If you decided to automate your operational process, you would probably ask who could be trusted to carry out all the automation tasks. If you have no in-house IT specialists, you will surely search for specific skills off-site.
Outsourcing is a good way to find professional developers and get various benefits. Firstly, you can save money by hiring offshore developers whose rates are lower than those offered in the USA, for example. Most offshore developers have extensive experience in different technology stacks and business domains. Before starting to work on your project tasks, they undertake in-depth business analysis to identify your business’s most critical issues and make up a list of initial product requirements.
Secondly, you will be able to acquire the best specialists worldwide. Most of these people can introduce innovative technology to meet your needs and integrate it with existing systems across your organization.
While choosing among the best countries to outsource software development, be sure you know the tips and tricks we gathered here to make the right choice.
Tip 1 – Define your goals.
It would help clarify what project tasks you want to delegate to an external company and why. Thus, you must define your goals and think about your product’s must-have main features and functionalities. With marketing specialists, you should determine your buying persona and develop a design strategy according to your target audience’s characteristics and needs.
Your accurate requirements for the product will help developers define the scope and cost of the project. Besides, it’s a good chance to learn if a certain outsourcing company can complete your tasks.
How do you choose the right provider? You will deal with a bunch of software development firms. To sort them out, you may search on Clutch or Good Firms. These websites feature and review the best companies according to a certain number of categories, for example, top mobile development companies in a particular city or country. Besides, you can check out companies’ websites to find useful information like portfolios, technology stacks, teams, blogs, etc.
By exploring the portfolio, you will evaluate the accomplished projects and decide if the company’s expertise is good enough to complete your project. By looking through the company’s services, you will make sure they offer all the services you need (business analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, training, support, maintenance, etc.).
Tip 3 – Start with MVP.
A good outsourcing company will start communication by asking about your business goals. Every business is unique. Your technology partner must have extensive experience in your business niche.
If you don’t know exactly how your final product should look, start with MVP (minimum viable product). By creating MVP, you can verify your concept with the help of real users who can tell you if they like it or not. If you see that the product is successful, you will continue developing additional features and functionalities.
Tip 4 – Check out the project’s methodology.
Ask your provider about the project management methodology. Learn if you will have access to the project. It is recommended to choose companies that use agile methods like Scrum, for example. The project is divided into sprints. After the end of each sprint, the client is offered to see a current version of the product.
It’s also essential to ask your potential partner how they manage risks. You should be aware of the problems that may arise while developing your product and how the team will react to these issues.
Tip 5 – Communicate with teams.
If you plan to cooperate with offshore developers, you should have some communication plan to make your interaction as transparent and comfortable as possible. In this plan, you may define the convenient means of communication, the frequency of calls and meetings, responsible people, etc.
Typically, outsourcing companies have a project manager or a project coordinator who will regularly send you reports on work progress, problems, the current situation with the project, and so on.
Tip 6 – Ask about guarantees.
The more attention the company pays to testing and quality assurance, the fewer problems it will face with the final version. Before releasing the final product, it must be tested for bugs, errors, performance, speed, etc.
Ask your potential provider about testing services, support, and maintenance. What kind of guarantees do they provide? Remember that you should include all these nuances in a legal agreement.
Tip 7 – Make sure your data is secure.
Security is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of your software. Ensure your data and your customers’ data will be secure. You can ensure information security by signing a non-disclaimer agreement (NDA).
Final Words
To put it simply, to cooperate with any IT provider successfully, you should adhere to these simple rules:
- Define your goals
- Analyze information about outsourcing companies
- Make sure your potential partner is an expert in your industry.
- Choose agile methodologies
- Ensure transparent communication
- Discuss all the services you want to get
- Discuss security issues
As you can see, these steps are simple to keep in mind and follow if you want to find a reliable vendor.
