This white paper by Patni (located at http://www.sourcingfocus.com/documents/Patni_-_The_eight_worst_outsourcing_mistakes.pdf )is an interesting summary of common pitfalls made during the outsourcing process. Most of them seem like common sense but they are nonetheless a reminder of the importance of following a best practice approach when outsourcing. The consequences of not building Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with clear Key Performance Indicators) can be costly. The article notes that SLA Management is a cornerstone of good governance – without clear SLA management it is extremely difficult to manage the relationship without disagreeing on what the actual level of performance. When you have clear visibility of performance against service levels then your governance meetings generally start at the right place!
The White paper also notes the increased use of online dashboards like ServiceFrame to manage and monitor your SLAs!