A lot of companies have a traditional viewpoint that the only right way to do something is that it is done in-house. Unfortunately, this old attitude has several drawbacks. First of all, doing something as delicate as software development requires several things that most companies simply don’t have. For example, it requires personnel trained in this particular area, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Today I am going to share what exactly is the right way for Outsourcing Software Development.
Additionally, it also makes purchasing adequate gear (both hardware and software) mandatory and lastly, it requires an industry specific experience your team simply won’t have in a long time. Because of this, outsourcing remains the only viable option in a lot of situations. Here are few tips on how to do it the right way.
Offshore vs. Nearshore for Outsourcing Software Development
Geographically speaking, there are two different types of outsourcing: offshoring and nearshoring. While the first means that you are outsourcing your business to a company far from home, nearshoring usually means dealing with someone in the vicinity. Most commonly it is a country you share a border with. Each of them has its set of advantages and disadvantage. While offshoring is much more affordable, it also brings many risks and inconveniences with the issues of management and quality of the product. Nearshoring has no such problems seeing how it usually provides one with the opportunity to (more or less) personally monitor the entire process.
Maintaining Real-Time Communication
Seeing how this is the gradual yet fragile process, it is vital that you maintain a real-time communication with a company you are outsourcing too. Unfortunately, in some cases, this will mean staying up all night so that you can adjust to their time zone. In other cases, they will do the same for you. As you can see, this is one of the reasons why nearshoring is more convenient. People behind a renowned Swiss software engineering company claim that this is the reason why they look for most of their clients in surrounding countries. This is why most of their work comes from Germany and Austria.
Follow the Thread
One of the most alarming things about the world of internet is that nothing that we do can ever be completely erased. This means that it would be quite easy for you to do some digging to the reputation of the company you are outsourcing to. Look into some of their previous work and see if you like it. Moreover, do some research and even contact some of that company’s former clients to get their opinion. Once you are satisfied with what you learn, you can proceed. Think about it; you are paying someone to develop software that will later be associated with your company’s brand. It becomes, more than clear that you cannot tolerate even the tiniest of mistakes.
Ask for Guarantees
In the hostile world of modern business time is money. This means that as soon as you sit at the negotiator’s desk with the company, you set the timetable. Furthermore, ask for your new partners to guarantee that what you asked for is delivered in time. Still, this is not the only thing you need to insist on. What good is the product you get on time, only to realize it doesn’t fulfill any of the standards you set for it? Just make sure to state what you want from the product clearly and even try to make these requirements legally binding. This will help you avoid paying for a product you didn’t order.
Read Here: How to Easily Share Files Between Computers & Mobile phones
Conclusion
As you can see, managing your deal with a foreign company, isn’t that different to managing an in-house project. At first, it may seem a bit strange, but after you get used to it, you won’t be able to think of doing it any other way. Outsourcing is the way of the future and all those still refusing to see it deserve to be left behind.
I am a 33-year-old gentleman from a lower-middle-class family hailing from a small village Narasinghpur in Cuttack, Odisha, INDIA. I have a post-graduate degree in M.Tech from BITS Pilani. I started blogging back in June 2014. You can check out my journey and all that I have learnt all these years on my website.
