There are some things you can -- and probably should -- outsource. In most cases that could include high-skill execution tasks such as visual design and coding/development. In fact there are several significant advantages to outsourcing those roles.

But what you can never outsource is the brains of your technology operation.

Because the most important role your internal technology staff has is not actually technical. It’s strategic. It’s about understanding the strategic, programmatic, and operational priorities of your organization on one side of the equation, and on the other side masterfully conducting the symphony of forces that must be brought together to execute on those priorities.

Doing that successfully requires making countless decisions on a daily basis -- large, small, simple, and complex. It requires weighing options, balancing priorities vs. cost and capacity. It requires constant communication with colleagues and external resources. And it requires creating and constantly adjusting a clear, coherent product roadmap. It’s a massively complex production.

Can you imagine outsourcing that to a consultant? How would that possibly work? 

The answer, of course, is that it wouldn’t. And it doesn’t. If you’re going to leverage technology’s potential to support and transform your organization, the brains of your technology landscape must live inside of your organization’s walls.