing project with agile/iterative elements?
3. What are your requirements regarding the services we source/procure?
4. What are your requirements regarding the outsourcing approach we choose?
5. What are the challenges and risks of outsourcing?
6. What are the opportunities for outsourcing?
7. What are the tactics to mitigate the risks of an outsourcing project?
8. What are your role model outsourcing projects and organizations?
9. What do these organizations do better than our organization?
10. What are your recommendations for our organization's outsourcing approach?

Follow-up email

Interviews and survey results meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we analyze the interviews and survey results in preparation for our agile outsourcing project?

• We want to learn from our stakeholders and employees before creating muda and/or contacting the suppliers.
• We want to provide feedback to our stakeholders and employees as organizational change management activities.
• We want to finish the early general discussions about outsourcing and the outsourcing project approach.

How do we learn from the interviews and survey results in preparation for our agile outsourcing project?

• We write down the interviews and survey results and read them more than once throughout the project.
• We look for patterns in the answers and incorporate good ideas into our agile outsourcing approach.
• We share anonymized feedback with stakeholders and suppliers to support our viewpoints.

What questions will we ask to analyze the interview and survey results?

• What are the interview and survey statistics?
• What are the patterns found in the interviews?
• What are the patterns found in the surveys?
• What are the similarities?
• What are the differences?
• What are the findings to use for our project?
• What are we missing from the answers?

Follow-up email

Solution options meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop different solution options for our agile outsourcing project approach?

• We offer several options depending on the “agile-readiness” of our organization.
• We understand the challenge of deciding between requirements fulfillment and flexibility.
• We want to include the project sponsor in this decision.

How do we develop different solution options for our agile outsourcing project approach?

• We prepare three solutions options: minimum agile, agile, super agile
• The solution options differ by the degree of iterative elements.
• We advise our project sponsor on each solution option's advantages and disadvantages.

What questions will we ask to develop different solution options for our agile outsourcing project approach?

• What are the different solutions options?
• What are the flexibility/risk differences between the solution options?
• Which solution option does the project team recommend?

Follow-up email

Function alignment meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we align organizational functions early in our agile outsourcing project?

• The involved functions have different views on how “agile” we should source/procure our services.
• We need to align the core functions on the project approach / sourcing methodology early in the project.
• The functional alignment also works as an organizational change management activity.

How do we align organizational functions early in our agile outsourcing project?

• We understand the different interests in sourcing/procuring the required services (more waterfall) vs. reducing price and risks (more agile).
• We align on a sourcing/procurement methodology that works for all involved functions.
• We “disagree and commit” to making progress in the project instead of endlessly discussing all the details without final decisions.

What questions will we ask to align our organizational functions?

• What are the different interests (waterfall vs. agile) of the involved functions?
• What’s a compromise to align on a sourcing/procurement project methodology?
• What are the open discussion points where some functions “disagree and commit”?

Follow-up email

Sourcing strategy meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we need a sourcing strategy?

• We need to align on key topics about what to source/procure from how many suppliers.
• We must make general decisions on scope, costs, and risks.
• We must make these general decisions before contacting the suppliers to avoid delays and confusion while talking to the suppliers.

How do we determine our sourcing strategy?

• We determine the general scope of service we want to source/procure.
• We determine the general preconditions and constraints of our sourcing/procurement goals.
• We determine our organization's general wants and needs regarding service sourcing/procurement.

What questions will we ask to determine our sourcing strategy?

• What service do we want to source/procure externally instead of producing internally?
• What service/provider division do we want to make, for whatever reason?
• What other wants and needs must we take into consideration?

Follow-up email

Solution strategy meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we need a solution strategy?

• We need to align on what we want to source/procure externally.
• We need a shared understanding of what kind of solution the supplier should develop.
• We want to include the general specifics and needs of our organization regarding the future solution.

How do we determine our solution strategy?

• We ask our various stakeholders, solution/service designers, and enterprise architects about their high-level solution requirements.
• We include other existing organizational strategies in our solution strategy development.
• We take organizational specifics into account when developing the solution strategy.

What questions will we ask to determine our solution strategy?

• What are our high-level solution requirements?
• What are the organizational political requirements we must respect?
• What other wants and needs must we take into consideration?

Follow-up email

Solution outcomes meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we decide on the expected solution outcomes?

• We want to determine the expectations about the solution in specific business and measurements.
• We must align on the expected business outcomes to avoid inconsistencies throughout our agile outsourcing project.
• We must align on the priorities of contradicting business outcome expectations.

How do we decide on the expected solution outcomes?

• We design a job map defining one primary and several secondary jobs to be done.
• We write down and prioritize the expected outcomes of each job.

What questions will we ask to decide on the expected solution outcomes?

• What are the jobs to be done and the expected outcomes?
• What are the secondary job-to-be-done categories?
• What’s the approach to align between different priorities throughout the project?

Follow-up email

RFI development meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a request for information?

• We want to screen the market for relevant suppliers.
• We want to downselect the number of suppliers before sending our request for solution.
• We want to learn from the market before sending our request for a solution.

How do we develop a request for information?

• We determine the high-level core requirements of our future solution and strategic sourcing decisions.
• We research possible suppliers with public market lists and Google.
• We align our draft with the involved teams in our organization.

What questions will we ask to develop a request for information?

• Who are the possible suppliers for our project?
• What high-level requirements must the supplier deliver regarding our solution and sourcing strategies?
• What’s the internal alignment process for our request for information?

Follow-up email

RFS development meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a request for solution?

• The RFS is the first document describing the required solution in the agile outsourcing process.
• The RFS is simpler than a request for proposal (RFP) and invites the suppliers to play their creative capabilities.
• The RFS builds on the competence and expertise of the suppliers instead of explaining their own jobs to them.

How do we develop a request for solution?

• We determine the general conditions, high-level requirements, and expected outcomes of the solution.
• We align the RFS draft with our internal stakeholders.
• We estimate if and how the suppliers would reply to our RFS.

What questions will we ask to develop a request for solution?

• What are the general conditions, high-level requirements, and expected outcomes of this project?
• What’s the internal alignment process for our request for solution?
• What are the tactics to use to ensure we can get a number of responses for our RFS?

Follow-up email

Statement of outcomes meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a statement of outcomes?

• The statement of outcomes outlines the expected business outcomes in comparison to detailed technical requirements.
• The statement of outcomes aligns the internal stakeholders with the common jobs-to-be-done framework.
• The statement of outcomes ensures that the suppliers understand the required business outcomes and can build a creative solution for it.

How do we develop the statement of outcomes?

• We understand and follow the jobs-to-be-done approach.
• We develop a couple of sub-jobs to cover all areas with the necessary details.
• We align the developed outcomes with our internal stakeholders.

What questions will we ask to develop the statement of outcomes?

• What are the jobs to be done and the outcomes for this project?
• What’s the approach to explaining the jobs-to-be-done framework to internal stakeholders and external suppliers?
• What’s the approach to translating the jobs to be done and the outcomes to technical requirements?

Follow-up email

Statement of work meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a statement of work?

• The statement of work describes the tasks the supplier must deliver, plus those it doesn’t have to deliver.
• The statement of work includes the obligations of the customers.
• The statement of work creates a common understanding of what has to be done by whom (and also what is not required).

How do we develop the statement of work?

• In concise language, we write down the tasks and duties of each party.
• We align the statement of work with our internal stakeholders.
• We adjust the statement of work throughout the project when the situation changes.

What questions will we ask to develop the statement of work?

• Who are the internal stakeholders contributing to the statement of work?
• Which tasks have to be done (and not done), and by whom?
• Which approach do we use to change the statement of work throughout the project?

Follow-up email

Service catalog meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a service catalog?

• The service catalog lists the services we want to source/procure as part of this project.
• The service catalog structures the services and describes what the services do (and do not) include as sub-services.
• The service catalog is a lean complement to the lengthy statement of work.

How do we develop the service catalog?

• We list the services we want to source/procure according to usual market standards.
• We describe what these services include and what they don’t include in keywords.
• We structure the services in the form we want to buy them instead of how the services providers want to offer them.

What questions will we ask to develop the service catalog?

• Which service categories, services, and service variants do we want to source/procure?
• Which approach do we use to limit the amount of work required to develop the service catalog?
• Which approach do we use to limit the number of service variants and requirements per service?

Follow-up email

Preparation (plan) process meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we conduct the preparation (planning) phase?

• Good preparation ensures we stick to our agreed scope, schedule, and budget.
• Preparation is also necessary for purely agile projects (e.g., by creating the agile backlog).
• The process of planning is more important than sticking to the outcomes.

How do we conduct the preparation (planning) phase?

• We develop the details of the solutions and services we want to build together.
• We detail the contract obligations regarding management processes.
• We align the delivery methodology of the involved parties.

What questions will we ask to conduct the preparation (planning) phase?

• Which delivery methodology will we use?
• Which management processes do we have to determine?
• Which other preparatory tasks are necessary/useful before we start the development (build) phase?

Follow-up email

Development (build) processes meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we conduct the development (building) phase?

• We must build the solution before we can run the service.
• We must integrate various solutions/services into the solution/service package we need.
• We must adapt existing solutions/services to meet our requirements.

How do we conduct the development (building) phase?

• We determine a solution development methodology, including development processes.
• We build the solution according to the (waterfall or iterative) requirements.
• We integrate the solution components and test the full solution package.

What questions will we ask to conduct the development (building) phase?

• What’s our solution development approach/methodology?
• What are our test criteria before we leave the development phase?
• What are some other necessary activities and requirements before we leave the development phase?

Follow-up email

Operations (run) processes meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we conduct the operations (run) phase?

• We must deliver the service long-term until the solution/service is built.
• We must continually adapt the solution/service we built.
• We want to continually increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution/service.

How do we conduct the operations (run) phase?

• We determine operational processes, including standard operating procedures.
• We detail management frameworks (e.g., COBIT, ITIL) to systematize and standardize our operations.
• We continually improve the solution/service with a continual improvement process.

What questions will we ask to conduct the development (run) phase?

• Which operational processes must we design?
• What are the process management foundations for all process areas?
• What’s the approach to continually improving the solution and the service delivery?

Follow-up email

Service levels meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a service level agreement?

• We want to ensure the suppliers deliver within scope, time, and budget.
• We need a clear guideline about service delivery quality.
• We want to develop a common understanding of the service quality with the suppliers early in the project.

How do we develop a service level agreement?

• We align on common business goals and a measurement framework (e.g., KPI, OKR, job to be done)
• We determine a high number of KPIs in various categories as the foundation for the discussions with the suppliers.
• We select a number of KPIs, describe their measurement methods, and include them in the further contract discussions.

What questions will we ask to develop a service level agreement?

• What are some possible topic areas and KPIs for this outsourcing project?
• What measurement method requirements do we have to create a common understanding of how these service levels work?
• What’s the process to negotiate between service levels and service pricing?

Follow-up email

Pricing system meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a pricing system?

• We need to determine how we want the contracted supplier to charge us for its services.
• We want to avoid one big price (per month) without understanding service delivery details.
• We need the pricing systems for the negotiations with the suppliers later on in the agile outsourcing process.

How do we develop a pricing system?

• We develop the service catalog, the service variants, and the one-time activities (e.g., in the development phase).
• We determine which units the supplier prices (e.g., per CPU, per GB, per hour)
• We build a use case to test if the suppliers could integrate their quotes with the developed pricing system.

What questions will we ask to develop a pricing system?

• What are the services, service variants, and one-time components of the to-be-developed solution/services?
• What are the typical charging units for these services, service variants, and one-time components?
• What are the elements of the use case to test the pricing system before talking with suppliers about it?

Follow-up email

Supplier research meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we research possible suppliers?

• We want to include the whole market of all service suppliers as possible suppliers for our project.
• We want to create as much as possible competition for our project.
• We don’t know all the current potential suppliers for this project.

How do we research possible suppliers?

• We copy potential suppliers from existing market research lists.
• We research potential suppliers via web search engines (e.g., Google).
• We collect potential suppliers with a small number of parameters.

What questions will we ask to research possible suppliers?

• What are the approaches to finding potential suppliers for this project?
• Which parameters do we want to collect about each potential supplier?
• Who are the potential suppliers for this project?

Follow-up email

RFI release meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we determine an RFI release approach?

• We want to maximize the value of the RFI responses.
• We want to limit the work required to develop and release the RFI.
• We want to reduce the amount of work required to read the RFI responses.

How do we release our RFI?

• We limit the RFI to concise sentences instead of text paragraphs.
• We include an RFI response form to reduce the work required after receiving the RFI responses.
• We send the RFI via email and ask the potential suppliers to send questions only via email.

What questions will we ask to release our RFI?

• What necessary information must we include in the RFI?
• What are the design principles for the RFI response template?
• What approach do we use to send the RFI and answer questions from potential suppliers?

Follow-up email

RFI response evaluation meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we evaluate the RFI responses?

• We use the RFI to down-select the suppliers to a shorter list for the request for solution (RFS).
• We need to focus our interaction with suppliers on those capable of delivering the required solution.
• We need to make our RFI response down-selection as transparent as possible to our internal stakeholders, and for later compliance checks.

How do we evaluate the RFI responses?

• We read the RFI responses and check the capability of delivering the solution of each supplier.
• We rate each of the answers per question on a simple scale (e.g., 0-3).
• We summarize the ratings by ordering the RFI responses by quality.

What questions will we ask to evaluate the RFI responses?

• What single question can be used to rate each answer? (e.g., ‘Would you recommend this supplier based on this question's response?’)
• What scale do we use for rating the answers of the RFI responses? (e.g., 0: no, 1: partly, 3: yes)
• What's the approach to eight the ratings of the various internal stakeholders?

Follow-up email

RFI response down-selection meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we down-select suppliers based on their RFI responses?

• We need to make progress in selecting a supplier.
• We want to send our RFS to a maximum of ten suppliers.
• We want to limit the work on our side and for the suppliers.

How do we down-select suppliers based on their RFI responses?

• We select up to three suppliers who should be able to respond to the RFS for political reasons but aren’t one of best-rated RFI responses.
• We select approximately seven best suppliers based on their RFI responses.
• We send the non-selected suppliers a friendly email about their elimination from the sourcing/procurement process.

What questions will we ask to down-select suppliers based on their RFI responses?

• Who are the suppliers we select for political reasons (golf partner of our CxO)?
• What is the worst RFI response we want to include in the further sourcing/procurement process?
• How many of the remaining suppliers do we need for a competitive sourcing/procurement process?

Follow-up email

RFS release meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we determine an RFS release approach?

• We need high-value RFS responses.
• We want to limit the work required to develop and release the RFS.
• We want to reduce the amount of work required to read the RFS responses.

How do we release our RFI?

• We change the RFS draft to concise to-be-answered keywords and sentences instead of text paragraphs after an initial description of our project.
• We include an RFS response form to reduce the work required after receiving the RFS responses.
• We send the RFI via email and ask the potential suppliers to send questions only via email.

What questions will we ask to release our RFI?

• What necessary information must we include in the RFS?
• What are the design principles for the RFS response template?
• What approach do we use to send the RFS and answer questions from the potential suppliers?

Follow-up email

Supplier evaluation model meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop a supplier evaluation model?

• The supplier evaluation model describes how we select a supplier in a compliant way.
• The supplier evaluation model ensures that we reflect many opinions in our supplier selection.
• We ensure that we remain compliant with regulatory requirements and organization-specific rules of conduct.

How do we develop a supplier evaluation model?

• We decide on different categories of supplier evaluation.
• We decide how we measure and weigh the different categories.
• We determine the requirements for individual selection criteria per category.

What questions will we ask to develop a supplier evaluation model?

• What are the evaluation categories of our supplier evaluation model?
• What’s the weighting of each category?
• What’s the evaluation scale for each category?

Follow-up email

Supplier selection criteria meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we develop supplier selection criteria?

• The supplier selection criteria are the foundation of the supplier evaluation.
• The supplier selection criteria ensure that we get the quality service that we require.
• We want to get an overview of what the suppliers can deliver and what they can’t.

How do we develop supplier selection criteria?

• We list selection criteria based on our requirements.
• We brainstorm additional selection criteria based on the suppliers’ responses.
• We ensure MECE supplier selection criteria but limit them to a manageable number.

What questions will we ask to develop supplier selection criteria?

• What’s the right number of supplier selection criteria for a specific category?
• What are the supplier selection criteria for our requirements?
• What are the supplier selection criteria from process management frameworks?

Follow-up email

RFS response evaluation meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we merge the RFS response evaluations in a meeting?

• We want to give all participants the freedom to conduct their individual evaluations.
• We want to ensure a common understanding of the RFS responses.
• We want to avoid misunderstandings before removing potential suppliers from the process.

How do we merge the RFS response evaluations in a meeting?

• We merge the RFS response evaluations with the software being used (e.g., spreadsheet software tool).
• We present and analyze the results of the merged RFS response evaluations.
• We answer individual questions and give all participants the option to adapt their evaluations.

What questions will we ask to merge the RFS response evaluations in a meeting?

• What’s the process to merge the individual RFS response evaluations?
• What are the open questions about the suppliers’ RFS responses?
• What’s the approach to adapting the RFS response evaluations after discussing the first data emerge?

Follow-up email

Supplier checks meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we check the suppliers?

• We need to ensure we only move forward with trustworthy suppliers.
• We don’t know all the suppliers in the process, and therefore we must learn more about them.
• We must ensure that the suppliers are compatible with our compliance and regulatory requirements.

How do we check the suppliers?

• We ask the supplier for legal documents showing their trustworthiness.
• We ask central authorities (e.g., industry associations) and existing customers about the suppliers.
• We invite the suppliers to answer an additional compliance checklist.

What questions will we ask to check the suppliers?

• What are the legal and regulatory requirements the suppliers must meet?
• Who are the authorities to ask for supplier information?
• What are some other approaches to check the compatibility of the suppliers with our organization?

Follow-up email

Reference checks meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we conduct supplier reference checks?

• We want to ensure the suppliers are telling us the truth.
• We want to learn about challenges working with specific suppliers.
• We need to ensure that the suppliers meet all legal and compliance requirements.

How do we conduct supplier reference checks?

• We research customer case studies and reference projects on the supplier websites.
• We contact the customers on our own without asking the supplier.
• We ask in our own personal networks about the suppliers and their work with other organizations.

What questions will we ask to conduct supplier reference checks?

• What’s your experience with one or several of the following suppliers?
• What do you recommend to mitigate the risks of working with an external supplier?
• Do you have any contacts who can give us feedback about one of these suppliers?

Follow-up email

Due diligence meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we conduct the due diligence meeting?

• We need you to answer our questions about your proposed solution.
• We want to ensure your organization is able to deliver the proposed solution.
• We want to collect further hints about how to proceed with our outsourcing project.

How do we conduct the due diligence meeting?

• You answer the questions we’ve sent to you upfront.
• You provide a brief (10 min) overview of your solution.
• You answer our additional questions based on your answers.

Which questions will we ask to conduct the due diligence meeting?

• What are the challenges you see in our project?
• Are there any failed customer engagements you’re embarrassed about, and how can we avoid similar situations?
• What are your hints for our further outsourcing project?

Follow-up email

RFS response down-selection meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we down-select suppliers based on their RFS responses?

• We want to limit the work required for our organization and for the suppliers.
• We need to reduce the number of suppliers in the process to a maximum of five.
• We want to continue only with suppliers capable of delivering the solution and services we need.

How do we down-select suppliers based on their RFS responses?

• We merge all existing information including (already merged) RFS response evaluations, supplier & reference checks, and the results of the due diligence meetings.
• We inform the suppliers about their removal from the further process.
• We provide feedback calls to help them improve and to keep our business relationship strong.

What questions will we ask to down-select suppliers based on their RFS responses?

• What suppliers do we remove from the process?
• What feedback do we provide to the removed suppliers?
• What can we learn about the agile outsourcing process so far?

Follow-up email

Solution presentation meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we need to learn more about your solution?

• We want to learn from you and learn about your proposed solution.
• We want to start comparing the solutions early in the process.
• We want to provide you with early feedback that you can incorporate into upcoming meetings.

How do we learn more about your solution?

• You present your solution in detail.
• You explain your processes, past challenges, and the problem-solving competence of your organization.
• We take notes in preparation for the upcoming solution Q&A meeting with you.

What questions will we ask to learn more about your solution?

• What’s your solution in detail?
• What are your approaches to solution development, management processes, and problem-solving?
• Which questions should we ask your competitors?

Follow-up email

Solution Q&A meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why does the supplier answer our questions regarding the proposed solution?

• We ensure that we understand the supplier’s proposed solution approach correctly.
• We want to challenge the supplier with our expertise and experience.
• We ensure we have a common understanding of the proposed solution.

How does the supplier answer our questions regarding the proposed solution?

• We collect our questions and send them upfront to the supplier, who sends us the answers before the meeting.
• We discuss add-on questions in the call, avoiding misunderstandings about the proposed solution and the supplier's answers.
• The supplier takes notes and sends us the meeting minutes afterward.

What questions will we ask the supplier regarding the proposed solution?

• Why do you recommend doing xyz?
• What‘s your opinion about xyz?
• What are the requirements for xyz?
• What speaks for/against xyz?
• Why should we not do xyz?
• What are the options for xyz?
• How can we do xyz?
• What should we look at xyz?

Follow-up email

Presentation down-selection meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we down-select suppliers based on their presentations?

• The upcoming solution development meetings are resource-intense for both sides, so we want to limit the amount of work for all participating organizations.
• We want to enter the iterative solution development meetings with 3-4 suppliers.
• We want to continue only with the best-performing and most promising suppliers.

How do we down-select suppliers based on their presentations?

• We decide on the down-selection based on the content and commitment of the remaining suppliers.
• We inform the suppliers about their removal from the process.
• We provide feedback calls to help them improve and keep them engaged in case of an “emergency” setback in the further process.

What questions will we ask to down-select suppliers based on their presentations?

• Which suppliers presented best and are most committed to working with us?
• Which suppliers do we remove from the process?
• What feedback will we provide to the unsuccessful suppliers?

Follow-up email

Solution walkthrough meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why does the supplier walk us through the proposed solution?

• We must understand the proposed solution in detail.
• We must understand the challenges and risks before continuing with detailed solution development activities.
• We must understand the advantages and disadvantages of each solution compared to the others.

How does the supplier walk us through the proposed solution?

• The supplier details its solution in a written document with the input from the previous meetings.
• The supplier explains the solution briefly and answers our questions.
• The supplier details the solution in the documentation.

What questions will we ask to understand the supplier solution in detail?

• What are the details of the proposed solution?
• What are the new/changed elements after our feedback?
• What are the challenges of the proposed solution?
• What are the risks of the proposed solution?
• What are the project milestones to set up the proposed solution?

Follow-up email

Iterative development supplier meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we further develop the proposed solution together with the supplier?

• We must ensure developing a solution that the supplier can deliver in scope, in time, and on budget.
• We want to avoid unwelcome surprises (e.g., solution components that don’t fit together).
• We want to see price changes when adding requirements and/or solution components.

How do we further develop the proposed solution together with the supplier?

• We detail the proposed solution together with the supplier.
• We add requirements and solution components and discuss the price changes.
• We remove requirements and solution components.

What questions will we ask to further develop the proposed solution with the supplier?

• What useful solution components can we add?
• What unnecessary but expensive solution components can we remove?
• What tactics can we use to reduce costs and risks?

Follow-up email

Iterative development internal meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we align internally between two meetings with the supplier?

• We want to ensure that we “speak the same language” when talking to the supplier.
• We want to align the interests of the various involved stakeholders.
• We must coordinate our scope, time, and budget requirements.

How do we align internally between two meetings with the supplier?

• We recap the challenges the supplier has shown us.
• We determine the scope, time, and budget based on the supplier's comments.
• We take notes and send the supplier our thoughts and questions before the next supplier meeting.

What questions will we ask to align internally between two meetings with the supplier?

• What scope, time, and budget challenges have the supplier shown us?
• What’s the approach to aligning scope, budget, and time?
• Which requirements can we remove to align scope, budget, and time?

Follow-up email

Solution development down-selection meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we down-select suppliers based on the development meetings?

• The solution development meetings show which suppliers are most capable of delivering the solution we need.
• We want to conduct the further outsourcing process, including document development and contract negotiations with two suppliers.
• We must reduce the number of suppliers down to two before the next phase.

How do we down-select suppliers based on the development meetings?

• We rank the suppliers according to their solutions that fit our requirements and their organization’s capabilities.
• We inform the suppliers about their removal from the process.
• We provide feedback calls to help them improve and keep them engaged in case of an “emergency” setback in the further process.

What questions will we ask to down-select suppliers based on the development meetings?

• Which suppliers presented best and are most committed to working with us?
• Which suppliers do we remove from the process?
• What feedback do we provide to the unsuccessful suppliers?

Follow-up email

Agile outsourcing master agreement draft meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we draft a master agreement?

• We need a starting point for the negotiations with the suppliers.
• We want to design a contract to our advantage.
• We want to ensure that the contract draft doesn’t include disadvantageous clauses for us.

How do we draft the master agreement?

• We use a template that is either publicly available or written by a lawyer.
• We determine which additional clauses and/or clause changes we need.
• We discuss the changes with a lawyer to ensure compatibility with the law.

What questions will we ask to draft the master agreement?

• What’s the approach to drafting the initial version?
• Which clauses do we want to add/change/remove?
• What’s the approach to ensure compatibility with the law?

Follow-up email

Statement of work draft meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we draft a statement of work?

• We need to decide who does what when working together with the supplier.
• The tasks in the statement of work have a huge impact on the pricing.
• We want to ensure that all tasks we require are included.

How do we draft the statement of work?

• We determine which tasks we are responsible for, and which tasks the suppliers are responsible for (as well as tasks that neither party is responsible for).
• We divide all management contracts into the tasks the different parties do.
• We ensure that we outsource only the tasks where the supplier has more competence than us.

What questions will we ask to draft the statement of work?

• Which tasks have to be done by whom?
• What’s the approach to design process interfaces between the parties?
• What’s the approach to limiting the statement of work to process information without service-specific details?

Follow-up email

Meeting title

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we draft a service catalog?

• The service catalog includes the services we want to source/procure.
• The service catalog is a lighter approach than a long statement of work.
• We want the suppliers to understand our needs with as little as possible text.

How do we draft the service catalog?

• We list the services we want to source/procure and the corresponding level of granularity.
• We determine the service variants we want to choose from.
• We include the components and activities to include and to not include in keywords.

What questions will we ask to draft the service catalog?

• Which services and service variants do we want to source/procure?
• What should these services include (and not include)?
• What’s the approach to moving descriptions from the statement of work to the service catalog?

Follow-up email

Service level agreement draft meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we draft a service level agreement?

• The service level agreement ensures that we have a common understanding of the quality of the services.
• The service level agreement determines what we measure, how we measure it and the penalties in the case of violations.
• We want to know what we source/procure and the quality.

How do we draft the service level agreement?

• We list the services and processes from the service catalog and statement of work.
• We determine a methodology about how to write the service levels down.
• We determine several KPIs/OKRs/outcomes per service.

What questions will we ask to draft the service level agreement?

• What are the KPIs we want to measure?
• What’s the methodology to write down the service levels?
• What’s the approach to determine the measurement process per KPI?

Follow-up email

Additional contract documents meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we decide on additional contractual documents?

• We include necessary documents in the contract but try to keep it short.
• We need to know which documents to include before the supplier negotiations start.
• We must align additional documents with our legal support (e.g., law firm).

How do we decide on additional contractual documents?

• We ask our project team what to include.
• We develop drafts of the documents for early alignment.
• We communicate the additional documents early in the process to the suppliers.

What questions will we ask to decide about additional contractual documents?

• Which additional documents do we include in the contract?
• What’s the approach to moving the contents of these documents to other already-created documents?
• What’s the approach to keeping the contract lean and concise?

Follow-up email

Meeting title

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we negotiate the contract?

• We must align different interests about the solution, service, and price.
• We want to compare the remaining suppliers.
• We want to get the best deal for our budget.

How do we negotiate the contract?

• We point to existing differences.
• We follow common negotiation strategies and tactics.
• We keep in mind that we‘ll work for some time with the selected supplier.

What questions will we ask to negotiate the contract?

• What’s our negotiation strategy?
• What are our negotiation tactics?
• What‘s the approach to structuring the negotiations?

Follow-up email

Negotiation down-selection meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we down-select the remaining suppliers?

• We must eliminate the remaining suppliers before signing the contract with the winner.
• The winner gets it all.

How do we down-select the remaining suppliers?

• We decide which of the two remaining suppliers is the better one.
• We inform one supplier about its elimination just before the contract signature.
• We provide feedback calls to help them improve.

What questions will we ask to down-select the remaining suppliers?

• Which supplier performs better?
• Which supplier do we eliminate from the process?
• What feedback do we provide to the eliminated supplier?

Follow-up email

Contract signature meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we sign the outsourcing contract?

• All contracts need signatures to be valid.
• We ensure that we are in alignment on the agreed contract terms.
• We want to start the development and/or transition process.

How do we sign the outsourcing contract?

• We sign the contract on paper or digitally.
• We ensure that we meet the legal requirements regarding the contract signatures.
• We distribute the signed contract to our implementation teams to kick off working together.

What questions will we ask to sign the outsourcing contract?

• What’s the technical solution to sign the contract?
• What’s the security/privacy classification of the signed contract?
• Who receives a copy of the contract?

Follow-up email

Development/transition kick-off meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we kick off the development/transition project/process?

• We want to ensure a smooth transition from the transaction to the development/transition phase.
• We need to introduce the new team taking over the project from the transaction team.
• We want to avoid early setbacks when working together.

How do we kick off the development/transition project/process?

• We conduct a workshop with all participants from the transaction and the development/transition phase.
• We ensure that some people move over from the transaction to the transition/development team.
• We ensure that all transaction people are approachable by the people overtaking the project.

What questions will we ask to kick off the development/transition project/process?

• What’s the approach and content for the kick-off workshop?
• What’s the approach to connecting the transaction and development/transition teams?
• Who will join the development/transition team from the transaction team?

Follow-up email

Continual improvement meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we continually improve our transaction approach?

• We want to become more effective and efficient at outsourcing.
• We want to continually improve our outsourcing approach.
• We want to ease the learning process for upcoming outsourcing professionals in our organization.

How do we continually improve our transaction approach?

• We create a packaged documentation of this project.
• We share this information package with others in our organization.
• We use this information package as a starting point for the next outsourcing project.

What questions will we ask to continually improve our transaction approach?

• What information have we developed throughout this project?
• What’s the approach to collecting feedback from the project team members?
• What’s the approach to sharing the developed information inside the organization?

Follow-up email

Project evaluation meeting

Invitation email

Meeting information

Why do we evaluate this outsourcing project?

• We want to improve the next outsourcing project.
• We want to avoid reinventing the wheel with the next outsourcing approach.
• We want to educate our colleagues on our approach.

How do we evaluate this outsourcing project?

• We ask our project team members about areas of improvement.
• We write down the feedback and change our outsourcing project templates.
• We ensure that future outsourcing project teams will have access to all project documents and feedback.

What questions will we ask to evaluate this outsourcing project?

• What’s the approach to collecting feedback about this project?
• What can we improve the next time we outsource?
• Who should we share our information with?

Follow-up email