With the constant growth of technology, companies are finding it difficult to develop their programming solutions in-house while maintaining competitiveness. When the goal is optimizing every resource and operation, deciding on outsourcing software development of your project can sometimes be made under pressure. Searching for qualified service providers that can deliver skilled developers may seem demanding unless you know what to look for.
What should you keep in mind when outsourcing software development?
We give you 5 top tips to keep in mind when browsing the market!
Choose a partner, not a vendor
At a first glance, understanding the outsourcing industry isn’t easy, especially if you have little experience or never outsourced before. Naturally, knowing what to look for or where to seek appropriate support can be a demanding task. In the IT industry, you get what you pay for, and working with a vendor is choosing a risky situation. Being unaware of the difference between an outsourcing partner and vendor can end up in assuming they’re the same thing. After all, each provides IT services, the same technical talent, follow-up and processes right? It couldn’t be more way off beam.
While a vendor supplies a product or service to a client, in this case, IT professionals, a partner becomes an extension of the client’s business. In other words, an experienced partner will assist you with market know-how. Providing highly experienced engineers for your project with the skilled-set you need, while ensuring reliable resources, constant communication, and in-house evaluations of the project development.
Although starting a partnership can be a complex decision with several comparisons – all coming back to pricing vs track record – there are no shortcuts in software development. If it comes to choosing a vendor: it’s the role of the dice.
Get Involved
When searching for IT talent in a service provider for your project, always remember how important your role is. In the first stage, it’s crucial to clearly define the objective and scope of your project. If your project is to run without a hitch, state what you want to achieve and what your needs are. Keep in mind that when it comes to your project’s requirements, you’re the guide. As in any partnership, be ready to answer multiple questions from your potential service provider as they will focus to clarify as many requirements as possible, and expectations well before the project are underway.
Now that everything is aligned and you have at your disposal the IT talent in demand, remember that outsourcing isn’t self-guiding software. As part of your staff, these highly valuable professionals will integrate your team and live by your company culture. Although your outsourcing provider will keep connected and look for feedback from both parties regarding the project development, it’s the client’s responsibility to manage its new resources.
Prepare Your In-house IT team
When starting an outsourcing relationship, your company will have to adopt some changes in its team organizational structure. Your in-house staff will now be extended with a nearshore team or professional. Therefore, it’s pivotal to prepare your employees to work efficiently with their new remote colleagues. This means collaboration tools, adjustment to new processes in work development, and more.
Communication is King
Successful outsourcing is due to effective communication. When outsourcing, nothing beats a partner who values dialogue and knows its importance. Lack of regular or clear communication can lead to your project becoming highly inefficient. If you’re looking to extend your in-house IT skills, it’s crucial to partner with a provider who, as one of its priorities, focuses on setting up standard communication channels and schedules between both parties. This means, being aware of the development of the project, and anticipating your potential future needs.
In addition, communication benefits more than strictly business. Nearshoring helps shape your own team as it ensures better and more efficient ways of communication. Helping your staff to develop faster than ever before. At Nearshore Portugal, we operate with an agile approach, valuing clear and regular communication with our clients and tech talent to guarantee max efficiency in all our outsourcing relationships.
Adopt Agile Principles
An agile approach requires a lot of open communication, collaboration and trust between you, the client, and the outsourcing partner, and that’s what you want. When outsourcing your project or simply extending your IT team, keep in mind the following: the projects that do best, are those in which the client and provider work as one organization. We believe that agile methodologies, such as SCRUM, make way for clients to reap far greater rewards. Working with an agile partner with IT professionals that are accustom to this approach means greater client involvement, more reliability and proper fail-safes.
Ultimately, in outsourcing software, an Agile team introduces benefits when it comes to improving its development and quality. A methodology focused on self-organizing cross-functional teams with autonomy, technical expertise, and higher performance.
By following these tips, you’ll be able to find and properly identify the right nearshore outsourcing partner that will meet your requirements and suit your organizations’ challenges.
Why wait? Extend your in-house skills!
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