Outsourcing agile software development: when to do it?

developed by the Stanford Design School have proven to be especially effective. Going through these five stages is a process that gives software engineers a way to adapt to their team's way of working. Following them keeps engineers motivated, engaged, and focused on making the greatest possible contribution to their team.

The five stages of software design thinking are:

1. Empathize: Software engineers at a quality outsourcing partner will start by empathizing with your pain points and your team. They must observe end users and learn about the context in which their use occurs. They should engage you and your team by asking “why” questions that lead to the deepest insights. And they must monitor everything the team does around them, paying attention to even the smallest details.
2. Define: Next, engineers should be able to define the needs and problems of end users, compiling the information collected during the previous phase. By identifying patterns, classifying needs, and synthesizing insights, end users’ pain points will become clear.
3. Ideate: The third step of design thinking is generating new ideas. It is a creative stage that uses techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping or storyboards to question assumptions and find innovative solutions alongside a long-term team.
4. Prototype: This experimental phase tests the ideas created in the previous phase by trying them out. It involves building scaled-down versions of the product to begin creating a solution. Quality software engineers will keep the end user in mind during this stage, imagining what the user experience with the product will be like.
5. Testing: The final step is to try out prototyped solutions. By handing them off to end users for testing, software engineers can get feedback on what refinements should be made. As design thinking is an iterative process, the previous steps can be repeated from any point until a complete solution that meets all requirements is delivered.

While the above stages are critical to optimal software development outsourcing, software outsourcing methodologies are not the only considerations to take into account when determining whether to hire a software developer.

Your partner will need to be able to provide staffing within 72 hours if you want to get the level of flexibility you really need. They should be able to provide staff augmentation for a range of outsourcing software development services , even if you need many employees. And it goes without saying that your nearshore software development partner should hire only the best technology talent in your region.

Choose an outsourcing partner who can quickly adapt to your methodology

It doesn't matter if you use an agile methodology or any other methodology that exists. The bottom line is that you need an outsourcing partner that offers talented developers who will understand the way you work.

A developer's qualifications, education, or work history are important. But if they fail to follow the methodologies established by your team or change quickly whenever necessary, they will waste your time and cost you money.