This Executive Update is the first of three in a series that aims to share different viewpoints regarding three phases of an outsourcing strategy: feasibility analysis, implementation, and operation. Each phase features different levels of complexity. In the first phase, we assess the likelihood of putting outsourcing into effect. During the implementation phase, the decision has been made, and we are challenged to implement it the best way possible, avoiding operational disruption and future problems. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge is the operation phase; when we get there, outsourcing has been implemented, and our responsibility is to handle the new arrangement efficiently.