How do you outsource software development? What should you look for? What should you expect? All this and much more here.
Whenever you bring third parties into your processes, you are exposing yourself to risk. For example, you may expose your intellectual property, your company's financial records, or your client's private information. It's not that the outsourced partner will steal this from you, but if you're not careful who you work with, you could end up collaborating with someone who multiplies your vulnerabilities and opens the door to malicious actors. While these risks are always present, you can limit them by hiring a company that offers a secure software development process and the proper documentation to protect your contract with them.
How to outsource software development effectively?
Now that you understand the basics of software development outsourcing, it's time to take the next step: finding the perfect partner for your development needs. While it may seem like a trip to the grocery store, it's more complicated than it seems. Development projects can be expensive and come with a number of risks that you need to limit. That's why you need to hire a company with enough experience and knowledge to help you navigate the turbulent waters of software development.
However, it's not just about guidance. A reputed software development company can provide high-quality solutions in less time, which in turn will give you the competitive edge you are looking for with its digital acceleration. In fact, partnering with a good software development provider is the only way to ensure the benefits we discussed earlier.
How can you be sure that the companies you are considering are good suppliers? While there is no recipe that can guarantee a solid partnership, the following suggestions will get you as close to it as possible.
1. List your candidates
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiring the first company you find. Unless that company comes highly recommended by someone you trust, you should always do thorough research into what the outsourcing development market has to offer. This means you should take a look at a list of candidates and compare them to see which one best suits your needs.
So, you should start by creating this list. You can always Google outsourcing software companies and jot down some names from there, but you need to dig a little deeper. Ask your team if they have references for good outsourcing companies, as they may have collaborated with one in the past. You can also ask colleagues or other industry professionals about their experiences with outsourcing companies. Finally, reading forums and social networking sites may provide some extra names.
All of these sources should give you 5-10 companies that you will have to research later. Before you begin this investigation, however, you should write down the list of companies and their most important details, including names, services they offer, relevant customers, and contact information.
2. Start your search
Once you have this list, you will have to take the first step: get to know a little more about your candidates. The best way to do this is by searching their names on Google and analyzing the results you get. Naturally, you'll start your research on company websites, where you'll get the basic information you need to get started. But you don't want to stop there – you should check reviews on other platforms (like Clutch or Glassdoor), visit their social media profiles, and read as many reviews as you can.
Forums or websites like Reddit are also a great way to learn about specific companies and their services, as they often offer unbiased reviews and reports of software development companies. Additionally, you should check blogs and news sites to see if listed companies are mentioned in them. If you are targeting reputable companies, they are likely to have some mentions on specialized blogs where you can better verify the legitimacy of their candidates.
Do as comprehensive research as possible, but remember that you shouldn't dismiss a company just because you find a bad review or bad article about it. There is a lot of competition out there and competitors are likely to try to badmouth each other. That's why you need to average your findings against a specific outsourcing company to really know who they are.
3. Learn what you can about the country
Since you will be working with a company from another country, you will need to learn as much as you can about the subject. Why? Because there may be certain cultural differences or specific contexts that may end up affecting your partnership with a company based on them. For example, there may be hidden costs in hiring a company from a specific country, or their professionals may not have the necessary language proficiency to work with them.
If you hire a development team from a very different country, you may find that they have a different work culture, which may affect how you work with them and the results you get. Not all outsourcing companies have adapted to international standards, so you need to make sure that the one you choose has done so, especially if it is located in a distant region.
Finally, there are countries or regions that adjust their time zones depending on the season. This may seem like a detail, but changing the schedule can further disrupt your collaboration with them. Searching for companies within your time zone (or similar) is your safest bet here, as you won't be bothered by different work hours.
4. Interview the companies themselves
The final step is to conduct full interviews with your candidates to get to know them better. At these meetings, you will be able to learn a lot about them and not just about their past service and achievements. Of course, you'll have to ask them about their workflow, their processes, how they think they'll approach a project like yours, and whether they've worked on similar projects in the past. But you need to go beyond that and pay attention to other things too.
For example, meeting with them can give you an idea of how organized they are with their time and how effectively they communicate with you. Some of the things you should check are how quickly and accurately they respond to your questions, how adaptable they are to your needs, how clear they are in explaining their processes, and how confident they feel doing it. it.
Of course, interviews will also be great examples of clarifying the thornier aspects of the potential partnership, including contracts, service agreements, fees and confidentiality agreements. All of these things are significant facets of any outsourcing project, so be sure to mention them (although perhaps you should try to work with a company that discusses them without you having to bring the issue to the table).
A final suggestion would be that you should not vet a candidate based on a meeting or video call. The best way to truly get to know your candidates is to meet several times, so you can better understand each other's expectations and needs. Furthermore, holding several meetings will allow you to learn some extra details, especially about your communication and internal organization.
A winning partnership for your digital acceleration
If you follow the suggestions above, you will be closer to finding the perfect company to meet your outsourcing needs. Of course, you'll have to do your homework by thoroughly researching your options, but also clearly defining what you want from your outsourcing partnership. If you don't know where you want to go with your digital acceleration, then your project is doomed to failure.
Furthermore, knowing in detail what you need from your outsourcing partner will help you when selecting the best option for it. Just remember that it may take some time to find the right company for your outsourcing needs, but also know that it will all be worth it: if you find an outsourcing company that can bring all the benefits of outsourcing to your table while minimizing the disadvantages, you will have struck gold, as you will have found a company that can become a long-term partner.
There's no reason to scoff, because your digital acceleration process won't end with your first software development project. You will need constant updates and upgrades, something a reputable outsourcing company can provide for as long as you are partners.
