Don't just go with the flow. "Push the contractual envelope with your vendors," says Scott Staples, president and CEO of knowledge services for outsourcer MindTree. "Whether it is SaaS, outcome-based pricing, or some other model, new models should be explored everywhere in your organization."

Resolution #4: I will keep it simple. "In our view, the top-of-the-list 2011 resolution for client organizations is standardization," says Mathers of Compass. Consider your typical global enterprise: each business unit, geographic region, each function often does things its own way. And service providers accommodate such specialized requirements. After all, the customer is always right.

"This results in operational constraints that drive high costs and inefficiency," says Mathers. Resolve to implement standard definitions for IT service delivery across the enterprise and reward their use. They should address 90 percent or more of your requirements, Mathers promises.

Resolution #5: I will say what I mean. If you're not partnering to implement, paradigm shift, you're thinking outside the box to implement mission critical processes. Put down the buzzword bingo card. There's nothing like exactitude and candor in getting what you want from a vendor. In keeping with keeping it simple, start by eliminating just a couple of imprecise and overused terms for now.

"Stop using the word 'innovation' and use the word that is really meant," suggests Joseph King, CMO for outsourcer Mindtree, "whether it's cost savings, productivity improvement, outcome-based pricing, et cetera."