Many companies outsource various tasks that could be performed by the company itself. In the biopharmaceutical industry, one form of outsourcing is known as functional outsourcing and one such function that has been identified for functional outsourcing is medical writing. This symposium will address ways in which to maximize the role of in-house writers with their external counterparts and their internal customers, show the challenges and benefits of implementing a company-wide style guide or rule book for use by internal and external writers and editors, and present tried and true strategies for developing strong document review teams and setting the ground rules for team roles and responsibilities, particularly in instances in which team members are geographically dispersed and represent a diverse cross section of the organization.

Learning Objectives:
Identify factors that might make interactions with some external writers challenging
Define your own personal action plan for continued growth and development as a point of contact
Assess the needs for a company-wide style guide Name the necessary elements that any effective company-wide style guide should contain Identify ground rules for effective document review Discuss ways to utilize technology to enhance the medical writing review process.