Information needs in the outsourcing lifecycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify information needs in the outsourcing lifecycle, and to prioritize them according to their importance for governing and controlling the external provider. Design/methodology/approach – A three-round Delphi study was conducted, where 17 and 16 outsourcing experts answered, respectively. Findings – The evaluation ranked “service reporting” as the number one information need for governing the external provider. Research limitations/implications – The paper aims to shed light on a so far little-considered research field and to create the basis for deeper analysis. Future research activities should examine in further detail how to effectively design “service reporting” in theory and practice. Practical implications – This involves documentation of information needs in the outsourcing lifecycle which are the major prerequisite for making decisions to govern an outsourcing project. Originality/value – While there is a rapidly growing body of literature on outsourcing, there is hardly any account regarding what information needs have to be fulfilled in outsourcing projects along their lifecycle. This is the major contribution of the paper.