A Systemic Approach for Evaluating and Developing IT Outsourcing Measurement Systems

In this paper, we examine IT outsourcing measurements systems. We propose a systemic framework which can be used to support existing evaluation and the development of new measurement systems. The framework provides a structure for the comparison of all system elements, namely input, measurement process, and output. It also serves as a tool for proper comparison of alternative measurement systems. The proposed approach is applied in a multinational corporation operating in the electronic industry and conducting global business. First, the characteristics of the previous measurement system are evaluated, then the systemic properties of the current system are assessed, and, finally, a new measurement system is proposed. When we compared these three measurement systems, it became clear that they differ strongly in terms of inputs and outputs as well as the measurement processes.