Outsource Magazine Issue 25 - (Page 63)

feature Governance It’s not the contract… …it’s the governance that will drive success, in that a well-defined, intelligent governance plan can prove to be a sturdy foundation for even the most complex outsourcing agreement – and can save those that appear to be heading for disaster… Dawn Evans, SIG Dawn Evans is the CEO and President of the Sourcing Interests Group, a global membership organisation for sourcing and outsourcing professionals. T he idea of “governance” goes way back. It is derived from a Greek verb [kubernáo] meaning “to steer”, and was first used as a figure of speech by Plato. And yet, the word "governance" did not start appearing in textbooks or business settings until the 21st century. What baffles me is that we were using terms like “performance metrics,” “key performance indicators” and “terms and conditions” long before “governance” even made an appearance. We had “scope documents,” “proof of concepts,” “statements of work” and many other contractual measures to ensure that we received the value we expected from our deals. Yet, a contract is, and has always been, simply a document. By its very nature, a contract is passive: oft-written, seldom read, and even more seldom reported on. Although it is a noun by definition, the very idea of “governance” denotes action. When applied to outsourcing, governance is the insurance policy by which the actions of all parties involved are steered to achieve the intent of the contract. Hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake every day in outsourcing initiatives, yet lack of governance is given as the reason for failure Consendre mod eugait alit luptati sisisisit augait num iusti facidunt ipsumsan el eraestrud exerat ad onulla cor ing eumsandre ex elit “Boldness and decision command, often even in evil, the respect and concurrence of mankind.” – Robert Dale Owen atetue tet ulla feu feum niamconEm ea commodiam ad tem dolortio Utat lum quisim et, quissi.Volobore m iurero dolobore. www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk ●●●●●● 63 http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Magazine Issue 25

News & Commentary
Making Contact
Taking the Chair
Clinical Outsourcing Strategies
New Worlds
To Share Or Not To Share?
Trends in Outsourcing Governance
The Next Big Idea
Smart Intelligence
Taking the ChairCracking the Wip
NOA Round-Up
Predicting Success
It’s Not The Contract.
Get Productive
Rigorously Agile
Good Relations
Knowledge Sustainability
Racking Up The Wins
Trust Me... I’m an Outsourcer
Head-to-Head
Top Ten
The Legal view
HfS Round-Up
Online Round-Up
Inside Source
The Last Word

Outsource Magazine Issue 25