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October 24, 2014

5 Tips for Choosing the Right Development Team for Your Business

5_Tips_for_Choosing_the_Right_Development_Team_for_Your_BusinessSelecting the right outsourced software development team isn’t always easy. It can take you any where from 4 weeks to even 6 months. And, how can you be sure that you’ve made the right decision when you finally do pick your outsourcing partner?

With the proper research and strategy, you can simplify the process and your chances for success will improve significantly.

Here are 5 tips to consider the next time you want to hire a software development team.

Talk to Members of “Your” Development Team

Once you pick an outsourced team of developers for your company, they aren’t just a bunch of programmers removed from your business. They become “your” programmers, and your involvement with them is vital to the success of your projects. Essentially, you don’t want to just go through the CEO or executive member or you won’t get the complete picture of the people you’re working with. Talk with individual engineers and programmers about your project and ask them how they can improve it and contribute to it. After all, it’s your money and you have a right to learn about their strengths, skill-set and communication skills.

Look at Their Portfolio

When evaluating a team, ask to see their portfolio in order to understand what they’ve contributed to past projects, what programming languages they know, and how well their skill-set applies to your future project. Also make sure that the team you’re working with has plenty of experience with North American software markets, something you can also learn from reviewing their portfolio(s).

Identify Their Level of Communication

There are a number of ways to determine how well a team communicates. One is obviously just speaking with them directly to gauge their English skills. However, you should also look out for how quickly an outsourced team responds to your phone calls and e-mails. Does the team have communication tools such as Skype or video conferencing as an option? Are they available at the hours you need to speak with them? Do they give you the answers you want quickly and with ample information? These are important questions that can help you get a team that communicates effectively.

Do They Have a Development Process?

For any outsourced team you work with, you’ll want to know if they have a development process and what the details of the process are. Having a development process shows that the team is concerned with planning and strategy, which helps demonstrate they have the organization skills necessary to complete a project on time and within budget.

Consider a Pilot Project

Pilot projects usually last 3 to 6 weeks with a new development team, but they can go a long way to letting you know if a development team can perform the way you want. Usually, you can start on a smaller project and evaluate from there. This helps you minimize risks and learn from small mistakes instead of big ones as you move forward.

Following these tips can help you pick a team that works for you and save money through outsourcing. We can guide you through the process, saving you time and money on searching for the right fit.

 

Andy Hilliard

As CEO, Andy leads and advocates for the globalization and collaboration of great software teams with companies in search of talent, innovation and a globally-distributed extension of their engineering function and culture. Andy founded the ground-breaking nearshore software development services company, Isthmus Costa...

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