Almost every company has stories about outsourced software development projects gone wrong. Like most soured professional relationships, the problems are usually evident from the beginning. Uncertain track records, poor communication skills, inflexible development approaches are all warning signs that things aren’t going to run smoothly.
That’s because working with an outsourced software development team means incorporating them into your enterprise. Even if they’re here to redesign your development methodology or to take control of it entirely, they still must blend in as part of the group.
What you should be looking for is an expert who can become a part of your team. Whether they’re with you for a single project or for the long haul, they need to be able to work alongside you, communicate with you, and share a common technological and development attitude.
Finding that natural fit is the answer to the question, does outsourcing software development work? It certainly does, if you work with an expert who can understand and deliver on your unique goals.
What to Look for in an Outsourced Software Development Expert
Your values—product quality, resource savings, and timely delivery—have to be shared. To make sure your potential partner is up to the task consider these three basic elements:
- Talent. What training and support does a potential outsourced partner offer their engineers? What is their track record in the marketplace? What expertise do they have to your domain and working on projects like yours? Can they take the lead on a project?
- Communication. Do you share a common language, both in terms of communication and technology? Can they describe their approach and their solution in a way you understand and communicate with your team and stakeholders?
- Workflow. How does their location affect the way you work together? Do you share standard working hours and meet regularly? How do they plan to work alongside your core team? This is especially important if considering offshore outsourcing, which can present problems that a nearshore outsourcing firm does not.
Your outsourced partner should give you confidence that your team, and ultimately your product, is going to be enhanced by their presence. When you are comfortable working together, it’s easier to produce better solutions faster.
How to Make Outsourced Software Development Work
The total contract value of the IT outsourcing market worldwide is worth more than $60 billion, and in this ever-more-technical world has solidified its position as a valuable asset regardless of industry. In order to make sure that you see a similarly positive trend in your own enterprise, here are five best practices that you and your software development partner should agree on.
- Meet face-to-face regularly. Now that video conferencing has become an affordable and accessible option, it is possible to meet face-to-face at any time and from anywhere. This opens up nearshore software development options that offer advantages over both domestic and offshore options. You should be able to stage regular meetings to discuss project progress and potential challenges and to refine the flow of work throughout the development cycle. Open channels of communication are crucial to development success.
- Involve your partner in planning. Outsourced experts are more than just extra engineering hours. Software outsourcing services should operate end-to-end and be able to contribute to project planning that introduces methods and technologies that streamline the process. Accurately accounting for the necessary time and resources at the beginning of a project eliminates the need for costly, time-poor interventions at the end of the release cycle.
- Demand a customized solution. Every software development project is unique. So too is every development environment, every release schedule, and every budget. An external expert should be able to provide a solution that is customized to your specific requirements and captures your business goals.
- Be willing to learn. Outsourced partners are domain and technology experts. While you should always keep your business goals in front of mind, it is important to find a partner that can ensure your product meets the latest industry standards and trends and is accessible to the widest possible audience.
- Scale-up and down as needed. You can leverage the expertise of an external partner by reaching out for their support when your release schedule dictates. External experts can onboard quickly and retain the connection with you in downtimes so that you can more accurately assign your resources to maximum effect.
Following these best practices allows companies to get the most from their outsourced partnership and deliver a positive answer to the question: “Does outsourcing software development work?”
Why Does Outsourcing Software Development Work?
Outsourcing software development makes it possible to deliver a better product, in a more time-effective manner, and within your resource limits. With the right partner, it is the most efficient way possible to boost your core team with the expertise and engineering power needed to deliver a quality user experience that your customers can rely upon.
When you partner with BairesDev you enhance your team with the experience and professionalism of the Top 1% tech Talent in Latin America. Our engineers can guide you through the latest industry trends and standards to make sure your product reaches and impresses the right audience. Contact our team today and make the most of your ideas.
