If you have been running a business in the online market, you must know more than anyone how fast technology is pressing forward. One needs to keep up with the changes. The only way to do this is with the help of a team of qualified personnel to assist in the software development. Nevertheless, the cost of employing an in-house team of developers might be too high for the business.
You might be going through the same and you’ve been planning to hand your technical work over to a third party. Well, that’s a great idea; however, there are a few things you need to know before outsourcing your software development.
Get familiar with the process before starting off. Below are 4 useful tips on how to outsource your software development successfully.
Be part of the project. Have your own technician supervise the project
Don’t play the project manager role lest you expose your company to serious risks. Software development requires high-level expertise, unless you are fully qualified, it is wise to assign your company technician to supervise the team you choose to outsource your development.
If you insist on supervising your own work, the end result might not meet the expected quality. Unless you have the ability to understand the written codes, the outsourced team may take shortcuts in the development process. This tampers with the whole structure of the software thus detrimental; you might even need to go through the whole process again.
To avoid this, pick the best coder from your in-house IT team to supervise the process step by step. Leave no room for mistakes!
Prepare your designs before outsourcing
If you plan to conduct an offshore software development, you must have all the necessary material ready before outsourcing the project.
You have to face this reality with offshore projects; communication can never be 100%. Poor communication is one of the hardest things to overcome in offshore projects. At no point can we say the flow of information is effective.
For this reason, instead of assuming the development firm knows what you want, get the design work done internally. Revise every single screen, and ensure each is exactly how you want it to look. This also reduces chances of wrong interpretation by the development firm.
Another advantage is that you get to save a lot of money. Development firms tend to charge expensively for design work.
Don’t chip in new designs in the course of the project
Don’t try to force in new designs, stick to your plan. Unless you have made a very big mistake, there is no need of giving the outsourced company a hard time assisting you. In case you want to chip in new ideas, editing can be done while the project is already in the market.
Organise your designs prior to the onset of the software development project. Trying to squeeze in new items will only slow down the process.
Once you have outsourced the software development program, the best thing to do is to stay away and allow the service providers work on it. Your role should be to supervise the operation.
Lastly, having a team you can trust enhances transparency and flexibility of the whole project.
Build an In-House department for Offshore Development
While this sounds complex, you should try it. All you need to do is set up a small dedicated team of in-house top-skilled IT experts. This comes with a number of benefits.
First, if you have an internal Dedicated Development Center (DDC), the expertise remains within the company.
Secondly, you gain ultimate control of the program development
4 tips on how to outsource your software development
- Avoid chipping in new results during the development process.
- Prepare the designs you need before you start outsourcing
- Have your technician supervise the development
- Build an in-house offshore development center
Try the above tips. You can never go wrong!