The practical guide for efficient provider management. This book shows you how to effectively manage external providers in the context of outsourcing projects. Learn what frameworks, methods, and organization are necessary for successful collaboration and how to apply them. Avoid friction losses during the operational phase and achieve set goals. Discover how to plan, establish, and integrate IT provider management early in the course of an outsourcing project and how it fulfills its tasks in operation to ensure the success of the outsourcing initiative. The authors focus on an outsourcing life cycle and highlight the essential aspects of IT provider management, starting with an external provider as the simplest case.