Create an Effective Outsourcing Strategy
Outsourcing custom software development projects has its advantages, but it can quickly become detrimental to business objectives if not managed appropriately. Let’s face it, finding a reliable custom software development company to partner can be a daunting task. This task becomes more complicated if the company does not have any prior experience in handling IT projects.
Common Issues in Project Outsourcing and How to Avoid Them?
We are an offshore IT services and custom software development company. Here’s our guide on what should be taken care of while choosing an outsourcing software development company.
1. Communication Barriers
The most significant advantage of outsourcing development, is the access to a global pool of talent, but one of the main difficulties is – communication problems. You will need to conquer different time zones, languages, and cultural traditions. Establishing regular routes of communication with the outsourcing team is crucial to ensure the success of the project.
Effective communication is the key, while English is just a language. When interacting with external developers, understanding the project’s requirements and clarity in delivery are the most critical factors.
The use of collaborative tools such as Jira and Asana, with a remote team via video or audio call, at regular intervals, is the best way to build a communication path.
2. Failing to Understand the Scope of the Project
Before outsourcing your custom software development project to a remote team, you need to clarify the requirements, setup a regular delivery schedule, and the project’s overall scope.
Failure to communicate such details may result in distortion of project scope. Without resolving these issues, software developers will continue to work in a silo and widen the gap between your expectations and the actual product.
The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document can be an excellent tool that gives the development team a clear insight into the requirements. The clarity in the documentation is the first step in ensuring that your expectations and the outputs provided by the third-party company are consistent.