A 2017 Statista study reveals that software development is the most outsourced IT function by IT leaders worldwide. This should come as no surprise as more established tech companies part ways with their legacy systems and more start-ups try to take advantage of the large global pool of software specialists. Forecast for this particular IT industry remains bright for at least the next five years as more businesses strive to optimize their efficiency and competitiveness via digital solutions.
If you are a business owner, outsourcing software development offers a number of benefits. This includes significantly reduced expenses and the flexibility of adapting the software for your business processes according to the latest trends in technology. However, there are important caveats that you should avoid when you decide to assign the task to remote software developers.
Here are 5 things to avoid when outsourcing software development.
1. Not Being Thorough With Planning
Planning gets half the work done, so goes the saying. This cliché is especially true when it comes to outsourcing software development. For example, while you might know what the running outsourcing rates are, you might incur other expenses. If you fail to consider other possible expenditures such as the budget for travel if you’ll engage an offshore team and other G&A expenses for the project alone, you can go easily over budget.
Apart from cost, determine other essential aspects of the project. These will likely include your software specifications, features, timeline, objectives, code quality requirements, and legal protection for your software. Be definitive about most of the aspects that you’ll need to communicate with your vendor. Draft out alternative courses of action for any hitches that you’ll encounter along the way.
2. Just Skimming Through the Vendor Qualifications
You can’t just look up third-party software developers on Yelp. Spend time researching the market for reputable vendors. Once you have shortlisted possible candidates, investigate each vendor to figure out which one best fits your project requirements.
3. Skipping the Meet and Greet With the Developers
The expansive global pool of talented software developers is one of the major draws of outsourcing. The drawback, however, is that some offshore talents may have trouble articulating their ideas in your language. Try to schedule a meet-and-greet with the software development team to see if communication will be a problem.
4. Not Having an Expert on Your Side
You’ll be at the mercy of your vendor if you only have limited technical knowledge and skills. It is best to have a well-versed software developer on your core team who will look after your interests.
5. Not Having Foresight
Short-term assignments and one-offs may result in bad projects and poor software quality because the vendor is more concerned about delivering on time and getting it over with. Dedicated and extended partnerships on the other hand, give you the flexibility of upgrading or making changes to your software whenever the need arises.