Entrepreneurs and small businesspeople are always looking for creative ways to accomplish more of their business goals for less money. One strategy that can help you save time, money and frustration as you start and build your business is to outsource as much work as possible to skilled, but cost-effective, external service providers.

不管是大企业家，还是小型企业商人，都希望寻找一种经营的新方法，以最小的成本完成企业目标。这里推荐一种既节省时间、金钱，又可以避免受到挫折的方法：业务外包。这种方法既节省成本，又能让你获得不错的产品。

In my work with Elance Online -- an online marketplace that helps small businesses outsource almost any type of project - I've talked with dozens of buyers who have successfully outsourced projects as diverse as administrative support, business strategy, graphic design, web design and development, writing and even software development.

在Elance Online网站中，小型企业可以外包所有工程。我曾经在此网站中与多位外包服务买主进行交谈，他们享受的服务包括制定管理措施、规划经营策略，制作图片、制作或开发网站、制作软件等。

When I talk to buyers who've mastered the art of effectively managing external service providers, the same themes emerge over and over. I've distilled their advice into the following "Top 10 Best Practices" for working with external service providers. Following this advice can help you get the most out of your relationships with external vendors or contractors -- whether you use the web to find service providers or are requesting and evaluating quotes from vendors the "old fashioned" way.

在与这些外包服务买主交谈时，我注意到他们不断重复几个主题，我把这些内容总结成10个方面，当聘请外包服务提供商时，你可以参考这些内容。如果遵循这种方法，你可以与外包服务提供商或者承包人维持良好的关系，不管提供商是通过网络寻找的，还是用传统方法寻找的。

1. Clearly define the scope and schedule for your project
1. 详细说明工作范围，制定工作计划

This might seem obvious, but any successful outsourced project always starts with a clear statement of what you are hoping to accomplish. Define your project requirements up front. Service providers need accurate, complete information to present you with realistic proposals and to quote you a reasonable price. Be specific about the deliverables you expect the vendor provide. Give vendors as much information as you can about what you need delivered and the way in which you need the work done. Also, be clear and realistic about your schedule requirements - project schedules can have a huge impact on project costs.

这个要求看似明显，但任何成功的外包工程都需要清楚阐述最终目标。只有预先说明工程制作要求，提供商才可能按照你的建议，决定工作计划，提出合理报价。因此，确保为服务商提供详细、丰富的信息，以及制作方法，各项要求要清楚、符合实际。工程计划对制作成本有很大的影响。

2. Evaluate a service provider like you'd hire a full-time employee
2. 谨慎选择外包服务提供商

When you're evaluating proposals from service providers, don't be afraid to ask questions. Just like hiring a full-time employee, selecting a vendor is a very subjective experience. Check their references and ask for feedback from other clients who have used their services. Engage in a dialog - if you have any concerns about a vendor's specific capabilities, voice your concerns. Don't just stew about it and hope for the best.

评价提供商的能力时，要多询问问题。同聘请全职员工一样，选择承包商就是凭借主观经验。参考他们以前的作品，并且征求外包服务提供商其它客户的意见。与承包商进行交谈，这样可以了解他们的能力，千万不要抱有很乐观的态度。

3. Look for specific experience fit
3. 寻找具有类似制作经历的承包商

Ideally, the service provider you select will have specific experience with the type of project that you're undertaking. You don't want to be somebody's "guinea pig." This is especially crucial when outsourcing complex technical projects such as software development. For example, if you're looking for someone to develop an application for the Palm PDA, make sure they've actually completed commercial projects on that platform for other satisfied customers. This advice holds true for other types of projects as well. If you need a business plan for opening a retail store, you'll get best results if the consultant you hire has verifiable experience in the retail sector.

外包服务提供商最好具有完成此类工程的经历，你并不想成为他们的试验品，所以选择时要谨慎，尤其当外包工程很复杂、技术含量很高时（例如：软件开发）。假如，你现在需要聘请承包商开发Palm PDA应用程序，那你应该选择曾经设计过此类程序，并且服务得到用户肯定的承包商。外包其它工程时，也要注意这一点，比如说，你希望获取经营零售店的商业计划，你最好聘请那些曾经策划过零售店经营策略的服务商。

4. Don't choose a vendor based solely on price
4. 避免仅仅根据价格选择承包商

Though it might be tempting, never select a vendor based solely on price. Experienced buyers who have outsourced many projects and evaluated hundreds of proposals almost always recommend discarding the highest-priced and lowest-priced bid. Buyers report that their most successful projects are the ones where they felt the vendor offered a balance of good value and quality results.

尽管价格很重要，但并不能成为选择承包商的唯一因素。在享受到很多外包服务、评价了许多外包商之后，有经验的买主建议，放弃价格最高、价格最低的外包服务承包商，他们还介绍说，他们最成功的外包工程，是那些兼顾价格与质量的承包商提供的。

5. Review portfolios and samples
5. 参考承包商以前的作品

Examine the vendor's previous work (their "portfolio") and make sure that their previous work meets your expectations for quality and style. If you've evaluated a vendor's portfolio, references and previous experience and are still unsure of their capabilities, consider asking them to do a quick mock-up or provide a basic outline of a work plan. A service provider who really wants to win your business might be able to give you a rough concept so you can better understand their approach to solving your problem. But never cross the line between asking for a mock-up and insisting that a vendor provide you with finished work "on spec." No qualified professional expects to work for free.

参考承包商以前的作品，确保这些作品满足你的质量与形式需要。如果在评价了承包商的作品、工作经历之后，仍然不了解他们的能力，你可以要求他们快速制作模型，或者制定基本工作计划。如果这些承包商真正希望得到此业务，他们一定会有大体构思，这样你可以更了解他们的工作方案。但不能要求他们迅速完成这项工程，没有专业承包商愿意免费为你工作。

6. Start small
6. 从小工程开始

When engaging with a service provider for the first time, start with a project that is relatively small and simple in scope. This will give you a better idea of the provider's style and capabilities before you entrust a "mission critical" project to them.

首次聘请外包服务提供商时，可以让他们完成一些相对简单、容易的工程。这样你可以更好地了解他们的设计形式与工作能力，以后才可以放心将重要工程交给他们。

7. Tie payment to clearly defined project milestones
7. 价格与工作完成情况相关

Just as you should be clear about project scope, make sure that you define a work plan for your outsourced project with clearly defined milestones. Having scheduled checkpoints where you review the status of the project as it works toward completion-is an easy way to ensure that you meet your final deadline and that the final product meets your standards. Tie the vendor's payment to these milestones. A good guideline for IT and software development projects is to pay no more than 20% to 30% of the total project price up front, with the rest of the payments awarded based on the completion of 3 or 4 milestones.

同确定工程内容一样，你需要确定工作计划中的具体目标。在工程即将完成时，检查计划目标是否实现，这是一种检验工程是否符合标准的简单方法。承包商的佣金与这些目标直接挂钩。IT与软件开发工程的预付金不会超过工程价格的20%-30%，其它佣金需要根据目标完成情况，最后确定。

8. Negotiate ownership of work up front
8. 预先确定作品所有权

For any type of outsourced project, make sure that you are clear about who owns the resulting work product and any important components of that product. Make sure the service provider understands how you intend to use the deliverables that they are agreeing to provide. For example, the development of a custom software application for your personal use would be substantially different from the development an application that you intend to package and re-sell.

不管什么类型的外包工程，你需要清楚最终作品的所有权，以及其它关于作品的内容。确保外包服务商了解你打算如何应用他们提供的产品，比如说，你是自己使用，还是打算再次出售。

9. Don't forget about support after the project is complete
9. 要求后续服务

For technology projects, it's a good idea to specify a warranty or support clause so that you are assured of some amount of continuing support from the vendor after the project is complete. It's much easer to negotiate a support clause before the service provider begins work, rather than after the completion of the project. Even creative or business services can benefit from a support clause. Suppose you need some changes to a business plan based on feedback that you get from potential investors. Or maybe you find that you need that snazzy new logo delivered in a new type of file format. Specifying some amount of free support or negotiating discounted prices for future modifications can save you time, money and headaches later on.

对于技术含量高的工程，你应该要求承包商在工程完成后，提供正当的后续服务，所以在工程完成之前需要提出这个要求，避免拖到工程完工后。比如，你可能需要根据潜在投资者的反馈意见，修改某些内容；或者你需要更换一种新的logo样式，这时你需要制定某些免费后续服务条款，也可以支付一定的佣金，这样既节省时间、金钱，又可以避免出现一些令人头痛的问题。

10. Get it in writing
10. 记录修改内容

During the course of a service engagement, the scope of the project, deliverables or even the agreed upon price may change. Make sure that you clearly communicate any schedule, scope or payment changes to your service provider and get confirmation from them - in writing - that they understand and agree to the changes. Similarly, keep a record of any agreement changes requested by the service provider and whether you accept or reject those modifications. Save copies of any email exchanges that you have.

如果修改内容，工程任务、工程价格都有可能变化，所以你需要确保外包服务商了解新的工作计划、工作范围以及价格，可以用书面形式确定下来。同样，不管你是否接受修改内容，都要把这些修改的内容记录下来。

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