What are the stages of a software outsourcing project?

The information technology market is growing by leaps and bounds every year – the industry created 200,000 jobs in 2018 in the United States alone. One of the main reasons for the rise of the sector is software development, a segment that is expected to grow by more than 8% in 2019.

Many companies are turning to software outsourcing partners to help them develop custom software without committing to a large, inflexible in-house development team. This is because an outsourcing partner can help companies hire the right people, develop better quality software, and protect sensitive data from malicious hackers.

Before selecting an outsourcing partner, it is important for executives to have a solid understanding of the software development lifecycle and how outsourcing can affect the process. This guide will walk managers through the five most important steps of a software outsourcing project, including:

• Gathering goals and requirements
• Selecting the best outsourcing model
• Starting the Development Process
• Conducting quality control tests
• Deploying and maintaining the software

Read on to learn more about the five steps of a software outsourcing project.

#1: Create a Goals and Requirements Document

Executives use the goals and requirements gathering and analysis phases to create a strategic roadmap that will serve as the basis for the software development project. This document describes the goals of the custom software, as well as what requirements and features are needed to achieve those goals.

For example, a company interested in creating a mobile banking app will have a specific set of requirements that is very different from a company looking to create video streaming software.

Clients should think carefully about their goals for the development project, their target audience, and the most important features before turning to an outsourced development service. This will help them properly evaluate outsourcing companies according to their specific project needs and select the right outsourcing model according to their internal capabilities.

#2 Select the best outsourcing model

There are three main types of software outsourcing models available to companies interested in custom software development. Each of these outsourcing styles presents a unique set of advantages and disadvantages.

Staff increase

• Hire a limited number of developers and other specialists to supplement a company's internal development team for the duration of the project only.
• Ideal for companies with experienced project managers and a strong internal development group.

Managed Services

• A project-based model for software development.
• Software outsourcing services provide a complete development team.
• The outsourced team handles most of the development tasks, while the client oversees the workflow and is responsible for the overall direction of the project.

Autonomous Delivery Teams

• Ideal for managers who do not have development experience.
• These end-to-end groups use the customer's goals and requirements to build the software without oversight.
• It allows executives to focus on their core business and customers rather than getting involved in the minutiae of the development cycle.

#3 Start the development process

The development process will be largely the same regardless of the software outsourcing model selected. The software development team must follow the goals and requirements compiled by the executive team to create a set of deliverables and deadlines.

Software engineers will begin writing software code and building the most important components first.

If the team is using a modern development methodology like Agile, it will focus on integrating the most important features into a software iteration. This basic version will be shared with stakeholders and end users. They will use this valuable feedback to learn about the most used features and to divert resources to the most important components.

Additionally, developers will perform unit testing to find logical errors in the code. The team will use computer program modules, operating and usage procedures, and control data to determine whether source code units can be used in the final product.

Once unit testing has been completed and several iterations have been produced and improved, it is time to move to the quality assurance (QA) testing phase.

THE TEAM WILL USE THIS VALUABLE FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS AND END USERS TO LEARN ABOUT THE MOST USED FEATURES AND TO DIVERT RESOURCES TO THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENTS.

#4 Conduct Thorough QA Testing

Quality control testing is one of the most important steps in a software outsourcing project. It ensures that the software works as expected, is free of bugs, and that sensitive consumer data is protected from hostile actors.

Traditionally, QA testing was relegated to the testing phase of the software development lifecycle. However, both technology companies and software outsourcing services have adopted agile development en masse. This methodology encourages development teams to include quality control testing in each software iteration.

Development teams use a combination of manual and automated testing to identify coding errors, bugs, and data privacy vulnerabilities. Be sure to ask potential outsourcing partners about their approach to functional, performance, usability, and security testing.

Types of Quality Control Tests

• Functional: Determines whether the software operates in accordance with its functional requirements.
• Performance: Ensures that the software is capable of performing under high workload. Identifies performance bottlenecks and provides simple solutions.
• Automated: Uses custom programs to identify faults and bugs without the heavy workload of manual testing.
• Usability: Ensures that the software works perfectly for the end user and is easy to use. Focus on UI and UX design.
• Security: Helps companies identify vulnerabilities and protect their customers' confidential data.

#5: Deploy and maintain software

Many outsiders believe that software development ends after testing. However, the best software outsourcing companies create a strategy to successfully deploy and maintain the software once the development process is complete.

This strategy ensures that unidentified bugs and errors are fixed quickly as soon as users report the issue to developers. Additionally, development teams should use feedback provided by consumers to add features and improve the product beyond simply fixing bugs.

For example, Facebook recently responded to customer feedback by adding a Marketplace to its apps. This allows users to post items for sale and purchase items from their Facebook friends and others in their immediate geographic area.

Companies should work with their outsourcing partner to create a plan for responding to customer feedback – including bugs and suggestions. This may involve completing all maintenance tasks in-house or leaving one or two additional team members in charge of service tickets and user submissions throughout the software's lifecycle.

Summary: The 5 stages of a software outsourcing project

1. Describe software goals and requirements: Companies should create a document describing the goals of the development project and a list of requirements that the software must meet.
2. Select the best outsourcing model: Executives must conduct a realistic assessment of their internal capabilities. This will determine whether staff augmentation or some form of delivery team is best for the project.
3. Start the development process: Start developing the software itself. Use a combination of outsourced staff and in-house employees to build software from scratch.
4. Full QA Testing: Software must be tested for functionality, performance, usability and security. Outsourcing partners should use a combination of manual and automated testing to achieve this.
5. Deploy and maintain the software: Release the software to the market. Additionally, create a strategy for responding to customer service tickets and fixing new issues.