Working with Supplemental Off-Shore Resources

With every project, there are a myriad of issues that need to remain on the project manager’s mental dashboard and of course there are the cornerstones: scope management, risk management, change management, and so forth. Human resource management is one of these pillars and it becomes an even greater focal point when your project involves the use of off-shore resources. The decision to off-shore some or all of your project work presents a number of other challenges you need to conquer to ensure the project is successful.

Over the past several years, my company has used off-shore resources on a number of projects, mainly for supplementing the in-house staff. As the project manager on one of these projects, and a close observer of the others, I have accumulated a portfolio of knowledge on the critical aspects that will help in any future off-shoring endeavor I engage in. This article will focus on these aspects by breaking them down into the following three categories: selection of the business partner, selection of the specific resources, and definition of the work. I will also point out some other considerations, which, I believe will assist you in making a project with off-shore resources successful.

Selection of the Business Partner

It goes without saying that selecting a business partner is a critical part of any project, but there are some …