May 19, 2013

Tips for Outsourcing Software Development

A difficult decision a business owner or manager of any company is whether or not to outsource the software that they’ll use. For each sector of business, there is a specific software that is directed toward the company’s needs. While outsourcing can be more cost effective, it does not come without risk. How can you effectively balance the risk and reward from delegating this task?

Firstly, know what you want and how to get it. Other business people are willing to help and if you ask the right questions, they’ll give you the right answers. They will recommend companies that are reliable and dependable, but more importantly, they’ll tell you which ones aren’t.

Secondly, have a good idea of what you want. What do you need this software to do? How many people will it reach? Can you do a basic design by yourself, then turn it over to the outsourcing company?

Thirdly, have an impeccable understanding of the project and its inner workings. How long will it take? How long will you use it? Is it just for your company, or can it be used in other markets?

Once you have established this, remember that outsourcing can be done in any country around the world. While outsourcing may be cost friendly, it does not come without drawbacks. Language can be a problem when looking for assistance outside of your own domain.

Even if English is the “Universal” language, it can still be very difficult to pass ideas back and forth with people for whom English is not their first language.

Communication by phone can be expensive, e-mail unreliable, and the postal service is slow.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not this outweighs the cost.

Outsourcing can also be done in your home country. This may cost more than going elsewhere, but possibly less so than hiring someone to create software in-house.

There are several contractors available online to help with almost any need. Several can be found on the internet. Most are knowledgeable, responsible and reliable. Quite a few of these companies have made a name for themselves worldwide.

Other things to consider are the turn-around rate, time estimates and reliability. How quickly do you need this project finished? How many hours should it take to create it? Will the outsource company keep me apprised of their progress?

You must maintain a good working relationship with the software developer you’re working with. If not, you may find yourself waiting for your product for quite a bit longer than you thought or he may find himself on the bad end of a short temper.

All in all, software development is an essential part of any growing business and you will have a long term relationship with your developer, so it’s better to know beforehand what you’re getting into . 

 

Comments

  1. Burak says:

    Yes, I also believe that Filipinos are relaly worth the job. A lot of Filipinos even go abroad to find a more lucrative work and this only means how courageous, determined and diligent Filipinos are when it comes to work. Though there relaly those that are different but generally Filipinos are very hardworking and not to mention, they accept lesser pay compared to other nationals. Therefore, investing here in the Philippines relaly makes your business grow so easily and thereby be able to get back your capital as early as possible.

  2. Ira Rush says:

    The most common way of doing it is outsourcing the work to a country with lower labor costs. Outsourcing also applies to the software development business where partial or full outsourcing is a common practice.

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