6.2.2 Requirements for Outsourcing

Outsourcing differs from other development because there is bound to be a contractual relationship, probably a geographic distance, a different sense of loyalty, language misunderstandings, cultural differences, reluctance to speak up to the client – and many other associated problems. Good requirements are always a problem, but outsourcing increases the problems, and makes even great demands on the requirements specification. The payoff for doing good requirements is greater, and the penalty for not doing them is more threatening. I am going to argue that we need to make use of far more explicit background specification for each requirement, a page or more of specification for each requirement. I will argue that this is a necessary investment – because failure to do so will probably cost far more – sooner or later. I will argue that failure to be more detailed than normal will be counted in the clients disfavor in any legal proceedings trying to determine responsibility for failure of the project.