Whether a business is in its early stages or is already making a big impact in their market, they must consider outsourcing some of their projects. Outsourcing of projects provides many advantages if the business owner can understand what it means to outsource. This is particularly true concerning offshore software development.
However, web development is not something that you will confide to some unknown company. Yet, you might need some time to consider whether it is better to have an in-house team or outsource your project. This guide will explain what to expect before dealing with offshore development.
What is Offshore Software Development?
It refers to a business outsourcing work to a software developer in a different country. The third-party offshore developer is hired to handle a project for the business that will free up time and resources.
These developers are completely dedicated to their craft. If the company has a solid experience in a certain field, that means developers are working with technologies continuously. An advantage to using this option has a knowledgeable team tackle a project with speed and accuracy, delivering a better product with less cost.
How does the Offshore Software Development Model look?
There are various models that can be used by a business to make offshore development work for them. However, there must be a clear understanding of what the business needs, so they can choose a model that best fits their goals.
- Complete Outsourcing: This is when a business figures it would be best to completely outsource the technical side of the house. Meaning the offshore developers will handle the creation, maintenance, and implementation of all software applications.
- Partially Outsourcing: Here a project manager within the business will be assigned to monitor and manage the outsourced team developing certain applications.
- Project Based: Some companies already have a good handle on their software and web applications, but need some help with certain projects. Only small projects or pieces of a project are outsourced for better solutions.
What are some Offshore Software Development Services?
A business will need to understand what they are looking for before making a choice. Services from an offshore developer can range from Product Development to Analysis. It can also involve the following services;
- Custom Software Solutions
- Architecture
- UI/UX Design
- QA and testing
- Maintenance
- System Administration
- Support
- Web Development
- Mobile Applications
Although, services provided by a development company will vary depending on its expertise. Most will offer the services in this guide listed above, however, some offshore development companies providing with best practices in specific tasks, while others just starting. It is important to research each offshore developing company before making a decision based on price alone.
How to Manage Offshore Software Development
Dealing with a business in a different country, or even a different time zone can bring some questions. Lots of countries have their ways of doing business, and there is also a language barrier. However, most of the experienced companies will provide you with English speaking specialists and highly professional project managers then it won’t be a problem to build communication with a team.
Offshore benefits can give a company an advantage against the competition, but it must be appropriately managed. Leave no room for doubts. Ensure your goal is clear with specific details and milestones. Constantly check in on the developers to keep them in the direction desired to accomplish the goal without delay. Creating a framework before meeting an offshore company is what makes the difference between a great product and a bad product.
How to Calculate Offshore Development Costs
Conducting thorough research about costs before deciding on Offshore development is a no-brainer. There are several sites that contain some general pricing information, but it is always wise to communicate with a company directly to get clear rates.
Offshore Software Development Rates by Country
By country, the hourly rates can be broken down in this infographics. The USA and Europe have higher wages due to their standards of living and the average wages in each country.
In the case of Western Europe, if we will take Scandinavian countries, they are more likely to get $70-90 per hour of work. German development companies could charge you $40-55 and the average Western European rate per hour is around $35-65.
By comparison, Ukraine is the median for Europe coming in at an average hourly rate of $30. Highlighting the main reasons, most of Ukraine speaks English and they have a multitude of developers in a vast area of expertise.
What about Quality of Services?
In order to ensure the quality meets the needs of the business the manager must set those standards before reaching out to an offshore developer. It is important to clearly define what is expected with milestones in the progression of the project.
If you have a project and you start working with a certain offshore development team, you want to get clear code, precise explanation of each stage of work and support if needed. Constant checking in will help with any hiccups that might occur. Recurring meetings to discuss the progress and the end goal is another way to get the best from offshore developers. Indeed, you define the scope, timeline and other standard parts of the project. The development team should provide expertise and fit the deadlines.
Summary
Offshore software development can present an opportunity for a company to expand their horizons and compete with the ever growing competition. Communication is the key to conquering offshore software development. Once this is understood a business will have no issues with offshore development and can turn their complete focus on expanding their legacy.
