In the last few years hiring outsourced software development teams has become increasingly popular, whether for startups who need to get their product to market rapidly and don’t have the time to hire an in-house team, or for larger companies who need added capacity for a particular project, test their products or want to temporarily upscale their workforce.
Hiring outsourced software development teams and specially a dedicated outsourced team can bring a lot of benefits for your company but it’s important to be clear in your needs and understand not only what your new team can do for you, but also what they need from you.
Benefits of Outsourcing Dedicated Development Teams
Outsourcing development teams can bring a multitude of benefits to your company, whether you’re a fresh startup or a well-established business.
Saving Costs
No matter the size of your business, taking on new full-time employees is a costly endeavour, and hiring short-term contractors can be even more expensive. On top of salaries, insurance, HR and recruitment costs, you have to pay for more office space, the extra utilities that come with a larger team, as well as the time needed to onboard them. When you outsource dedicated software development teams, you don’t have to worry about any of those costs, and as an added bonus, these teams are often based in countries with lower costs of living which can contribute to cost savings.
For example, Manao Software is based in Thailand where the level of education and expertise is extremely high, the internet infrastructure is incredibly fast and stable, and you can save up to 50% over hiring your own team.
Access to Expertise
Finding experts to recruit can be a difficult undertaking. The best people often have jobs and finding someone with the skillset you need can be a lengthy process. That’s where outsourced teams come in – they already have a group of experts who are used to working together and have all the skills and knowledge you need.
At Manao Software we have a high level of expertise in a few areas so we are truly specialists in them. On the web development side, we work with the Microsoft technology stack (we are a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) and Node. With mobile development we are specialists in native iOS, native Android, React Native and Flutter.
Greater Flexibility and Scalability
By their very nature, outsourced teams are both flexible and scalable. Team members are used to working in a range of industries and pivoting quickly to take on new projects. Depending on your contract you may also have the option to take on more people as your project demands, without going through all the hassle of additional recruitment. You can also scale down based on the needs of the project, saving money by only paying for team members when you require them.
No Recruitment Hassles
As mentioned above, recruitment is both time, energy and cost-intensive. When you outsource dedicated software development teams, you only need to find a single company to work with in order to get a full team of developers, which can save a lot of time, money and headaches compared to when you hire a team of developers yourself.
Fresh Perspective
The fresh perspective that comes with these new outsourced development team members can be very valuable. They have worked in a variety of businesses and no doubt, solved many of the problems you are about to face, so their perspective and experience can be invaluable.
How to Hire a Outsourced Software Development Teams Effectively
Now that you know the benefits of outsourcing development teams, let’s look at the process of bringing a team on board.
Define Your Requirements
Before you start to bring in an outsourced software development teams you need to have a clear idea of what you want the team to do for you:
- What app or piece of software do you want to develop?
- Are you looking for a mobile or web-only, or cross-platform app?
- What are the timescales for your project?
- What’s your budget?
- If they are going to be working alongside an existing in-house team, do you have thorough documentation for your development environment as well as standard procedures, to save time at the start of the project?
- How many team members do you think you will need?
- What roles are you expecting to have in your team (e.g. one senior web developer and two mid-level developers)?
- What specific skills do the team members need to have (e.g. what tools, frameworks or programming languages will be used on your project)?
For questions 6, 7 and 8 you may be unsure of what is required or only have a rough idea of these details. But don’t worry, a skilled outsourcing company, like Manao Software, will be able to guide you through these steps as part of the discovery process for the outsourcing of your dedicated team of developers.
Find Your Team
There are various ways to find outsourced software development teams to work with including:
- Personal recommendations are always a great way to find outsourced software developers to work with. If a business you know has successfully gone through the outsourcing process, talk to them about it.
- Google is a great place to look, but remember to ask potential companies for testimonials, and if possible, direct recommendations from their previous clients.
When looking for a company it’s important to choose one that specialises in the type of project you are planning to build and the technologies that you want to use. You should always interview any teams you plan to work with to ensure they have the skills you will need and to ensure you will be able to work well together.
Sign an NDA with a Transparent Contract
Before the discovery phase of an outsourcing project, you want to ensure all the contractual requirements, including any Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), are watertight and comprehensive. The outsourced team will have access to your systems and proprietary information so ensuring all the legal paperwork is in order is vital and your NDA will ensure your code and confidential information are protected.
Understand the Software Development Processes
All outsourced software development teams should subscribe to a particular software development methodology to manage their projects in a particular way. One of the most popular and successful is the Agile methodology.
Agile works particularly well for outsourced software development teams as it breaks a project down into bite-sized pieces, allowing you, the client, to see progress on a frequent basis. It’s also a flexible methodology so is great for coping with changes and adjustments to the project scope, and if you need to go back and make fixes or adjustments to existing parts of the project it also allows for that, seamlessly.
Agile is based on clear and frequent communication and cooperation and involves regular opportunities for reviews and feedback. All of this helps create trust, as well as a strong working relationship between you and your outsourced team. At Manao Software we use the Agile methodology with our clients.
Launch Your Dedicated Team
After your contract and all the other paperwork have been signed you will carry out the discovery process with the outsourcing company, so you can get started working with your new team. Generally from signing the contract to the first day of your new team starting work, it takes between 30 – 45 days, depending on the size of the team. The larger the team the longer it will take to get them ready.
Manage Your Dedicated Team
When your new team starts work you have the choice of hiring an outsourced project manager too, who will be your key point of contact, or having someone in-house manage the team directly. Both of these have advantages and disadvantages and what will work best for you depends a lot on the resources you have in your current team.
Key things to consider when managing your new team:
- Try and treat your new team members in the same way as you do your in-house employees. This will help everyone feel like they are working together for a common goal and create a positive team spirit.
- Communication is key. As with any remote employees, your outsourced team members need access to all the information necessary to do their job – including knowing when things change. We recommend regular meetings as well as using an online project management tool like Microsoft Teams, or your tool of choice, so everyone has access to the same information at the same time.
- Ensure your outsourced development team understands the vision for the project they are working on and has a sufficient understanding of your company to give them context for their work.
- Make sure there is a clear chain of command so your new team members know who to speak to if they have a question or issue and understand the process for work to be signed off.
Taking the Next Step for Outsourced Software development Teams
When you have decided that you are ready to hire a development team, speak to Manao Software. We have over 15 years of expertise in providing high-quality outsourced software development teams and specialise in developing web apps and mobile apps. Our clients have included fintech firms, not-for-profit organisations, manufacturers, startups and many more.
We believe in specialising in a few distinct technologies, that we can be experts in, rather than attempting to be a jack of all trades. This approach, coupled with our low turnover rate of staff and professional attitude makes us a trusted choice for your new team.
