The age-old question for startups and other large companies is whether to outsource web development projects or to do them in-house.  While both options have clear advantages that benefit unique scenarios, there are situations where the option to outsource web development is superior.

There are numerous benefits inherent in the decision to outsource web development projects. These benefits include:

• Cost and time savings: Online businesses move incredibly quickly. What is new today is already old news tomorrow, which is why they need to strategize for swift project delivery and product release. As you probably know, you have the option to outsource web development in nearshore, onshore or offshore schemes. Regardless of which one you use, outsourcing is an attractive option to save costs as the prices are affordable, onboarding costs are relatively low, the risk is absorbed by the contracting company, and the cost of labor is lower than an in-house team. Additionally, to outsource web development helps your company reduce the time spent on a specific project as you eliminate the need to train employees and minimize the learning curve.
• Focus on the core business: By choosing to outsource web development projects, your employees are free to focus on core business processes. The burden of web development is fully owned by the outsourcing vendor, which leaves you with enough time and resources to concentrate on other key business activities that bring value to your organization.
• Specialized talents: Another key benefit of outsourcing web development is that you have easy access to talented and experienced development teams across the globe You avoid the training and onboarding phases of a project, as the hired outsourcing vendor already took care of assembling an experienced team that is solely dedicated to your project.

In this article, we are going to explore the ins and outs of web development outsourcing and how your business can do so successfully. In the subsequent section, we explore the reasons behind the decision to outsource web development services and which are the top rendered services.

Top outsource web development services

Software outsourcing companies offer comprehensive suites of services for hiring companies that are looking to alleviate the burden of software development. Specifically, hiring an outsource web development company enables clients to meet their needs for a high-quality, quickly-delivered, fully-functional website. 

These are some of the core outsource web development services included as part of the portfolio of services that prominent web development companies, such as Svitla Systems, provide:

• A dedicated team of developers: At Svitla Systems, we offer a Managed Extension team model where client companies are provided with a dedicated, highly-specialized team of developers who are solely focused on their software development needs. This service is particularly helpful in scenarios where client companies want to bridge the gap in development and have a full-time team that feels like their own. The team of developers in immersed into the client company’s culture and guidelines to ensure consistency throughout the software development lifecycle and delivery of the product.
• Consulting: Oftentimes, client companies have a limited idea of what software development entails and they require an extra boost or advice to accomplish their goals. This is where consulting comes in. With teams of experts and highly-knowledgeable software engineers, consulting becomes an integral part of the software development process to develop a comprehensive strategy solution that aligns with the client’s technical and business requirements.
• Build applications from the ground up: For example, with Svitla’s build-to-order software application model, companies can hand over software challenges to established teams of developers and project managers to develop a software project from scratch according to the client’s requirements, time frame, and budget. This model is particularly helpful for companies that want to avoid dealing with any aspect of the software development life cycle as the service provider has full ownership over the development process.
• Roles: Additional to services, companies can also outsource specific roles. Some of the most common roles to outsource include Project Managers, Designers, Back-end developers, Front-end developers, UX writers, Marketers, Testers, and more.

Other services rendered by software outsourcing companies include server monitoring, DevOps services, QA testing, and more.

Now that we have a wider understanding of some of the top outsource web development services rendered by companies, let’s take a look at the criteria for choosing an outsource web development company.

Criteria to choose an outsource web development company

Once the strategic decision to outsource web development projects is made, you need to consider which criteria to use to choose an outsource web development company that aligns with your corporate culture and is capable of handling your technical and business requirements.

In this section, we explore the criteria to choose an outsource web development company.

• Communication, location, and time zones: Communication is crucial in all software development projects, so it is basic that you should place chief importance in this area when choosing to outsource web development. You must evaluate if an outsourcing provider’s time zone, work schedule, availability, geographic region, and communication tools align with your business requirements for the project.
• Experience: It’s important to take into consideration the experience and the number of projects a web development company has under its umbrella. A seasoned company with proven years of experience suggests confidence and reliability that is highly valuable for customers who seek a provider who has faced many challenges and has risen to the task.
• Portfolio of clients: Along with experience, the portfolio of clients that a web development company has worked with is very important to understand the type of projects it has completed, their success rate, the type and size of project they are comfortable with, and the deliverables.
• Talent: Every company that provides outsourcing services strives to have a comprehensive and talented pool of personnel who can jump into any project with expertise and knowledge. Talent is the biggest asset, which is why it is of the utmost importance to evaluate the team of professionals who are in the web development company’s workforce. Additionally, it’s important to look at aspects such as the recruiting and onboarding processes to understand how employees are attracted and retained in a company.
• Contracts: Review the type of contracts and models each software outsourcing provider offers. This will give you an idea of which scheme suits you best for your project needs. Be sure to understand the legal aspects, constraints, responsibilities, and other features of a contract with an outsourcing company.
• Pricing: Know the industry’s average prices and look for the best option for your project and budget needs. The costs of web development come in a wide range and they are often determined based on project complexity, size, and functionality.
• Technologies: With a good team in place, the next step is to evaluate the different types of technologies they are proficient in. It’s important to evaluate the technologies and the core competencies framework each web development company offers to equip them with the right tools.
• Services: Each provider has a catalog of services they render to solve unique software development needs. The repertoire of services should be robust, diverse, and responsive to the needs of the client. The list of services an outsource web development company offers serves as a determining factor to decide if a company is a right fit for your project or not.
• Capacity: Evaluate the capacity and availability of each outsourcing provider to make sure they have enough time to deliver your project successfully.
• Support: You want a provider that has your back, which is why it’s important to validate their support capabilities to assess if it aligns with your needs and requirements. A well-rounded provider will have a comprehensive support strategy in place with multiple resources available to handle any sort of incident that may arise on the client side.
• Security: Outsourcing companies must exude trust and security. It is highly valuable for clients to hire a company that has stringent security measures and guidelines that will protect their data and processes. Security is a hot topic in the current technological climate, where cyber attacks are more frequent than ever before. Thus, it is critical for outsourcing providers to define clear protective measures for the client to choose from.

These are some of the key pointers that should be taken into account when choosing an outsource web development company. Next, let’s dive into the criteria you must evaluate when you want to hire web developers on a freelance basis.

Challenges of how to outsource web development projects

Outsourcing web development sounds like the promised land for software projects. And while it is an excellent solution, it can sometimes fail to deliver. This is partly due to a lack of understanding of the challenges that may arise when you choose to outsource web development projects.

Being prepared and having contingency plans makes a great difference for software outsourcing companies that want to attract and retain clients. Here, we will give you some of the most commonly-faced challenges when you decide to outsource web development projects.

Clear project definition and scope

You’d be surprised at how frequent it is for developers to work on projects that have insufficient or messy information that does not convey exactly what the purpose and scope of the project actually is. This sets the project up for failure as the developer may become frustrated with the lack of direction. 

Imagine a project that keeps adding more and more features and functionalities that were not originally defined, lengthening the process far more than what the developer originally agreed to. This is unhelpful for everyone involved and may hinder the success of a project. Clients must be very wary and stringent about defining the project and its scope to set the right path for a satisfactory web development experience.

Technical talent

It is very likely that your dedicated team of developers or freelance developer is outside your geographic region. Evaluating technical talent from afar can be a challenging and obscure process, which may lead to you ending up with a developer who is not quite up to the required level of your software development project.

A functional and effective method to evaluate the technical talent of a developer is to request him or her to write a simple program. This will give you a picture-perfect idea of their style of work, their time management capabilities, their technical prowess, and more. You can even conduct the test in a screen-share environment to better assess their technical abilities.

Methodology

Choosing the right methodology for your project can set it up for success or failure. For example, a great majority of developers follow the Agile development process, thus you need to make sure your project and requirements align with the iterative framework of working in sprints. Or vice-versa, if you are committed to working under a specific methodology, you must look for developers that work well under the desired scheme and that have enough experience in that environment.

Security

Basically, you are handing over work to personnel that you can’t engage with on a one-on-one basis as easy as you’d like, entrusting them with your software development project. This is a tough idea to wrap your head around as a lot of companies worry about delegating full control, along with the safety of the project, to an external party. Most of the time, this particular challenge is solved by performing thorough research prior to hiring an outsourcing company. You must look for a company or developer that has a transparent approach and is willing to communicate regularly. They must have robust and careful guidelines in place to secure your data and the overall project. 

These are only a sample of the challenges you may face if you decide to outsource web development projects, but having a sound strategy and a clear path of what you want to accomplish with your software development project, already wins you half the battle.

Conclusion

With this article, we hope to shed light on the intricacies of deciding to outsource web development projects of all shapes and sizes. It’s a decision that must be made with careful consideration to select the right solution for you and your technical/business needs.

Why Svitla?

With the help of a trusted and experienced partner, such as Svitla Systems, you can transform your web development projects into success stories. Svitla Systems is fully committed to providing the best-in-class web development services for all clients. With the goal of providing the best and highest value to clients, Svitla Systems has a comprehensive web development portfolio of service offerings to accommodate your project requirements.

For more details on how Svitla can help you, complete the form below!