BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - July 9, 2008) - In the newly released benchmark report,
"Software Development and Innovation: Speeding 'Time-to-Market,'" Aberdeen
Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), found that Best-in-Class
organizations realized an 18% decrease in time-to-market as a result of
their R&D / Engineering Outsourcing engagement -- a rate that is over 26x
greater than Industry Average organizations.
This report examined and analyzed organizations' planning, deployment, use,
and management of Research and Development (R&D) and Engineering
Outsourcing to provide a roadmap for constructing the internal framework
necessary for a successful outsourcing relationship. As part of their
outsourcing strategy, Best-in-Class organizations determined and allocated
the proper amount of internal resources, incorporated clearly defined
Service Level Agreements (SLAs), utilized a variety of analysis and
measuring tools, and essentially viewed their outsourcing partner as an
extension of their internal R&D team to achieve product differentiation and
expedited time-to-market. In fact, Best-in-Class organizations are 123%
more likely than Laggards to ensure their outsourcing provider has "skin in
the game." By viewing the outsourcing engagement as a value partnership
rather than merely and employee-contractor relationship, most often
accomplished by contractually stipulating that both the outsourcer and
outsourcing provider have a financial stake in meeting and exceeding
project objectives, Best-in-Class organizations experienced an 18% increase
in research productivity / efficiency, as well as a 13% increase in
customer satisfaction.
"R&D and engineering outsourcing is most effective when organizations
choose partners that share the business-critical mindset about the work
they are performing," said Ralph Rodriguez, Senior Vice-President of
Research, Technology Markets group. "In R&D it is especially relevant that
delivery teams leverage deep knowledge to develop insights and find new
ways to add continually value through the communication and application of
their professional expertise."
The report educates end users on how Best-in-Class organizations are
developing and managing their outsourcing initiatives as compared to
others, and recommends clear actions to improve end user satisfaction and
increase their ROI through the correct blend of capabilities, policies, and
procedures. SLA management, internal structuring, monitoring and
optimization tools, as well as other key performance indicators are
reviewed.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: Achievo, iSoftstone, Dextra Technologies, and
Ramco. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4898.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617)854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Ralph Rodriguez
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5332
Ralph.rodriguez@aberdeen.com