December 8, 2014
It may seem silly, but take the time to figure out if outsourcing is right for you and your project. You may decide it’s not- in which case you just saved yourself a TON of time.
Is outsourcing your development work the right decision?
In many cases, the answer is yes. But getting to that answer may be difficult. There are some risks associated with outsourcing your development project to another country. The three biggest factors when choosing a partner include budget, project length, and your need for technical expertise.
Budget
When determining whether budget is a major factor in your decision to outsource, ask yourself these questions:
-
Do you have a large enough budget to develop your software/app in the U.S with your own employees?
-
Do you want to outsource just to bring in needed technical expertise, and budget is not a concern?
-
Are you looking to take advantage of a high quality outsourced team and to cut costs at the same time, if you can?
-
Are you in an emergency situation in which costs must be cut immediately?
-
Do you have a limited budget and need to launch an app?
Project Length
Software development projects lasting less than one year are excellent candidates for outsourcing as a fixed-bid contract. On the other hand, the quick ramp-up and relatively low cost of outsourcing with a dedicated team also make it attractive for large projects and engagements lasting longer than a year.
Technical Expertise
Technical expertise may seem like an obvious requirement for an outsourced firm. What I mean here is acquiring expertise your internal team does not possess.
Is it important to quickly bring in particular technical expertise for your company? For example, do you have the time to train your existing development team or to hire employees to bring in this new expertise?
Not every factor is going to weigh the same for every company.
If outsourcing makes sense for your software development work, continue reading our ebook “The Essential Guide to Outsourcing Software Development” to get you on track to finding the right team.