What's this about Outsourcing?

09/28/2012

We recently released the beta of a new title, Outsource It! A No-Holds-Barred Look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Offshoring Tech. Now that’s not so unusual, we release a lot of books on specific technologies, but also books on agile methods, project management, software testing, and so on.

Outsourcing isn’t easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s difficult to do well, and we’re fortunate to have an experienced author with solid, concrete suggestions to help you succeed.

But some folks wrote in that they were upset at this title, that we shouldn’t be suggesting outsourcing as an implementation strategy. I understand their point, however, complaining about outsourcing is a bit like complaining about an impending flood:

You can call the water good or evil, but the flood comes either way.

The flood is a fact, and you have to deal with it. You can pile up sandbags and barricade yourself in, you can head to the roof and try and escape it, or you can build a waterwheel and harness the forces for your own purposes.

We have no “position” on outsourcing. It’s a tool. You can use it effectively, it could also be used against you. Either way, we feel that the more you know about it, the better you’ll be able to deal with it.

If you want to keep your job, and not become a victim of outsourcing, you need to make yourself more valuable. Chad Fowler describes this approach to bolstering your career in detail in his popular book, The Passionate Programmer.

Projects and technology aren’t getting any simpler or smaller, and you may well find yourself requiring specialized expertise that you just can’t manage locally. So if you find yourself in a position to use outsourcing to your own advantage, then Outsource It! will help you do so effectively.