The right sourcing decision starts with a clear understanding of the business outcome — not with a supplier, location or delivery model.
Technology leaders are under pressure to reduce cost, improve performance and accelerate transformation. Yet many sourcing decisions begin too early with solutions instead of defining the actual business need.
RightSourcing provides a structured approach based on five key questions:
- Why are we making this change?
- What needs to change?
- Who should deliver it?
- How should it be delivered?
- Where should it be performed?
Answering these in the right order ensures alignment with business objectives and long-term value.
Why RightSourcing Matters
IT sourcing decisions impact cost, risk, performance and transformation capability.
For leadership, this means balancing business value, cost control, access to skills and operational resilience. A structured approach helps avoid short-term decisions that undermine long-term strategy.
Start with Why
Why are we making this change?
The answer should define the business outcome — such as cost control, improved performance, access to skills or faster transformation.
Success must be measurable. Without clear objectives, it is difficult to evaluate whether the sourcing decision delivers value.
What Needs to Change
What needs to change to achieve the outcome?
This requires assessing services and capabilities based on their strategic importance, performance and internal maturity.
The goal is to distinguish between core capabilities that require internal control and standardized services that may be suitable for external delivery.
Who Should Deliver
Who is best equipped to deliver the outcome?
The answer may be internal teams, external partners or a combination. The decision should be based on capability, scalability and strategic importance — not just cost.
How It Should Be Delivered
How should the service be delivered?
The delivery model should reflect the nature of the service. Standardized services benefit from scale and automation, while strategic capabilities require flexibility and closer integration.
The model must also align with the future IT operating model and governance structure.
Where It Should Be Performed
Where should the work be done?
Location decisions should consider skills, cost, risk and proximity to the business. Lower cost does not always mean lower total cost when quality and coordination are included.
Why the Sequence Matters
The five questions are interconnected but must be answered in order. Starting with suppliers, locations or delivery models often leads to suboptimal outcomes.
The Outcome
Most organizations will adopt a multi-sourcing model, combining internal capabilities with external partners.
Success depends on strong governance, clear ownership and the ability to manage multiple suppliers as one ecosystem.
Common Mistakes
Typical pitfalls include starting with a predefined solution, focusing too much on price, underestimating governance needs and losing internal control.
Avoiding these mistakes is critical to achieving the intended business value.
From Sourcing to RightSourcing
RightSourcing is about making deliberate, strategic decisions that align sourcing with business goals.
A strong IT sourcing strategy creates clarity around ownership, delivery models and how cost, performance and risk are managed.
How Checker Consulting Can Support
Checker Consulting supports organizations with IT sourcing strategy, operating model design and supplier selection.
We facilitate structured workshops that align business and IT stakeholders, resulting in a clear strategy and actionable roadmap.
Considering a sourcing change? Contact Checker Consulting to define the right IT sourcing strategy before making critical decisions.
