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    • Action plan

    Identifying which digital tasks should be outsourced

    Medium effort

    Medium impact

    Many digital tasks seem simple to start with. There are plenty of useful resources online and it’s beneficial to learn new skills. However, these tasks can take longer than expected and end up sapping valuable time, plus there’s no guarantee of success when you’re teaching yourself as you go. It’s vital to learn when to hold onto digital tasks and when to outsource.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline
    What's involved? Ways to use this action plan Measuring impact
    1

    Look at the existing digital skillsets in the business to understand which tasks your team could deliver effectively and where your talents fall short

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Mapping out the skills and experience you have in-house will show you where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

    An introduction to identifying the skillsets that are missing from your business

    There’s an important gap between the skills you have now and those you need for the future. Identifying those skillsets reduces risk and empowers growth.

    Conducting a skills gap analysis

    Use our free skills gap analysis checklist to determine the key skills missing from your organisation.
    2

    Determine whether your tasks are time-sensitive and need to be completed quickly to succeed

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    When success is dependent on a tight deadline, it can help to free up time internally by outsourcing certain parts of the project.

    3

    Run a cost analysis to compare what the price would be to do the work in-house with the fee of outsourcing it

    Impact: high

    Why will this help?

    Businesses often assume that outsourcing tasks costs more, but there are a range of factors to consider. If the task requires specialist equipment or you need to spend a lot of time researching and learning before you get started, the costs could mount up internally. A cost analysis will give you better visibility over potential expenses.

    Completing a cost analysis for new technology

    Before purchasing new technology, leaders need to understand the costs involved and what other support or resources are needed.
    4

    Check that the tasks you’re planning on outsourcing aren’t core strengths of your brand or something your business is known for

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Outsourcing should be utilised to allow your company to focus on what it does best, so try not to outsource something that’s an important strength.

    Creating a SWOT analysis for your own business

    Use our free SWOT analysis template to define your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
    5

    Identify which digital tasks should be outsourced, using your skills gap and cost analysis to inform the decision

    Impact: high

    Why will this help?

    By now, you should have a clear view of your team’s core competencies and the tasks you’d benefit from outsourcing.

    External agencies can deliver immediate expertise and fast results

    An external agency helped Maxwell Scott double revenue, but software company Softwire warns SMEs to only trust results.

    An introduction to effectively seeking external digital support

    Whether you’re planning to get stuck into your company’s digital development yourself or call in the pros, here’s what you need to consider.

    What can I do with this Action Plan?

    Start this Action Plan

    Add some extra information to this plan and we’ll help you get it done.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline

    Download and print

    Get a printable template for this Action Plan, fill it in with some target dates, and share it with your team. Pin it on the wall where everyone can see it.

    Get the printable Action Plan

    Learning Groups

    We also run Learning Groups on these topics where you can join other leaders tackling the same challenges.

    Find a Learning Group

    How will I know if my action plan is working?

    Success rate for outsourced tasks

    Decide what to outsource by tracking what's successful

    Why this metric?

    Looking at whether outsourced tasks have been completed quickly and to a high standard will tell you whether you’ve made the right decision.

    How do I start tracking?

    Assess the success rate of outsourced tasks after three months and determine whether you’ve had better results from outsourcing.