Testing SAP R/3: A Manager's Step-by-Step Guide

Chapter 15. Outsourcing the SAP Testing Effort^[14]

OUTSOURCING DEFINED

Outsourcing is a term that describes the practice of seeking resources outside of an organization to provide a service. The goal of out-sourcing is usually to save money and/or to leverage a service provider that can do the job more efficiently or effectively than the internal staff. A common example of outsourcing in the information technology (IT) world is application development. However, complete business functions such as human resources, customer service, software testing, software development, and call centers may also be out-sourced to another party.

As the practice of contracting service providers outside of North America has become prevalent, many people confuse the terms out-sourcing and offshoring. In truth, offshoring, or contracting with a service provider overseas, is but one of various means to contract out-sourced services.

WHY OUTSOURCE SAP TESTING?

Dynamic organizations encounter many demands and shifting priorities of their internal teams. The need for outsourcing of any type can change as business circumstances change. It may not be a resource gap or a deficiency in the internal team that leads to outsourcing. Rather, in a mature organization, it is likely a business decision, driven by business value that leads to an outsourcing solution.

Limited Resources

The project team that drives an enterprise initiative like an SAP implementation typically begins to morph into an enterprise of its own—consuming ...