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Offshore development has rapidly become one of the most widely used software development strategies worldwide. Many firms are opting for a dedicated software development team due to the numerous benefits it provides and the present economic climate.
When technology organisations wish to scale their software development, it is a good idea to investigate several solutions. However, in this blog, we will concentrate on the most common one: partnering with an offshore software development company but are unsure how to go, we have you covered. Let us look at the most common mistakes that businesses make while outsourcing, as well as effective recommendations for avoiding them and solutions for a better plan!
The following are some of the most frequent issues you may encounter while working with an offshore development company or if you hire dedicated developers for your project.
Priority should be given to cost
Most founders in the United States and Europe chose to build software with offshore teams for one reason: to save money. We are all aware that when the price is the primary priority in purchasing something, we frequently make “penny wise and pound dumb” choices. Software developers, project managers and testers are not all made equal—even if they dwell in the same location. With the global skills shortage driving pay inflation in technology, “low-cost” development isn’t as affordable as it once was. It’s easy to get hung up on obsolete labour prices and browse around until you find an arbitrary rate.
Uncertain Requirements
The most obvious disadvantage of a dedicated software development team is that you are frequently working cross-culturally. You must also deal with what my VP at Amazon referred to as “chasing the sun” issues—low time-zone overlap. With precise criteria and overcommunication, these issues are completely solvable. If you’ve never worked closely with software teams before, this can be difficult. Even if you have, you will be surprised at what you have forgotten to inform your development team about your vision or feature. We usually urge that first-time software developers collaborate extensively with product specialists and business analysts to ensure that their needs are properly specified.
Ineffective Communication
Many of the countries that host offshore development facilities do not speak English as their first language. The language barrier may be an issue, especially for projects that require regular contact and a high degree of detail.
For day-to-day communication, you can use instant messengers such as Slack and Skype. You can separate participants into ‘rooms’ or conduct one-on-one talks using text or audio/video calling. Slack is also an excellent medium for sharing images and files, which is invaluable for more complex projects!
Erratic Work Quality
Some offshore locations may be behind in terms of technology and development processes required for the project. Poor or poor code might result in an unsatisfactory product, causing irritation and wasting time troubleshooting.
You should aim to go with experienced, smaller organisations rather than giant firms with several layers of management, which have a larger risk of miscommunication and extra overhead. It is preferable to have a team of six to seven competent offshore developers rather than a larger team of less skilled workers.
Don’t prioritise ruthlessly
We’ve noticed a movement from agile to waterfall in offshore software development projects. When you write specifications, get an estimate, choose a partner and begin creating with a small team of developers right away (one of the many advantages of offshore teams!) It appears that you should simply create your “dream home” at a reasonable price.
In this mode, founders believe that they must have all of their features baked in before allowing users to test what they have produced. You want all the bells and whistles if you think you’re getting a good value on the service. The issue is that features take time and money to develop.
Do not approach them as if they were your own team
If you are a founder who is relying on a development team to create software on which to establish a firm, you must consider them YOUR team. You might not have hire dedicated developers at all. They may live thousands of miles away, speak a foreign language and lack many of your cultural references. Nonetheless, they are the people who will ensure the success of your entrepreneurial venture. Successful founders are always acutely aware that they must extract the best from their team in order to succeed.
Conclusion
Because keeping projects onshore does not magically fix all of your difficulties, not all offshore projects fail. Offshore software development is still alive and well. Furthermore, numerous seasoned organisations have reported pleasure with their offshore software development.
Offshore development teams are an effective approach to stretch your budget even further. This provides you with more flexibility and more opportunities to bite the apple if you need to pivot and makes profitability that much easier to achieve.
Author Bio:
Arjun Solanki is a Business Growth Strategist at a Leading Software Development Company USA. He has experience in developing and executing digital strategies for large global brands in a variety of business verticals. Apart from working on a long-lasting relationship with customers and boosting business revenue, he is also interested in sharing my knowledge on various technologies and its influence on businesses through effective blog posts and article writing.