Six signals that a task can be outsourced

Key takeaways

The clearest signs a task can be outsourced are six traits you can check in under a minute: it can be taught on a page, its result can be checked, it can be done remotely, it recurs, mistakes are recoverable, and it adds up to about 2 hours a week. Five or six yes answers make a candidate.

• 5 or 6 yes answers: shortlist it.
• 3 or 4 yes answers: fix the missing signal first.
• 0 to 2 yes answers: keep it for now.
• Any decision, duty or key: remove it, whatever the count.

What are the six signals?

Each signal answers a different risk. A task that fails one will usually fail in that exact way once handed over, so the missing signal tells you what to fix.

• Teachable: the steps fit on one page. Fails as endless questions.
• Checkable: someone can confirm the output is right. Fails as hidden errors.
• Remote: it is done on a screen, not on site. Fails as tasks bounced back.
• Recurring: weekly or more, or in predictable batches. Fails as skills forgotten between runs.
• Recoverable: a mistake is caught before harm. Fails as complaints or penalties.
• Worthwhile: about 2 hours a week alone or bundled. Fails as management time exceeding time saved.

• How to identify tasks suitable for outsourcing
• The write-it-down test: can you explain the task on a page?
• Can this task be done from anywhere?

Why yes or no instead of a score?

Because the signals screen a long list quickly. Scoring 100 tasks on a 0 to 10 scale takes a day and invites debate over each point. Six yes or no answers take a minute per task and are easy to agree. Save detailed scoring for the five tasks that survive, where the extra precision is worth the time.

• Screen your task list first, score the shortlist second
• The repetitive task fit score: ready to hand over?

Which signal fails most often?

In our experience, teachable fails most often, because the task lives in one person's head. That is usually fixable: record the person doing it once, write the steps, and the task becomes a candidate. Recoverable is the signal to respect most, because a failure there reaches customers or regulators before you notice.

• What does a mistake cost? Rate the risk of each task
• How to document processes for outsourcing

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a weekly stock report passes five signals but fails teachable, because only the operations manager knows which columns to adjust. One recorded walk-through and a one-page note later, it passes all six and becomes the easiest first task on the list.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Six signals checklist

• Ask all six questions of every task.
• Write down which signal fails, not just the count.
• Remove decisions, duties and keys first.
• Fix single failures where the fix is cheap.
• Shortlist tasks with five or six yes answers.

• The task finder: list, flag, rank and test your tasks
• Screen your task list first, score the shortlist second

Next step

Take the ten most time-consuming tasks you already know about and ask the six questions of each. The pattern of failures will show you what to fix before any handover.