Presently, internal Information Technology (IT) organizations make strategic level decisions to

explore new capabilities and solutions from outsourcing markets to fulfill various business and

customer expectations. However, far too little is known about the operational level challenges that

emerge between IT service purchasing companies and suppliers in a global selective outsourcing

environment. In this research, we focus on analyzing the operational level challenges and nonconformances

from the IT service purchasing company’s point-of-view. Nokia’s IT unit selectively

outsourced parts of its operational level IT service activities to the supplier. The IT unit and the

supplier jointly implemented Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes,

globally. The cooperation was not completely trouble-free. It was identified that ITIL processes

can provide standardized structures for executing the IT service activities, but quality and customer-

centric operation will also require active and participative management and leadership, efficient

communication and information sharing, globally implemented quality management practices,

and clear responsibility and ownership structures between the parties. These findings improve

operational level selective outsourcing knowledge, and the findings can be exploited by

other global IT service transition projects.