“Outsource Competing in the Global Productivity Race”, Edward Yourdan, Prentice Hall, 2005.

ISBN 0-13-147571-1, Prentice Hall, Edward Yourdon

Reviewed by Alvin Goats

You really have to read this book carefully, and if like me, review the first chapter for what the book is really about often. And I mean often!

The first chapters are really intended to describe WHY business is outsourcing and WHY they choose to go offshore. Many of the reasons are not that sound, forgetting to include the cost of management, travel, which is glossed over in the book, focusing only on the managerial justifications. As long as you keep that focus, the book is quite good.

It isn't until you reach the later chapters that you start to find clues about how to compete with the offshore companies. There are small clues in the earlier chapters, if you look at what is being promoted as strengths in offshoring vs. onshoring.

The reality of business outsourcing many of their functions will continue, it's the where that can be modified if you look in the right places. That's in the later chapters, if you can make it through the first five chapters. Focusing on what to do, where to look and how to find the trends that will keep you employed are the focus of the late chapters and worth studying.

As the Career SIG Leader, this book has been very educational and I've made use of some of the chapters in working with the user group.

For those who are looking for what to do and how to compete, I strongly recommend the book and starting with Chapter 6. For learning how management thinks and their reasoning, the first chapters are a gem.