Outsourcing IT processes and software development isn’t only about getting work done. It is also about creating a long-term relationship and partnership with the outsourced team. So, when it comes to selecting the right outsourcing partner, you’d have to carefully consider and examine the potential of your service providers.

Software outsourcing refers to delegating the software development and the functions attached with it to the third-party vendors. They have a qualified team of developers who’ll carry out the development and other outsourced functions in-house for you at cost-effective prices.

Outsourcing has many advantages and comes in handy when you are going through time or resource constraints. The shortfall of resources may hinder your business’s continuity and project delivery schedule. Thus, it becomes highly important to hire experts from outside your organization be it onshore or offshore.

While looking for outsourcing providers, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. The team at ashutec presents to you some smart outsourcing tips for hiring a trusted development partner.

Smart Outsourcing Tips for Hiring A Trusted Software Development Partner

1. Shortfall of Skills to Outsource

Identifying skill gaps to outsource is one of the foremost crucial steps. Not every one of your team members would be an expert in all the areas. So, you must evaluate your current resource crunch to devise a plan to outsource those shortfalls to a team of experts.

Once you have identified the roadblocks to your success, it’d become easy to narrow down the list of outsourcing service providers, allowing you to select the best-fit partner. Those shortcomings are crucial as they become the prerequisites for your selection of an ideal outsourcing partner.

Finding the right outsourcing provider is all about the clarity of your requirements and the gaps you want to fulfill. Prepare a checklist about the software development requirements and specifications to better understand and explain the project prior to making any contact with the outsourcing providers.

2. One-Time Deal or Long-Term

Since you have noted down the skill shortcomings in your current organization, it’s time to think if those are for the long-term or just a one-time thing. Determining this aspect helps you find and hire the right software development partner for long-term or short-term needs.

From the partnership point of view, it is important to have the right individuals or team of outsourcing providers to fulfill the long-term skill demands. Also, it is crucial to have an experienced and adept outsourcing partner for the long term to turn the game in your favor. But before you make any hiring decisions, it’s always great to check up on the technological and interpersonal skills of outsourcing providers.

3. Look Through Their Work Portfolio

Another smart tip is to look through the work portfolio of shortlisted outsourcing vendors. Doing so helps you see if the third-party vendors have the skill you are experiencing a shortfall in. Verify their past accomplishments and operations along with checking out their market reputation as well.

Analyze the previous ventures, industries they have catered to, services they offer are relevant to your industry vertical, and how many consumers have been impacted by their work. Enquire all this fundamental information before you plan to collaborate with any of the outsourcing vendors. Further, make sure software applications developed by the outsourcing vendors have various use-cases, UI/UX design requirements, and other creative processes.

It’s critical for you to ensure that the third-party vendors can deliver software applications you intend to outsource and launch in the market.

4. Finalize the Budget for Outsourcing

Outsourcing may attract additional expenses, however, it is still one of the cost-effective methods compared to in-house development. Depending on your budget for outsourcing, select a region and an outsourcing vendor that fits perfectly your requirements. Moreover, finalizing the budget would minimize your effort to narrow down an ideal outsourcing vendor out of thousands of prospects.

If your budget is in the range of $100,000 to $500,000, what type of outsourcing agency will suit you the best: a billion-dollar one, small or mid-size agency, or individuals/freelancers?

The fact is billion-dollar outsourcing agencies would consider projects with such budgets as trivial and won’t give the desired attention. Outsourcing to individuals or freelancers is a bit risky and projects with such budgets will be too high for them. Thus, your best bet is to go for a small or mid-size outsourcing agency like Ashutec Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Also, outsourcing your software development projects to ashutec in India would be a cost-effective choice as India is one of the developing countries with lower expenses on lifestyle than developed nations.

5. Outsource to Vendors with Relevant Industry Experience

Outsourcing to vendors with relevant industry experience is an added benefit along with technological skills, business expertise, and product understanding. Outsourcing partners with relevant industry experience can better comprehend and have excellent know-how to manage the dynamics of the industry.

Not all outsourcing partners will have experience in your industry, that’s why you must go through case studies, technologies used, and work portfolio to find out how capable are they in handling your software development projects.

Along with all these tips for hiring a software outsourcing partner, here are some other tips to keep in mind:

• Assess the development process before teaming up with any outsourcing partner.
• Are their software and product development services scalable and flexible enough?
• Is the outsourcing vendor proactive in solving problems or just obeys what’s asked?
• Clear up the support needs post-release of the software program.
• Use of modern tools to streamline communication and project management.

Wrapping Up

Outsourcing is a cost-effective model to get your software and product developed for which your in-house team experiences a gap in skills. While selecting the right outsourcing partner is difficult, these smart tips will come in handy when hiring an ideal outsourcing partner. The only catch is you have to spend a bit of time learning how to choose the right outsourcing partner that produces results for you.