Discover how to seamlessly integrate third-party developers and increase your project success! Discover expert tips and best practices now.
Software development outsourcing exists to make life easier for business leaders and employees. Thanks to your external development team, your internal team can focus on core business tasks and work faster and more efficiently, improving delivery times and the overall quality of the technology you produce.
But before you start working with your software development company , it's important to onboard each team member. How else will your new team members understand your expectations and stay fully up to date on your processes?
Some aspects of the onboarding process will be similar to when you hire a new employee, but many elements are different. But in any case, integration requires careful attention. This is your guide to getting your new development team up and running quickly.
Preparing for integration
Before you start onboarding your new remote developers, you'll need to take a few steps to prepare in advance. This will make the process easier and less time-consuming. This will also set your employees and external team up for long-term success.
Assessing your needs
Start by identifying the specific technical skills and knowledge needed for the project, as well as the general qualifications this task requires. This is a step you would take with any new employee – you start by considering what specific qualifications you are looking for.
Consider soft skills that are essential for all members of your team, such as strong communication, problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills, along with necessary hard or technical skills.
This involves a few factors, including the skill set of your in-house developers, the complexity and size of the project, and any gaps that exist. You will need to fill these gaps with the expertise of your external team.
Additionally, consider the size and structure of the team. What specific roles are you looking for? That is, are you just looking for developers, or do you need other roles like quality assurance (QA) engineers and user experience (UX) designers?
Furthermore, do you need an independently functioning unit or are you looking for professionals who work together with your team members? It is also possible to use a hybrid model – there are different types of software development outsourcing , such as increased staff and delivery teams, contributing to a project. This is important for selecting your software vendor in the first place – and will play a critical role in setting up your development environment and team for success.
Selecting the right partner
It is essential to choose the right development team to partner with your business. This is a collaborative process, whether or not internal team members and external professionals are working directly together, side by side.
Technical knowledge is the starting point, of course, but there are other factors to consider, such as experience in your industry and niche, customer testimonials and references, and reviews. Thoroughly research your potential partner so you can better assess their suitability and qualifications. There are many third-party resources available to help as well, like Clutch.
Interviews are also an important part of the process – they will help you assess the potential partner’s cultural fit. Then, taking all of these factors into consideration, carefully analyze each potential vendor before determining which one is best suited for your organization.
Setting clear expectations
Once you've selected the right vendor for the job, start planning the partnership in more detail.
Before the project begins, you need to establish clear goals and expectations for the team and the project. Along with relevant technical guidelines, you should define project goals, timelines, and key deliverables. Review all of these guidelines in detail with the provider and ensure understanding.
You should also discuss expectations regarding the communication channels you will use, work hours, and reporting procedures. This will be important as you move forward with the initiative and need to reach out.
Preparing internal teams
You must also prepare your internal team for the partnership. Keep in mind that there may be some resistance, so you need to tread carefully. Fully describe the rationale behind the decision and make it clear that your internal team will be involved and will not be replaced.
Of course, all internal stakeholders must be involved in the integration process, as well as be informed about their roles and responsibilities.
It's helpful to designate a dedicated project manager to oversee the outsourced team and act as a point of contact for the partner team. This person should be the liaison between the two teams, as well as the one who communicates any important issues or feedback.
Integrating the outsourced team
Like any onboarding process, remote outsourced team onboarding requires building trust and relationships. Since the external organization will work closely with your internal team, start by facilitating introductions between in-house and outsourced professionals.
To promote collaboration and connections between the two teams, you can organize team-building activities that encourage all professionals to come together and work together in a more enjoyable and effective way. Of course, all of this will need to happen remotely, so think about icebreakers you can conduct on a video conferencing platform or other communication tool.
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge transfer is a critical component of the onboarding process for each team member. They need to be informed about all the details of the project and its needs. To update external team members, share all essential project documentation, including information such as technical specifications, user stories, and design assets.
Additionally, you should conduct training sessions to ensure that the outsourced team understands all project requirements and the tools and technologies they will use to complete it. Both sets of teams may need to be involved in these training sessions, especially if they are relatively new platforms for your organization.
Configuring Communication Channels
A successful partnership and project require solid communication tools and techniques. You may be dealing with a time difference, so coordination is key.
Determine how your work schedule aligns. You may be in different time zones, so coordinate how you navigate this. You should hold regular meetings and status updates at times that make sense for both partners. Additionally, establish communication tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams and/or Skype to have multiple modes and methods of contact and mutual updates.
Integration with project management tools
Project management tools are essential to the success of your project. Each team member – including contractors – must have access to project management tools and systems, such as Jira, Trello or Asana.
It is important to make your outsourced team aware of any procedures and processes you have in place regarding these tools. You should also provide extensive training to ensure new team members understand the platforms and are up to speed.
Monitoring progress and performance
Even after the onboarding process is complete, you must continue to track and monitor progress and performance. This requires careful supervision along with the following steps. Remember, these steps are not isolated – they are ongoing.
Tracking milestones and results
Before starting the project, establish a system for monitoring the outsourced team's progress. It's helpful to designate a specific platform for viewing progress, such as a kanban board, where you can view each team member's roles and responsibilities.
In addition to tracking and evaluating overall progress, you must define clear milestones, benchmarks, and results. This will help you measure the team's overall performance and ensure you are moving forward with completing the project.
Providing regular feedback
In any business context, feedback is important not only for the overall success of the project, but also for the growth of each professional. While you're unlikely to see these professionals in person since they are mostly remote developers, you can still offer feedback on their performance and progress. Take the time to give constructive criticism and positive feedback to your remote team – this is how they will understand your expectations and do their best to meet them.
In general, it is important to encourage open communication. There must be an ongoing dialogue about performance and expectations so that everyone is aligned.
Facing challenges and problems
Inevitably, problems arise during the software development process. You've probably faced challenges with your in-house professionals, and they can also occur with remote and outsourced developers.
The most important thing is that you have a process in place to identify and resolve any issues that arise throughout the project. You don't want your team to be caught off guard by obstacles that arise.
Work with your supplier to establish a process for detecting problems before they escalate and interfere with your project. Frequent check-ins will certainly help. Additionally, you should designate a point of contact each time to communicate challenges and feedback. There should always be an open line of communication with the outsourcing partner to address concerns along the way.
Evaluating and adjusting the onboarding process
Your onboarding process will require constant attention, assessment, and adjustments. Circumstances change, internal employees may come and go, new hires join the team, and so on. That's why you need to pay attention to your procedures, including onboarding. It is important to evaluate and reevaluate so that your onboarding process remains aligned with your company's values and remains up to date.
Conducting periodic reviews
It is important to carry out periodic reviews of your onboarding process. Set up a schedule with incremental reviews. The regularity of these reviews should depend on factors such as how often you work with external teams.
As part of this process, solicit feedback from internal stakeholders, including your own employees, and external staff. They can offer ideas on how to improve your onboarding process, as well as give their opinion on what works and what doesn't. Based on this feedback, you can make adjustments to procedures that will improve them and further strengthen your relationships with external suppliers.
Implementing Changes and Improvements
This feedback will be critical when you're working with new developers and professionals, whether they're full-time in-house employees or members of outsourced teams. When reviewing stakeholder comments, pay special attention to those that come up frequently.
Be sure to continually refine the process to ensure optimal collaboration and productivity. This will be helpful not just for onboarding, but for the entire partnership between you and your outsourced team.
Final thoughts
Onboarding outsourced technology professionals requires careful consideration and attention. It is important to establish a good relationship between internal and external team members and ensure that everyone is up to date. This is how you can make sure you get to work and execute your project successfully, as well as establish positive collaboration for the future.
Common questions
How can I ensure a smooth onboarding process for outsourced software development teams?
To ensure a smooth onboarding process for dedicated outsourced development teams , you must establish clear expectations and communication channels and provide feedback regularly. You should also set up platforms and tools to aid the process, as well as set aside time to reach out to all interested parties.
What support do outsourced developers need compared to an in-house team?
When considering outsourced developers versus in-house teams , it's important to note that outsourced developers often require support that may not be necessary for in-house teams. Since you'll be working with a remote team, it's crucial to provide designated communication channels and points of contact. Any additional concerns or needs should be addressed upfront, before the project begins.
What are some best practices for integrating a remote team into my existing team?
It is important to integrate a remote team into your existing team to increase collaboration and teamwork. Some ideas for doing this include team building activities, sharing project management tools, and ensuring you are always in communication with your partner team.
How can I monitor the progress and performance of an outsourced software development company?
To monitor the progress and performance of an outsourced software development company, it is helpful to establish and track milestones and results, provide regular feedback to the external team, and always address challenges and issues as soon as they arise.
