A good article about Design Outsourcing, from Parametric Technology Corporation (makers of Pro/ENGINEER CAD software. You can visit their website for the full pdf link.
During the past decade, there has been rapid growth of design outsourcing as a key
operational driver for companies to compete globally, increase productivity, and improve
profitability. Manufacturers are transforming their product development models from
local cross-functional operations to highly collaborative global operations, where skilled
resources dispersed around the world are leveraged to optimize value-add and
reduce cost.
Definition of Design Outsourcing
Design outsourcing is a process that enables companies to engage with design partners to deliver a design activity, the design of a single component, a subsystem, or an entire system. The process
consists of communicating outsourcing requirements and contractual agreement on project scope. Project documentation and CAD model definitions are shared. Furthermore, a project plan is implemented,
regular project and acceptance review are conducted, and final project work products are delivered…Read the full report.