5 Tips for Offshore Software Development

As a business owner or manager, the decision to opt for offshore software development can be difficult. As anyone who has experience knows, there are advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing software development. How then, do you balance the risks and rewards and come out on top? Here are five tips to ensure that you receive an excellent return on investment:

1. Complex project management experience. When selecting an offshore software development company, ensure that they have extensive experience in complex project management. The company's internal team should run like a well-oiled machine, and they should have longstanding relationships with their own subcontractors.

2. Specialized knowledge and expertise. The most agile software development companies have an extensive network of specialists. These specialists may not be on the company payroll (which is why the company can offer you significant cost savings), but they can be depended upon to complete the necessary tasks on time and within the budget.

3. Knowledge of your industry. In theory, offshore software development companies should be able to perform custom software development for any type of business. There will be less of a learning curve, though, and greater chances for success, if the company has knowledge of your industry or a related industry. For this reason, ask for referrals and determine if the projects the company has managed are similar to or in alignment with the goals of your project.

4. Delineate areas of responsibility. Chances are, you're considering hiring an offshore software development company because you don't have the in-house expertise to get the job done and know that it is more cost-effective to outsource the project. Nonetheless, you will need to actively participate in a needs assessment and at various benchmarks throughout the life of the project. By creating a clear delineation of areas of responsibility, you will have a clear understanding of the number of staff hours you need to devote to the project, and plan accordingly.

 5. High standards. Both you and the offshore software development company you choose should adhere to high standards. Aside from the talent of the technical experts involved, successful custom software development depends upon rigorous testing. The most dependable companies use the highest industry standards in testing each aspect of the products they create so that you receive a product that is ready to implement.

Essentially, the most successful offshore software development companies are competent and flexible, and see their role as an information technology partner who solves your software problems, supports your team, and manages your projects from beginning to end. When you choose such a company, you can rest assured that you will receive an excellent return on investment.

How to Make Offshore Software Development Work for You

Offshore software development can be a dream come true. Here's how to make it work for you....
If you're the owner of a small- to medium-sized business, you may have toyed with the idea of outsourcing your custom software development. You may have even taken the plunge and hired offshore freelancers in an attempt to get your information technology needs met while saving money. Unfortunately, many business owners who have tried outsourcing software development have had negative experiences. There may have been language barriers, insurmountable time zone differences, mismatched skill sets, or missed deadlines that caused innumerable headaches and cost overruns. As one executive ruefully admitted, "We were penny wise and pound foolish."

It's two years later, and the same executive now understands the secret to successfully outsourcing software development - and is glad he didn't give up after the first attempts at outsourcing failed so badly. When did the tide turn? When he started using an offshore software development company that, in essence, acted as an expediter. In other words, he contracts with a German company that in turn works with IT professionals and companies around the world to produce applications that are tailor made to his specifications. Because the German company can call on experienced IT professionals worldwide, it can perform agile software development without breaking a sweat.

In turn, the German company carefully cultivates relationships with professionals who have a depth of knowledge in their particular specialty. In this way, the German company doesn't have a large staff with superficial knowledge, but rather can draw on the expertise necessary for individual projects. At the same time, it ultimately controls all aspects of each project, and ensures that deadlines and quality standards are met.

The executive touted the company he worked with as "forming the bridge between our company and the technical staff that develop our software." By using a company with an efficient infrastructure, he is able to avoid the typical problems and risks associated with offshore projects - problems that he had experienced in past years. He appreciates that the German company can fulfill virtually any request, whether it is for consulting and training, business analysis, systems architecture, software development, or design. He is also thankful that he doesn't have to deal with the individual programmers and that he doesn't have to find someone to stitch all of the pieces together. "Without exception, we receive software that has been extensively tested, and is bug-free and ready to deploy," he said. "We get all of the benefits of offshore software development without any of the hassles."

Unless you have a large IT department that can design the custom software that your enterprise needs - and today's business environment makes that impractical for most companies - you have to rely on people outside of your company. The most cost-efficient and effective way to accomplish this is through a fast and reliable offshore software development company that will provide you with a turnkey product that has been extensively tested.