Outsourcing software development is a trend with an increasing number of followers. But how do you know what to do and what not to do when choosing to outsource? In this article, our PM Marco Zanger gives us some guidelines to follow.
Over the past few years, companies around the world have realized that they need to be up to date with the latest technologies to adapt to an ever-changing world and be prepared for the future. Volatility, changing regulations, and security concerns require tools that allow these companies to adjust quickly to the new realities.
Often, in order to deal with this situation, companies are not aware that they are not capable of handling the development of a technological project on their own and end up micromanaging to avoid delays or assigning unchallenging tasks to more experienced professionals.
So, what do you do? Here is where outsourcing IT and software development solutions may appear. However, one big question remains — how do you trust a third party with a key part of your business? An important piece of information that helps is that according to a survey conducted by the consulting firm Bain & Company, 82% of large companies in Europe, Asia, and North America outsource software development services.
The above is evidence that outsourcing these types of services is a trend with an increasing number of followers.
Now, how do you know what to do and what not to do when outsourcing software development solutions? Here we give you some guidelines that will be useful to seal a business relationship and guarantee the quality of the product you want.
What to DO when outsourcing software services
Do care for inception
Choosing the right partner that will provide you with technical solutions in your context and effectively communicating your challenges as a company, as well as align with your way of working and organizational culture, is essential to get off to a good start.
Investing time for the outsourcing company to understand the issues in depth will help them know what you want and offer the solution that best suits your business and objectives.
Do ask for their opinion as software experts
By outsourcing, you not only add the strength and knowledge of new professionals to your internal teams, but you also add people from the support areas, which are necessary to assist the development teams.
Having at your disposal not only the workforce of the assigned people but also all the areas of expertise and other services that a software consulting firm can offer you can be a huge differential at the time of obtaining good results.
Do assign time from your side to empower their side
The experts in each area have identified the needs to carry out each task. Outsourcing is not only about exporting the development process but also about involving the technical people in the analysis of the solution. Make sure you provide enough time for your experts to empower those who will carry out the development tasks together with the outsourcing company.
Content related: 6 Reasons to start Outsourcing Software Development
What NOT TO DO when outsourcing software services
Don’t outsource core workers
The goal of outsourcing should never be to solve the core of your problems but to implement the solution to those problems. The origin of the challenges is never technical but is business-specific. It is necessary to take into account that the knowledge resulting from these challenges, as well as the strategies and decisions to face them, must always remain within the company once the development is finished.
Don’t look for an extension of your arm but for a partner for success
One of the reasons for outsourcing software services is often that companies do not have the internal capacity (technological or professional) or the ability to deal with the projects. Manpower is one of the many ways of outsourcing but not the only one. When hiring a company, the need must be understood and clarified in order to find the right partner.
Nowadays, outsourcing means much more than just adding strength to our internal development teams, as we add to our knowledge the experience of another company to assist us in finding better solutions.
Don’t assign overqualified experts to do simple things
Companies that have in-house development teams but outsource software services may confuse the search for the best qualified experts to augment their teams with the search for overqualified experts to perform extremely simple tasks. An outsourcing relationship that works in both the short and long term involves allowing software experts to propose which team best fits the needs.
To Sum Up
Today, the challenges of running a successful business are increasingly related to the search for technological solutions that take organizations to another level in terms of competitiveness and market leadership.
Outsourcing software development should not be used as a quick solution to problems that impact the core of your business.
It should be seen as a strategic business decision that will help you leverage your internal development team (if you have one) and exchange technical knowledge that perhaps your professionals do not have, all the while offering you peace of mind that the technology solutions your company needs are in expert hands.
Many companies around the world have already relied on outsourcing software services. The key is to be wise in how to manage those hits and mistakes in outsourcing software development and get the best out of it.
At Hexacta, we are leaders in software development, IT consulting, custom software development, testing, and UI/UX design. Our reputation rests on our work, and our work is built on technical excellence with the flexibility our customers need to get the job done.
Let us show you how great your software can be! Get in touch today to learn more.
