Category: Category: Software Development

10 Reasons to Outsource Software Development

Posted on by kwd

In fact, it is often beneficial to outsource software development when you have programmers on your payroll.

If you don’t employ programmers, outsourcing is not only the most efficient and effective approach, it is also often the only viable approach.

Here are ten reasons you should outsource software development.

1. You Will Save Money

There is a misconception that you will save money by keeping software development in-house. This is rarely the case, however, for a range of different reasons, not least because there are costs you will incur when developing software in-house that are above the basic salaries of programmers.

For example, as you will see in the point below, outsourcing software development is the fastest way to complete your project. This time saving will also save you money.

Generally, outsourcing is usually the most cost-effective option.

2. You Will Save Time

Outsourcing software development projects is faster than completing them in-house because an outside developer can usually assign more programmers to the project than you can. Also, you may have to recruit talent into your business which is also time-consuming.

It is important to consider quality, too. While bugs occur in all software development projects, the more you have the longer the project will take to conclude. So long as you choose the right outsourcing partner, you should get skills and experience that will keep errors to a minimum.

3. You Can Stay Focused on Your Business

When you develop software in-house, you have to allocate management resources to the project. You may also need to assign other resources as well, all of which takes the focus away from your business.

When you outsource software development, however, you can concentrate on what you do best – running your business and serving your clients.

4. The Software Development Company Will Share the Risk

Risk is another thing you should consider when developing new software. This is the risk of the software not working as planned as well as the risk of the development running over budget and/or over the deadline.

When you develop software in-house, all this risk falls on your business. When you outsource, though, your software development partner shares some of that risk.

You can build this into the contract. An example of this is stipulating a project delivery deadline. However, there is more to it than this – reputation is just as important as contracts.

In other words, the company you outsource the software development to will want to protect its reputation so will do everything it can to ensure the project goes smoothly and meets your expectations. A by-product of this reputation protection is shared risk.

5. You Will Benefit from a More Experienced Team

One of the main things you get when you work with a third-party software developer is experience. This includes experience of different types of software projects. It can also include specific experience such as experience of the type of software you want to develop or experience of your industry.

In most software development projects, this experience is invaluable.

6. You Can Expect a Smoother Project Delivery Process

Following on from the previous point, the additional experience you get when you outsource software development will lead to a smoother project delivery process. An experienced software development company will understand the problems that can occur with projects like yours, so can take mitigation action against them.

There will also be fewer errors plus when bugs do occur, they will get fixed faster. Overall, this leads to a smoother, hassle-free experience.

7. You Will Get Access to a Wider Pool of Talent

This is one of the most important points as most software development projects require different skills to complete. You are unlikely to have the same range of skillsets in your business that an experienced software developer will have.

Not only that, you get access to this wide range of skills immediately with no lead-in time for recruitment or upskilling. This saves you time and money.

8. You Will Also Get Access to Highly Skilled Programmers

Third-party software developers will also have highly skilled and experienced programmers on their team. These skills and experience improve the quality of work and also helps with a point mentioned above – ensuring the project runs smoothly.

9. Productivity in Your Business Will Improve

You will also benefit from productivity gains when you outsource software development. There are many reasons for this including:

· The software will be completed faster so you can implement it sooner

· You don’t have to allocate internal resources to the project

· You don’t have to spend time managing the project or recruiting programmers

· There will be fewer bugs in the software or problems with the project, reducing the administrative and management resources required

10. You Can Expect a Better-Quality Result

The nine points previous to this mean you will get a better-quality result. In other words, the software is more likely to deliver on your requirements and meet your objectives.

Final Thoughts

There is one caveat to all the above – you must select the right outsourcing partner. After all, not all software development companies are the same. If you get it wrong, one or more of the above will fail to materialise.

The best approach, therefore, is to spend time selecting the right outsourcing provider. Key to that is checking the experience of the company as well as the skills and experience of the individuals who will be working on your project. If you identify skills or experience gaps, you should reconsider.

However, when you get a software development company with the right skills and experience, you can expect all the benefits above.

Developing software requires well-established procedures and work processes in addition to skills and experience. Leaving it to the professionals is, therefore, the best course of action in the vast majority of situations.

5 Tips for Finding the Right Software Development Company

Posted on by kwd

The fact is, one-size-fits-all software packages mean one thing – compromise. In other words, you will get some features you don’t need, some features won’t work exactly how you need them to, and there will be features you need which the software doesn’t have.

Therefore, the best approach is often to hire a software development company to create a bespoke, scalable software solution that will fit all your needs, both now and in the future.

Once you reach this conclusion, the next step is to find a reliable software development company to work on your project.

Here are some tips to ensure you make the right choice.

#1: Shortlist the Best Candidates

To narrow down the list of software development companies, consider these criteria:

· Geographic location – do you want a local team or are you comfortable working with a remote team? Before deciding on a remote team, consider time zone and cultural differences. This is particularly important for effective communication. After all, it’s very different working with US or European developers than it is working with Australian or New Zealand developers simply because of the time differences involved.

· Level of experience – experience is crucial in software development. After all, you don’t want the developers to be learning on the job, i.e. learning at your expense.

· Technology stack – not all development platforms, approaches, or languages are a good fit for a project. Knowing what you want and the best way to achieve this will help you narrow down your options to software development companies that have the right skills.

· Check out reviews and testimonials – this is not the stage for a thorough background check, but you should read reviews, testimonials, case studies, and any other information you can get on past projects or clients.

#2: Meet the Developers

Once you have your shortlist, it’s time to get in contact with each of them. This is the only way you can determine if your future business partner has the capabilities you need.

Ideally, you should meet the people who will be actually working on your project, rather than simply the sales and marketing people. This will help you get an understanding of their technical capabilities, their experience, and whether they understand your business.

Plus, it’s also important you like them, as you will have to work with them closely.

In practical terms, a good software development team will be able to outline the proposed functionality and flow of the software, based on your initial idea. They should also be able to

provide advice and recommendations on how the software can be improved – or how it can be developed within your budget.

Finally, it also helps if they have certifications from any of the big names in the tech industry such as Google or Microsoft.

#3: Choose a Company that Follows the Agile Methodology

It’s important to understand that a development project rarely remains the same from start to finish. As you move on with the features, you may have new demands, or the team may recommend a different approach. Regardless, the final product will be different than what you initially had in mind – this is more common than you think.

Therefore, the software development team you choose should be capable of integrating your business’s future growth into the project without getting into a negotiation for every new change.

This is why we recommend selecting a company that follows the Agile methodology. It is also important to get a company who bases their work on open cooperation. According to the Agile methodology, a project can easily evolve through the collaborative effort of several teams. It is also a methodology that offers the project owner more control over the management of the project.

Put plainly, this is the only way to make sure the resulting software product delivers according to your requirements.

#4: Set a Budget

In an ideal world, budgets should not influence your decision. However, in the real world, you must be aware of your financial limitations. Setting a budget will let you know who you can afford, what you can afford, and where to make compromises.

One important point, however, is you should never go with the cheapest company. Skimping on quality usually means the final product will cost more than it would have with a more expensive developer. In other words, going for the cheapest option is a false economy.

#5: Test for Transparency and Communication

A professional software development company is a lot more than a team of programmers ready to start coding. The company should also have project managers who know how to communicate openly and transparently. This ensures you are always kept in the loop, so you know what is going on.

Furthermore, a project manager should establish priorities, monitor the quality of work produced, set deadlines, and control the entire process. He/she will also often be the intermediary between you and the development team, so they must have a thorough understanding of your requirements.

If you select a remote software development company, make sure they have suitable means of communication (phone, email, VoIP tools, and more). Ideally, though, we’d recommend choosing a team in the same location as you, so you can have meetings and brainstorming sessions without sacrificing your free time.

Wrap Up

Of course, there are many other features to consider in your search for the best software development company. Regardless, the ones mentioned above are crucial and will give you a good foundation for a successful search.

If you can tick all these checkboxes, you can be sure the company will go above and beyond to create the best bespoke software solution for your needs. They will also do their best to create a product that improves your business processes to make it easier for you to grow

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