What to Consider before Outsourcing Software Development

by | Published on Apr 11, 2019 | Outsourcing Services

Digital transformation has become indispensable in the present-day world for businesses that aim to be more innovative and agile and enhance their brand. They need the best software systems for effective transformation and utilizing a business process outsourcing service is the practical and affordable way of going about it. This is because the costs for software developers have increased tremendously across the United States.
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Businesses that outsource software development are found to better adapt to the digital advancements. Their primary focus is to run a flourishing business and meet customers’ needs effectively and for this they are ready to partner with a reliable external agency.

Emerging technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) are already helping enterprises in business automation, customer management, risk management and security. Outsourcing providers help businesses with development design, maintenance and testing of the software application and solutions. They are the link between the customer’s rising demand for advanced technology solutions and services by the company and instead of having to hire a full-time specialist to help them execute a specific task, companies can simply utilize outsourced expertise and focus their resources on core competencies.

Software solutions like AI and ML need huge volumes of data. But as the volume of data increases, chances of data breach also increase. So, data security automation and advanced threat intelligence is vital and with software outsourcing, enterprises can satisfy this demand to fully comply with security regulations and industry standards. Moreover, with the introduction of GDPR, outsourcing vendors are now obligated to conduct their security audits and use that information to update their security strategies and meet new security standards. This ensures availability, quality of the services and responsibility. The ideal way to protect your business against potentially hazardous data breaches is by hiring outsourcing providers that have security testing in their service offerings.

According to Bloomberg, the demand for talented and experienced tech talent in the US is rising. In fact, there are talented, ethical software developers all around the world, from whom you can make a good choice. However, as a recent forbes.com article points out, take the following considerations into account before outsourcing to a software development company.

  • Outsourcers often present interns as juniors, juniors as mid-levels and mid-levels as seniors. Even good vendors follow this practice because of the great market pressure on them. So, businesses should ensure that they choose the right vendor and manage their projects intensely and that too, on a daily basis to ensure consistency and quality.
  • Some recruiters offer research and development center services to compete with outsourcers. Not only are the software developers sourced, but the office and administrative functions are also carried out on behalf of the clients. This will involve additional fees and clients may have to make a larger upfront commitment.
  • Typically, the apps developed by outsourcers have shown a rather high failure rate. This is something to be wary about.

To stay away from any risks outsourcing software development poses, businesses can follow some best practices.

  • Make sure to ask for reference of two software applicationsthey have launched successfully. This will help you get an idea of what to expect from the outsourcers. But if they do not have any previously developed software and you like the firm, then you can engage your product or project manager to manage the outsourced staff directly. There are high chances of changing or updating your app several times. So, discuss with the outsourcers how to accommodate the change and be adaptive.
  • If you are planning to outsource to add to your team, then you may want to ask interview questions like “why do you want to work with us” and test tasks assigned to the candidates. If you get the answer ” for more money” then you can stay assured that this developer will not last long. You can also look for local references or meet candidates who have worked with them and also find out if any developer has worked with open source projects because most contributors to open source projects are brilliant developers.
  • Before committing to the outsourcer make sure to conduct a trial test. If you like the work of your developers, then prepare the agreement and hire them. Make sure to draft the agreement carefully so that both the parties need not suffer any losses.
  • Pay attention to software developers who focus on both a vertical and a software language. Avoid vendors who claim to be experts in Java, Python, C++ to avoid getting spammed.
  • Negotiate the monthly wages if you are hiring the software development team on a permanent basis.

Outsourcing services to a reliable business process outsourcing company would bring you multidisciplinary expertise that includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data tools, digital mobile applications and cloud solutions. Efficient communication and timely feedback are very essential for outsourcing web app development. It is important to have a routine meet up or call to ensure that both parties are on the same page and proper communication is also essential to clarify all your doubts, and communicate your needs and expectations when outsourcing to professional web app development services.

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