Nowadays, outsourcing seems to be a de facto approach in the IT industry. As a part of the software development process, it seems reasonable to consider technical writing as a candidate for outsourcing. Through this article, I propose to explore the pros, cons, risks, and opportunities for outsourcing your technical documentation.
1. Outsourcing: pros&cons
Let's start with the arguments in favor of documentation outsourcing:
1. The economic factor: outsourcing helps you decrease (or limit) your documentation headcount, your software licenses costs, and your general expenses (office space, PCs...).
2. The technical documentation process is standardized with a clear split of responsibilities, limited need for interactions, and well-known collaboration periods.
3. If technical documentation does not come high on the companies' strategy list, why not you let someone outside do it and focus on your core business?
4. The emergence of XML-based open documentation standards such as DocBook and DITA facilitate the split of tasks; moreover, this removes some of the lock-in effect big software vendors enjoyed; open source tools are available and reasonably priced.
The arguments against documentation outsourcing are the following:
1. The usual minuses: outsourcing adds a transaction cost that decreases the direct economical benefits; moreover, there is a learning curve for companies new to this process.
2. Usual software outsourcing relies on wages arbitrage opportunities; if you expect well written English documentation, then you need an English native speaker and the arbitrage opportunity greatly diminishes.
3. Partner selection: it is risky if your knowledge and experience in this field is limited (cost, technology, process); if you are looking at local providers, depending on your location, you may or may not have access to a big pool of providers.
4. On-site presence: some documentation (for example, printer manuals) require that your writers be on site from time to time to test the equipment.
5. There is a lack of collaboration tools to support distant teams and more importantly to organize efficient reviews. Hopefully, LiveTechDocs can help here!
Should you give it a try?
For big companies, it depends (I know that's an easy one):
* If you have divisions located where it is hard to find good tech writers, then you may consider it. HP Spain, for instance, decided to use an exclusive outsourcing partner to manage their printer documentation.
* Good option if you have high variability in workload.
* If the documentation is tightly integrated into your product or service and require frequent care, then avoid it. For instance, Salesforce uses the Agile development process with shorter release cycles.
SMBs, consider the following:
* If you have trouble accommodating with workload fluctuations and hiring an extra-employee does not make economic sense. The smaller the documentation team, the more relevant this is.
* If your documentation project is a "one-of" task why hire a full-time writer.
* If you lack the expertise in house, outsourcing is a viable option.
Outsourcing options
Who should you outsource to? Well, your options mainly depend on the size of the project and the type of relationship you want to develop:
* Big projects: go for the big guys (LionBridge, SDL...)
* Small to medium repetitive projects: select a business partner that can accommodate the sporadic workload; be aware of your negotiation power (i.e.: how important you are to this partner)
* Small to medium "one shot" project: consider single contractors or small boutiques
The next question is where to find your partner.
* Locally: this is usually easier to manage since the partner can be on site when needed; all it takes is an add on Craigslist!
* In the US: you may get arbitrage opportunities as costs for writers fluctuate between regions (ex.: Silicon Valley against the Mid West)
* Abroad: writers in Canada used to be affordable but a current weak-dollar is changing the rules of the game.
* On the Internet: it is a fast, easy, and cheap approach; check oDesk.com or Elance.com
Conclusion
There are a few compelling reasons to consider technical writing as a candidate for outsourcing: the process is simple enough, well understood, and documentation standards such as DITA and DocBook bring the flexibility needed to share and exchange documentation. However, there are also drawbacks: no previous outsourcing experience, inability to qualify providers, internal process or technologies that do not work well with outsourcing, and a lack of collaboration tools.
My belief is that in the future, documentation will be more open, fragmented, and integrated to the company product or service. Firms leading in their industry will use technology as a way to connect with users. As a result, outsourcing could be far less attractive.
