Support is about ensuring that what needs to be be done is actually realised - either by being taken off your hands, or by the provision of a resource that people working on parts of a project that are not outsourced can turn to when they get stuck.

It is important that lines of communication and boundaries of responsibility are established, explicit, and clear.

People need to be clear what their contribution to the project is, that it is part of their job description so they need to budget adequate time to it, and that they are managed so that they are given adequate time which they can devote to their part of the project.

Our contributions to support can be:

• On-going management of those areas of a project which are out-sourced.
• Support of staff when they get stuck, and particularly as they learn initially
• Support of staff in fulfilling their task descriptions

It is important to realise that support, particularly telephone support, is not a substitute for training.