Parallel running: test an outsourced task safely

Key takeaways

A parallel run means your team and the outsourced team both do the same repetitive task for a short period, and you compare the outputs before switching over. It is the safest way to go live, because errors are caught before customers see them. One to two weeks is usually enough for a daily task; a monthly task needs one full cycle.

• Both teams do the same items; only yours goes out.
• 1 to 2 weeks for daily tasks, 1 cycle for monthly ones.
• Compare item by item and log every difference.
• Switch over when accuracy meets the agreed target.

What is a parallel run?

A parallel run is a controlled test in which the new way of doing a task runs alongside the old one on the same work. Your team's output is the one used; the outsourced team's output is checked against it. Differences show where the method, the rules or the training need fixing, at no risk to customers.

• How UK SMEs can use outsourcing to handle repetitive tasks
• Run an outsourcing pilot before you commit

How do you run one?

Choose a period, give both teams the same inputs, and compare outputs daily. Log each difference with its cause: method gap, rule gap, training or input problem. Fix the cause, not just the item. Agree the switch-over target in advance, such as 98% of items matching for five working days.

• Agree the period and the switch-over target.
• Give both teams the same items.
• Compare outputs daily, item by item.
• Log each difference and its cause.
• Fix causes and update the method.

• Acceptance criteria: define done for outsourced work
• Document your processes before you outsource

What does a parallel run cost in time?

In an illustrative example, a task of 60 items a day at 4 minutes each costs your team its normal 4 hours a day during the run, plus about 30 minutes a day to compare outputs. Over 10 working days that is about 5 extra hours. These are example figures. Set that against the cost of a week of errors reaching customers.

• Standard times: how long should a routine task take?
• A BPO transition plan for the first 90 days

When can you skip a parallel run?

Skip it when there is nobody left to run the old way, for example after a resignation, or when every item is checked before it leaves anyway. In those cases, use a higher sampling rate for the first month instead, such as checking every item for the first week.

• Quality sampling: how many outsourced items to check
• Employee handover checklist for small teams

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: most differences in the first days come from rules that were never written down, not from team errors. The parallel run is where the unwritten method becomes written.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Parallel run checklist

Use these steps for your go-live.

• Set the period and the accuracy target.
• Share the same inputs with both teams.
• Compare and log differences daily.
• Update the method for each cause found.
• Switch over only when the target holds.

• A 90-day plan to outsource your repetitive tasks

Next step

Tell us which task you plan to hand over first. We will suggest a parallel run length, a switch-over target and how to compare outputs.