# MSP Outsourcing Full Checklist 35 checkpoints across nine gates. Use one copy per candidate and proposed service. Mark a checkpoint only when its required document, scoped test result or decision exists. Leave unanswered questions open and assign their next action. This blank copy contains no completed checks or provider assessment. Candidate: ______________________________ Proposed service / package: ______________________________ Review owner: ______________________________ Review date: ______________________________ ## Gate 1 - Readiness Decide whether outsourcing is the right lever before talking to anyone. Decision to document: outsource, hire, automate or defer - with the reason. - [ ] Current workload is measured: ticket and alert volumes, handling time, coverage hours. Artifact: a workload summary with a date. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] The problem is named: cost, coverage, scale, skill gap or founder dependence. Artifact: a one-page problem statement. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Internal alternative is costed. Artifact: a saved [cost calculator](https://mspshortlist.com/tools/cost-calculator/) scenario. Owner: finance. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Client commitments are inventoried: what your MSAs promise about response, coverage and who touches client systems. Artifact: a commitments list with contract references. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 2 - Scope - [ ] Required service is written down function by function: alert intake, triage, remediation, patching, L1/L2 tickets, channels, after-hours. Artifact: a scope table with required/optional/excluded per row. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Delivery model is chosen: outsourced, co-managed, white-label or after-hours only. Artifact: a recorded model decision with rationale. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Retained responsibilities are explicit: escalation ownership, client communication, final authority on changes. Artifact: a retained-duties list. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Exclusions and client responsibilities are written down. Artifact: exclusions section of the scope table. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 3 - Shortlist - [ ] Candidate set is built from sourced provider information, not ad reach. Artifact: a shortlist with the source and date for each candidate's key facts. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Eligibility is checked per candidate: service in scope, client size and geography fit, operating hours. Artifact: completed scope-and-fit rows of the vendor checklist. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Each candidate's delivery model is clear: shared, dedicated, overflow or hybrid. Artifact: model noted per candidate with source. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 4 - Due diligence Owner for the gate: senior technician for integrations, service manager for the rest. - [ ] Coverage hours and holiday handling are documented per candidate. Artifact: coverage evidence with source URL and check date. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Ticket ownership, escalation tiers and handoff rules are documented. Artifact: completed operations rows of the vendor checklist. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Acknowledgement, Work start, Mitigation, Restore and Resolution each have a target, start event, stop event and measurement rule. Artifact: an [SLA evaluation worksheet](https://mspshortlist.com/guides/sla-evaluation/) per candidate. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Access control, staff screening, incident notification and certifications are disclosed and verified from primary sources. Artifact: security rows completed with evidence classification. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] RMM and PSA support is verified beyond logos. Artifact: an [integration verification matrix](https://mspshortlist.com/guides/rmm-psa-integrations/) per candidate. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 5 - Commercial review - [ ] Comparable proposals are requested with one structured request. Artifact: the sent [RFP](https://mspshortlist.com/tools/rfp-template/) and the returned response tables. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Pricing unit, minimums, setup, overage, after-hours and termination terms are clear per candidate. Artifact: completed pricing response sheets. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Total annual cost is calculated from the same demand assumptions for every vendor. Artifact: a normalized cost comparison. Owner: finance. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Service credits and exclusions are documented. Artifact: SLA remedy rows with contract references. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 6 - Pilot Decision to document: proceed, extend pilot or stop - against the pre-agreed criteria. - [ ] Pilot scope, duration, success criteria and rollback are agreed in writing before start. Artifact: a pilot plan signed by both sides. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] A low-risk client segment or internal tickets are selected. Artifact: pilot segment list. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Integration is tested in a sandbox or limited tenant: ticket creation, mapping, updates, duplicate suppression, access revocation. Artifact: pilot acceptance test log. Owner: senior technician. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Quality sampling is defined: who reviews which percentage of pilot tickets against what rubric. Artifact: a sampling plan and first sample results. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 7 - Transition - [ ] Knowledge transfer is staged: runbooks, client quirks, escalation contacts. Artifact: a transfer inventory with completion status. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Cutover plan names dates, owners and a rollback trigger. Artifact: the cutover plan. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Client communication is prepared where client-facing change occurs. Artifact: notification drafts consistent with your branding decisions. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] First-week and thirty-day reviews are scheduled with agenda. Artifact: calendar entries and review templates. Owner: service manager. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 8 - Quality review Owner for the gate: service manager. - [ ] Reporting cadence and service-review process are running. Artifact: the first monthly report and review minutes. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] SLA compliance is measured against the worksheet definitions, not the provider's summary alone. Artifact: your own compliance check on a ticket sample. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Escalation path is tested outside business hours at least once. Artifact: a timed test document. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Issues are logged with claim-level specifics and fed back. Artifact: an issue log with provider responses. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Gate 9 - Exit plan Agree the exit plan at signing, while owners, return formats, notice and transition assistance can be recorded in the terms. - [ ] Exit, transition-out and data-return procedures are documented before you depend on the provider. Artifact: exit terms referenced to contract clauses. Owner: MSP owner. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Credential revocation and access offboarding are tested on a dummy account. Artifact: offboarding test document. Owner: senior technician. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ - [ ] Knowledge return format is agreed: tickets, documentation, runbooks created during service. Artifact: data-return clause and format note. Supporting source / date / decision or open question / next owner: ______________________________ ## Before you decide Classify each material answer as independently supported, vendor-stated, third-party observation or unknown. A completed check does not guarantee service quality. Keep the proposal, applicable agreement and supporting documents with this checklist. Agree exit terms before signing. Full guide: https://mspshortlist.com/guides/msp-outsourcing-checklist/