A Definitive Guide to Outsourcing Software Development

6 REASONS TO START OUTSOURCING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW

When starting a new business or growing an existing one, founders usually try to do most things by themselves instead of asking for help.The most evident reasons for such behavior are fear of delegating tasks to someone else and the desire to save money. At first, this strategy might work, but as the business grows, it takes more time, energy, and skills that the founders can provide. Here are the reasons why you can think about starting using software outsourcing services as a way to get the needed help.

1. You feel your project is not developing quickly enough

The world changes dynamically, and features you find great today may be already out-of-date in 2 or 3 years. That is why you have little time for implementing your fresh ideas. An outsourcing software development team can speed up your project.

2. You want to reduce operational and labor costs

Renting an office, buying equipment, paying for the internet, software, and licenses, searching for and hiring the right talent may take a lot of time and money. The outsourcing partner, however, can save your budget.

3. You need a team of experts

How many specialists needed live in your area? How many of them are unemployed or ready to change their job? Are there any specialists for your specific needs? Difficult to answer? And now imagine you have access to the database of the world’s best engineers with international experience and at affordable rates! 

Newsha Makooi, Division Chief, Technology Services at Statline

Svitla has provided us with staff-augmentation services in software development and testing. Their service is very prompt, attentive and of high quality. Their work resulted in increase of our service delivery capacity and quality. Our Svitla Team understands our mission and works diligently with our Team to achieve our goals together. Together we are now working on exciting new features that will make it much easier for users to use our product. Read the full Statline story here.

4. You are a small start-up with a small budget

Not everyone starts their business having millions of dollars in the pocket. Many people start with almost nothing except for their zest for success. Outsourcing  software development is an evident choice if you want to minimize the expenditures on salaries and business administration.

5. You have no time to work on higher value-add things

If the list of your current tasks leaves you no time for analyzing your strategy, practicing creative thinking, or communicating with customers, it means that you need to delegate part of your routine tasks to somebody. As a product owner, your mission is high-level supervising and planning for future success. Delegate everything else to the outsourced specialists (developers, QA, project managers, designers, HR managers, tech support) to free yourself for generating ideas and promoting your product.

START YOUR OUTSOURCING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE AND GET THE MOST FROM THE JOURNEY

Have you ever tried to hire a tech specialist for your company? If the answer is yes, you might know how much time and effort go into finding the right person. 

Since 2003, Svitla Systems has been successfully working in the software outsourcing market, providing the leading international companies and young start-ups in Silicon Valley with the best technical talent. Over the years, Svitla has perfected its recruitment services. 

So let us share our experience and help you make a right decision and save your efforts.

1. What are the main rules to select a proper candidate?

Try to pull as much information as possible about the vacancy. It is very important to have a good project description on hand, as well as lists of specific job requirements and responsibilities for the open position. Analyze every candidate to identify their strengths and areas for growth opportunities to determine whether the candidate is a right fit for the position. Provide feedback on candidates’ CVs and interviews within a few days, so you don’t overload the recruitment process with additional steps.  

Nachi Sendowski, Chief Architect, Inflection

From the beginning, we felt Svitla was run much like local Silicon Valley company. Our ways were not foreign to them. In addition, Svitla always accommodated our IT infrastructure needs, office space configuration requests and strict access security. Svitla’s ability to attract good talent over the years also made the difference. From smart junior level engineers eager to learn to experienced and fluent in English team leads to mentor and manage the teams. We were always able to grow the team and match our growth needs. 

2. Where to search for finest talent? 

Post vacancies on all possible venues: website, popular Job-boards, IT forums. Use internal recommendations program. And last but not least, take advantage of your social and professional networks. 

3. How much time does it usually take to close a vacancy?

Much will depend on your procedures: if it takes a few days to find a suitable person, the long internal procedure can last for 1-2 weeks. However, with a third party help, you finish your task quickly as most outsourcing companies can suggest people from the bench.

4. Does location matter?

Nowadays location doesn’t matter and that’s the beauty of it! With over 20 years of experience, we can definitely say that developers in Ukraine, Montenegro or Mexico are equally talented and professional. You can ask your vendor to provide an office for the team or let them work from home. It’s loyalty, dedication, and talent that really matter!

HOW TO BUILD THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS BETWEEN YOUR ONSITE AND OFFSITE TEAMS?

Svitla commonly uses the following 7 models of communications, which we find reasonably effective. 

1. Project specification 

Project specification is a document that makes the basis for software development work. Based on it, vendor carries out a detailed project plan with milestones, timelines, and required resources assignment for project completion. 

2. Project management tools and bug tracking systems 

These tools provide stable and reliable means of tasks information exchange between Client and Software Development Teams. They are commonly used by developers for commenting on tickets and provide a predictable way to gather feedback and explanation for specific tasks. We often use JIRA, Basecamp, MS Project, OpenProject, Assembla or the other services chosen by our clients. For source code exchanges and commits, we suggest SVN, CVS or GIT. 

3. One-to-one Skype calls between Team Leader and Client 

A very effective way of verbal communications that is used on a regular basis – daily, weekly or on demand. 

Joe Casey, Vice President Operations, Circle Media, Inc. 

Svitla developers are very motivated and capable. If they don’t know something, they learn it quickly without our involvement. Their internal training system works well, and by reaching out to us often to seek our feedback, they make sure that we remain happy with the skills of their developers.

4. Meeting on Skype/Slack with the entire Software Development Team

Usually works with SCRUM meeting methodology, it can be effectively conducted regularly – anywhere, from 2-3 times per week to once every 2-3 weeks. 

5. Videoconferencing 

Skype (or other VOIP tool required) could be used for video conferencing providing a more personal way of communication. 

6. On-site visits 

To make a development process as effective as possible, developers should visit the client's team office and work together on-site for 2-4 weeks at a time. And vice versa, Client can come to visit the vendor off-shore office and work with Team Leader and developers.

MOST REGULAR FEARS AND UNCERTAINTIES ABOUT OUTSOURCING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Svitla Systems has been working as an IT outsourcing development provider for many years and learned various customers’ fears and myths firsthand. We are happy to address all those fears and show that offshore software development outsourcing can be as reliable as in-house development.

Fear#1. What if the contractor turns out to be an unfair partner?
Solution: Check the offshore software development company’s reputation by asking for its clients’ recommendations and reviews. Surf its website for successfully implemented projects. Ask for its registration documents. Generally, presence on the market for more than 5-7 years usually points on reliability.

David Wong, CEO at E2G2 Inc.

Our biggest fear when we go outsource is if they can do the job and deliver on time, if they are reliable, if they will stand by their work. Svitla gets a five star on all levels. They have taken on projects small and large. We have integrated their resources completely into our technical department and infrastructure and have never looked back. ​

Fear#2. What if I am not satisfied with the offshore software development team services?
Solution: To reduce the risk of the overseas team delivering low-quality work, try a pilot project first. Delegate a small piece of work that can be quickly done. This way, you will see the quality of their services without committing much time and money. The staged model, also known as Time and Material, often leads to a better and deeper mutual understanding, until you realize you are ready to hire a team for a bigger project.

Fear#3. Can the contractor protect my key confidential information?
Solution: Take all possible legal steps to protect your sensitive data. Check if there was any previous history of the offshore company leaking clients’ confidential information. Demand all team members to sign a Confidentiality Agreement. 

Fear#4. What if I have some communication barriers with the team?
Solution: As a rule, IT teams are specially oriented to English-speaking clients and have good language skills (speaking, listening, writing). Before the project starts, the preliminary communications with the management team (project manager, team leads, HR manager) on the offshore side will give you a full understanding if you are on the same page.

Fear#5. I don’t have an experience in the guidance of the development team. Can this be a problem?
Solution: For easy and well-managed work, the offshore contractor will provide you with Project Manager, who will be in charge of development and communication processes. So your stress connected with guiding the offshore team will be minimized.

Fear#6. Can a different time zone be a spoiler for effective development?
Solution: We understand your concerns, and therefore many of development teams work during your working hours, always staying online. On the other hand, for many projects different time zones offer an even better opportunity to organize the non-stop development process: when working day in the US is over, in Ukraine it is about to start.