After going through Part 1 of this “Beginner’s Guide to Outsourcing,” you should have a value-driven, prioritized list of projects, tasks, and responsibilities ready to be outsourced.
But don’t start looking around for a provider just yet. To research and pick an outsourcing partner without carefully defining your needs will leave you frustrated and likely to waste time and money.
There are two important considerations at this point:
Documentation and training:
My feelings on documentation are mixed.
On one hand, I feel that documentation is only important to the extent that it will actually happen. Too many times I speak with a new client who is excited to get started working with us and the conversation ends with, “Alright, well let me work on my documentation and then I’ll get back in touch with you.” Two weeks later I reach out to see what happened and they say that they are still working on their documentation and they’ll be ready soon. After that, I generally never hear from them again.
As with so many other things in life, doing it is sometimes more important than doing it perfectly if you are never going to get it done perfectly. It is better to jump in with weak documentation than to never jump in because all the i’s and t’s aren’t dotted and crossed.
On the other hand, good documentation is helpful and generally helps things go much more smoothly.
Taking both hands into account, I would give this advice: create as much documentation as you can in one sitting and consider that good enough. Then, knowing that everything might not be perfectly complete, be very available early on to answer, and quite tolerante of, clarification questions.
While video documentation is very easy to make, it is not great for the person responsible for the work. A lot of it is wasted time as someone is walked through things they could have easily figured out on their own and then the brief, important moments that are actually helpful are hard to find and refer back to later. Written documentation is the way to go.
Putting that written documentation in the cloud, for instance on a wiki, and encouraging your outsource partner to edit and add to as necessary is a great way to make sure that you both stay on the same page with how things are supposed to be done.
Pick the appropriate service provider:
Now, this is where I have an unavoidable bias but I will try to be fair and even-handed here (Full disclosure: I own a virtual assistant company that competes with the alternative outsourcing solutions I will discuss).
Referring back to your list, next to each task you are considering outsourcing write down all necessary skills, resources, and training.
If you have a recurring task of posting your blog articles onto various social media networks your qualifications may be:
- Ability to write well
- Knowledge of social media
- 4 hours of free time a week
For this task, you wouldn’t want to outsource to a non-English speaker and you’ll need someone with tech-savvy. Another task may be to create banner ads of various sizes promoting your new book. Your qualifications for this task may be:
- Knowledge of graphic design tools
- An eye for design that mirrors your own
- A quick turnaround time
For this task, you may want to be weary of a busy freelancer because they may be bogged down with other projects. Now, list requirements that may be more general and not task specific. Such as:
- Stability (will be in business next year)
- Availability (I can reach them when I need to)
- Dependable (don’t call out sick or “show up” late)
- Security (legal protection, bonded, security protocol)
- Budget criteria (how much do I have to spend on this project per month?)
Consider what type of outsourcing partner is most appropriate:
- Freelancers (eLance, oDesk, Rentacoder, Behance)
- U.S. virtual assistants (work from home, alone)
- Virtual assistant service (work as a team, work at an office)
- Foreign virtual assistant company (work as a team, work at an office)
To summarize the pros and cons, foreign will be cheap but not well-suited for complex assignments. A U.S. virtual assistant will be most expensive. A U.S. virtual assistant service will have middle of the road pricing and offer a wide breadth of services. A freelancer will be very good at one thing but won’t be able to assist with anything else.
Please see this chart for more information on the pros and cons of different outsourcing options.
In Part 3, the rubber hits the road and we will discuss best practices for beginning the outsourcing process and how to keep the relationship successful over the long-term.
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Digital Bushidō: “Master your tools”
July 20, 2010
Imagine a Samurai warrior who “kind of” understands how to use a sword. He is “somewhat familiar” with a bow and arrow. In hand to hand combat he’ll “figure it out” if allowed enough time for trial and error.
It sounds absurd when, for a Samurai, his level of proficiency determines his survival. He has no choice but to pursue mastery so, day in and day out, he trains — eventually attaining a level of intimacy with his tools that borders on unnatural (Samurai would name their swords and considered them to be part of the living world).
Anyone reading this blog post is probably classified as a “digital worker.” Operating systems and software packages are your sword and shield. Yet, in this context, similar statements are not considered absurd, but are commonplace and expected:
We limp along in our digital workplace hindered by our lack of familiarity with the very tools we use to create, perform, and get the job done. We tolerate mediocre capability in ourselves (and each other) seemingly because no one is holding each other to higher standards.
We are constantly struggling to get our tools to do what we want, we waste a lot of time figuring them out. This is due, most immediately, to inadequate training but it boils down to an almost universal acceptance of ignorance.
Software is not complex. In fact, a lot of thought is put into making it as user-friendly as possible. If you struggle with a certain software or performing certain tasks, it’s not because it is challenging, it’s because you haven’t invested the time to train, learn, and master your tools.
It is incredible that people spend at least 8 hours a day using software that is that is so intertwined with their livelihood yet they are okay with squeaking through the day with just enough skill and knowledge to do what they need to. They don’t concern themselves with anything more than what is necessary leaving countless, powerful features underutilized. They have constricted their performance by only learning what is necessary.
They awkwardly stumble through the day, ignorant to how they could be working faster and producing better results.
First, master your operating system.
Pick up a guide to your operating system and read it. Then pick up an advanced guide to your operating system and read that. In fact, don’t just read. Do the exercises and take notes. Then reread it six months later. When you are running up against a deadline, you don’t want to get hung up because you don’t know how to install a printer driver.
Then, master your software.
Make a list of the software that is most closely tied to your productivity. Is it the Office suite? Don’t be so arrogant to think you are proficient. You’ll be amazed what you don’t know about Microsoft Word (let alone Excel).
Read through the software’s documentation. If there is a list of keyboard shortcuts, print them out and post them somewhere in plain sight. If the software is common enough, seek out a tips and tricks guide. If it is a more obscure app, subscribe to the developer’s blog or find a user group and monitor the discussions.
Finally, master your workflow.
Define each task you complete and create a process or system for how it should be done. Put a lot of thought into it. This is where the rubber hits the road and, chances are, unless you’ve done this before, you probably aren’t doing things the best way possible.
Google for other’s tips and tricks for the best ways to handle different situations. There are very efficient ways to do even simple things like checking your inbox and voicemail that you are probably unaware of.
Work without thinking…
When you work, you want to free your mind to concentrate on the task at hand. If you constantly run into knowledge gaps that take you off that focus, you are killing your productivity, creativity, and efficiency.
You should be able to perform tasks without thinking about how to do it. It should become second nature and that only comes through study, practice, and dedication.
It’s not a difficult thing to do, you just need to hold yourself to higher standards, commit, and invest yourself in becoming a better digital worker… one who actually understands his or her tools.
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