the outsourcing process. These practices include establishing well-defined
requirements and procedures and utilizing fair and incentive-laden contracts.
Team-building sessions are held before the project begins to forge relationships
between personnel from different organizations. Escalation guidelines for resolving
conflicts are established, as are provisions for process improvement and risk
sharing. On highly critical work, arrangements are made so that key personnel
work together, face to face. Joint assessments of how well people are collaborating
is the norm during status report briefings. Finally, many companies are realizing the benefits of forming long-term alliances with each other on projects. The ultimate
goal is to work together as partners