Overview
In our work, quite often we face situations when companies fully realize the benefits of hiring an outsourced software development team and are ready to do it but they have very little understanding of how to manage this cooperation. And this position is absolutely clear. Companies’ managers are usually good at organizing the working process of their inner teams. But outsourcing is a completely different story.
Thanks to our 15-year experience in the software development industry, we’ve managed to detect the peculiarities of different cooperation models. In this article, we’d like to share practical recommendations that will help you to efficiently manage your remote outsourced team. And if you implement them, you will get a pleasant bonus! This cooperation will be not only result-oriented but also comfortable for both parties.
Choose the team with the required expertise
Today the IT outsourcing industry is actively expanding being boosted by the increased demand for software development services. More and more companies join the market and present their offers. That’s why it may become a real challenge to find a development team that will be the most suitable one for your project.
Though the majority of customers very often view costs as the decisive factor, we recommend you take the team’s industry and tech expertise as the top priority. When you work with developers who have an excellent understanding of your industry standards and demands, it will ensure better results of your cooperation.
Moreover, at the stage of looking for a team to work with, always check the list of services that the company offers and its portfolio. For example, if the team has never worked with legacy software, it is not the best variant to opt for if you are planning to migrate your software to a newer technology version.
As a rule, such information will be provided on the company’s website. But if something stays unclear do not hesitate to contact the team and ask questions to get the information that you need to make a decision.
Set clear goals
The first task that you will have is to make sure that you and the developers are on the same page. When you establish cooperation with the team, try to provide as much information on your software product as you have. Also, if you already have any documentation, it is necessary to share it as well. The better developers understand your goals, intentions, and ongoing business conditions, the more efficient and relevant solution they can offer.
Our team never starts working on a project without a detailed discussion of the requirements with a client. For us, it is crucial to gather detailed information about customers’ expectations and business needs. If your outsourced team skips this step, it can be an alarming sign for you.
Always ask for estimates
Budgeting is a comprehensive element of any project. It is obvious that any business should understand the costs of development services before starting to invest in a future software product.
The company providing services must strive to remain transparent and open to their customers. Therefore, after analyzing the project requirements and determining the scope of work, the provider should provide clients with accurate information about the cost and timing of development. If the projected costs do not meet the expectations of the business, the contractor should offer to discuss the possibility of making changes that will reduce the necessary time and financial resources.
Moreover, if you see the need to pause or freeze a project for financial or any other reasons, the supplier must be ready to do so at any time.
Be open to a dialogue with your development team
Good cooperation should be always established in a form of a dialogue. In such a case, you can always share your thoughts and concerns but at the same time, you should be always open to listening to the ideas of your developers. Mutual understanding here is required.
It is a common practice when customers come to us with one request but after a deep analysis of their cases, we offer other solutions for them. What can be the reasons for that? For example, as a result of the analysis, we can find more feasible options that will allow our clients to save impressive amounts of money. Or the detailed review of the compatibility of different software modules and components with the required libraries and APIs may reveal the necessity to choose another technology. All software products are unique and require an individual approach. That’s why it is always a good idea to discuss all the decisions and choices in order to find the best ones.
Support regular contact
On one hand, it may seem that it is a great idea just to assign a task to developers and forget about the project till the moment when it is ready to be launched. But on the other hand, if you are interested in getting a high-quality product that will be fully tailored to your needs, it’s better not to follow this practice.
Regular engagement is one of the keys to a successfully realized project. Some experts recommend organizing face-to-face meetings even with your remote outsourced teams. But let’s admit that in real life, it is not always possible. Moreover, thanks to different communication tools like Skype, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, online meetings can be a full-scale alternative to face-to-face communication.
You can test the efficiency of different channels and find the one that will be the most convenient for both parties. Regular communication with your outsourced team will be helpful in making sure that the project realization is moving in the right direction. If something goes wrong it is always easier to introduce updates as soon as you notice these issues than after the end of the development process.
However, at the same time, when you work with a professional outsourced team there is no need to monitor all the processes on your own. It is vital to find specialists whom you can trust and who will be able to take responsibility for the work done.
We highly value the time and money of our clients. When they choose us, they want to rely on our team in order to focus more on their core business activities. And we know how to create comfortable conditions for that.
