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The benefits of outsourcing software development rather than doing it inhouse have been well documented and many businesses, even large ones opt to outsource. The issue arises in the quality of the software development team’s business tasks with this responsibility. In the recent past, the fad was to outsource to offshore companies in Asia and Eastern Europe, but this came with several disadvantages among them different corporate cultures. Businesses are shifting to Nearshore outsourcing, which offers the best compromise between inhouse and offshore outsourcing.
What is nearshore outsourcing?
This is delegating a task to a company that is in the region, for example, a company in the USA having software development in Colombia. This is a flyable distance as opposed to outsourcing to distant offshore teams in India.
When choosing the best nearshore software development company, there are several pointers to look out for;
Technical experience
Has the team developed software as you need before? If so, do they have the references to back up their claims? Experience in software development is crucial just like in other technical fields. However, the team should also be updated with newer tech. What certifications do the lead people have?
The number of people in the team should also be considered. If you have a big project, it means you need a big team as well, if it is to be delivered in a short time. You should beware of teams that take on temporary hires who may not be as qualified as the main team. This means that you should also have delivery time at the back of your mind when choosing.
Understanding your needs
This goes hand in hand with technical experience. You can tell if there is an understanding of what you need by going through a team’s response to your Request for Proposal. Does the RFP tick off most of your requirements and have innovative approaches?
Communication approach
How fast does the team reply to your emails? Are they available on Skype when you need them? Seamless communications are needed especially in the initial stages when collaboration is needed to fine-tune the design.
It is important to account for the time difference. A difference of 2-3 hours in working time means you can expect this delay in communications as well especially at the beginning of the workday.
Proximity
Although frequent travel would invalidate cost-effectiveness in outsourcing, you may need to meet the team at least once face-to-face, especially for verification purposes. Consider a location that you would fly to and back with convenience.
Your choice of a software development company can make or break your business operations, hence the need to do it correctly, with the help of considerations such as above.
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Very important article. It will help me further software development project from scratch. Thank you for giving such a good article to us.