For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise IT Services: 2009

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Pascal Matzke, John C. McCarthy, November 6, 2009

As the global economic downturn continues to put pressure on IT budgets, companies are taking a variety of measures to get more value for the money spent on IT services. But unlike the last recession in 2001 to 2002, when outsourcing and offshoring benefitted . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Report From The Vendor Management Frontlines

Four Innovative Practices From A Seasoned Supplier Manager

by John C. McCarthy, October 21, 2009

As firms look to bolster their supplier oversight capabilities, they are looking for creative ways to get the most out of their primary vendor relationships given the immaturity of the space. Forrester recently spoke with an innovative practitioner about . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Assessing Your Onshore/Offshore Staffing Ratios

Shifting More Staff Offshore Drives More Savings Than 5% To 10% Rate Reductions

by John C. McCarthy, October 13, 2009

With the economic collapse and the sudden downturn in IT budgets, we have seen a large spike in the number of inquiries from clients asking about the best mix of onshore versus offshore staff at their global delivery model suppliers. Based on more than . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Judging The Maturity Of Your Vendor Management Efforts

Forrester's 20-Question Test Helps Firms Refine Their Vendor Management Approach

by John C. McCarthy, July 23, 2009

Two key vectors define the development sophistication of an organization's vendor management efforts. The first is the overall corporate support and governance acumen, and the second is the sophistication of the underlying processes and the level of automation. . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

A Template For Marketing The Vendor Management Office  (1.1 MB PPT)

by John C. McCarthy, March 27, 2009

The template provides a framework for a senior sourcing or vendor management professional to justify the creation/continuation of a vendor management office (VMO).

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Director, Contract Negotiations And Administration - Job Profile And Description  (38 KB XLS)

by John C. McCarthy, February 13, 2009

Job Description for Director, Contract Negotiations And Administration

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Contract Administrator - Job Profile And Description  (36 KB XLS)

by John C. McCarthy, February 13, 2009

Job Description for Contract Administrator.

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Director, Strategic Vendors - Job Profile And Description  (37 KB XLS)

by John C. McCarthy, February 13, 2009

Job Description for Director, Strategic Vendors

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Director, IT Procurement Group - Job Profile And Description  (38 KB XLS)

by John C. McCarthy, February 13, 2009

Job Descriptions for Director, IT Procurement Group

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Job Description For The Director Of The VMO

The Success Of The VMO Hinges On Finding A Director Who Has A Unique Set Of Skills And Capabilities

by John C. McCarthy, January 13, 2009

At the request of several clients, Forrester has put together a job description and hiring profile for the head of the vendor management office (VMO). This document defines the responsibilities of the director and suggests the skills and experience that . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Satyam's Fraud Leaves Clients In The Lurch

Chairman Admits To Massive Financial Fraud; Customers Have To Assess Options And Exposure

by Sudin Apte, John C. McCarthy, January 8, 2009

On January 7, 2009, Satyam's chairman and founder, B. Ramalinga Raju, tendered his resignation and took responsibility for years of financial fraud. The scale of the fraud in terms of the overstatement of revenue, profit, and cash on hand is significant. . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Satyam's Diversification Failure

Management And Governance Miscues Could Have Long-Term Impact

by Stephanie Moore, Sudin Apte, John C. McCarthy, December 30, 2008

Earlier in December, Satyam's management team made a major miscalculation that will likely haunt the company for years. The firm announced — and then quickly canceled after a shareholder revolt — plans to diversify its business and acquire 100% and 51% . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

The State Of Vendor Management: 2008

Forrester's Survey Of 947 North American And European Enterprises Shows That VMOs Are Ascending

by John C. McCarthy, November 5, 2008

Forrester's Enterprise IT Services Survey, North America And Europe, Q2 2008, shows that the investment and focus on vendor management activities continues to increase. This trend shows that firms are clearly taking more of an activist sourcing approach, . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Sourcing In The Shadow Of Terrorism

Firms Need To Audit Their Suppliers' Security And Business Continuity Plans

by Sudin Apte, John C. McCarthy, October 10, 2008

Over the past six months, there has been a steady increase in the number of terrorist attacks in India. Over time, continued political turmoil may force more firms to implement an "India Plus One" offshore sourcing strategy. However, in the short term, . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of Enterprise IT Services: 2008

Business Data Services North America And Europe

by Pascal Matzke, John C. McCarthy, September 9, 2008

This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected across North American and European enterprises via our Enterprise IT Services Survey, North America And Europe, Q2 2008. This survey also includes questions about vendor management and . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Where Did You Find These VMO People?

Best Practices And End User Insights For Hiring Into The VMO

by John C. McCarthy, Allison Thresher, August 6, 2008

Late in 2007, Forrester interviewed sourcing professionals about their vendor management preferences and experience. Forrester asked respondents about the day-to-day responsibilities of staff in the vendor management office, necessary skill sets, and . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Justifying The Vendor Management Office

Clear Hard-Dollar Savings And Soft-Dollar Benefits Make VMOs A Logical Play In A Difficult Economy

by John C. McCarthy, April 15, 2008

As the economic outlook darkens and IT budgets shrink, firms face the challenge of quantifying the benefits of their new vendor management initiatives. Based on our research with early vendor management office (VMO) adopters, Forrester believes that sourcing . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Building An Effective Vendor Management Office

by John C. McCarthy, January 25, 2008

Firms are ramping up their vendor management capabilities, specifically in building a vendor management office (VMO). These efforts represent a key part of firms' strategy to bring more maturity and process discipline to IT and take an "activist sourcing" . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

VMO Tools: Value-Add Or A Waste Of Time?  (464 KB PPT)

by John C. McCarthy, January 10, 2008

The emerging set of software tools will improve the effectiveness of the VMO, if clients provide the appropriate management support and process changes.

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Hiring Consultants: A Quick Guide  (254 KB PPT)

by John C. McCarthy, Christine Ferrusi Ross, November 12, 2007

This presentation offers Forrester clients a highlight of our best practices for hiring a consultant. Trends among client usage of consultants is included along with best practices that address hiring consultants for strategy, business transformation, . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

The State Of Development Of The IT Services Global Delivery Model

The Next Level Will Focus Less On Labor And More On IP

by John C. McCarthy, November 7, 2007

The adoption of and investment in a low-cost global delivery model (GDM) has accelerated over the past 36 months. We've arrived at the "hub and spoke" stage, where even the multinational corporations (MNCs) like IBM, Accenture, CSC, and Capgemini use . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Choosing An Alternative To India Involves More Than Looking For Cheap Talent  (283 KB PPT)

by John C. McCarthy, October 5, 2007

A range of issues leaves firms looking for alternative offshore locations such as concerns regarding rising costs in India. Customers need to hedge their geopolitical risks. Many countries are jumping on the offshore bandwagon as an economic development . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Topic Overview: Offshore Services

by Stephanie Moore, John C. McCarthy, September 24, 2007

The forces driving offshore IT services are undeniably compelling. Companies are under intense pressure to reduce — or at least contain — IT costs. Years of downsizing have resulted in a shortage of skills and the need to improve service. Outsourcing . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Vendor Management Efforts Fuel Services Buying

Improved SLAs And Specifications Prove More Effective Than Ironclad Contracts

by John C. McCarthy, August 6, 2007

In the second quarter of this year, Forrester surveyed 1,002 North American and European IT services decision-makers to gain a better understanding of their vendor management practices and priorities. We learned that a significant portion of enterprises . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

The State Of IT Services Adoption: 2007

Business Data Services North America and Europe

by John C. McCarthy, July 12, 2007

How are enterprises adopting, using, and managing IT services, including IT consulting, infrastructure outsourcing, application management outsourcing, and offshoring? This document gives highlights of an extensive data set collected from 1,002 IT decision-makers . . .