IT outsourcing:the effect of formal control mechanisms and client capabilities

Successful outsourcing of IT projects to specialized suppliers is of critical importance to organizations. Many studies have investigated antecedents of IT outsourcing success, although research seems to have overlooked the combined impact of control (outcome, process) and client capabilities. We surveyed 137 project managers supervising IT outsourcing projects. The results of our study confirm that process control as well as outcome control have a significant impact on IT outsourcing success. The findings of our study contradict the common knowledge and widely held belief that IT management capabilities of clients are important for achieving IT outsourcing success