Globalization is driving competitiveness in the business
space at an unprecedented pace, pushing companies to constantly look for lean
ways of improving their business and a clever place to start is resource
allocation. When planning a new project, the first task is to evaluate its
scope and allocate your talent and finances accordingly. This might sound
straightforward, but it´s actually a treasure chest of overlooked opportunities
for business optimization and company growth.
Contracting out or
outsourcing is a very well rooted practice not only in our professional
lives but also in our daily routines. We take coffee-stained suits to the dry
cleaners, call plumbers to fix our leaky pipes and even pay people to oversee
our children when we´re away. Outsourcing in business should be no exception,
as it allows companies to distribute assets more efficiently, complement their
core competences and broaden their product portfolio, while possibly saving
resources along the way.
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about outsourcing IT will likely be offshoring
to third-world
countries. But custom software outsourcing isn´t just a resource-saving
manoeuvre, it can bring your business to the next level if carried out
appropriately. Today, in the ever-so-saturated world of apps and software,
providing excellent user experience is the key to success. This article will
tell you just how outsourcing software development can revolutionize your
business.
1) Get Your Products
to the Market Faster
How many times have you said or heard those piercing words:
“This should have been done yesterday”. Often? You´re not alone. Today´s
dynamic and competitiveness within industries keeps companies constantly on the
edge. Overtaking competitors with market entry can make or break a business and
timing is key.
Software
development is a lengthy process that requires attentive care at all steps.
There´s no way around it, no matter how good your internal programmers are. It
almost always presents a bottleneck for sales and marketing departments trying
to get new products to the market. In turn, the pressure is put on the coders,
preventing them from doing their work well – and so the circle starts spinning.
At such times, receiving an extra pair of quick-acting
programming hands can prove priceless. Luckily, there are many software
development companies out there that put rapid collaborative effort,
adaptive planning and early delivery above all else. Much like a coding ninja,
they can jump in at any stage of the process and provide rapid support to your
team or carry out a project from start to finish, allowing you to finally reach
those utopian deadlines.
PRO TIP: Find an outsourcing partner that implements
flexible development methodologies with strong project management expertise,
preferably providing a single point of contact for each project. This will
result in smooth communication between both companies.
Software development
life cycle
2) Focus on Core
Expertise
It happens way too often that companies neglect the very
thing that brought them success – their core expertise. Be it revolutionary
tech, a unique service or a business model, there is always something that
generates value for a company, also known as its main differentiator. If coding
is not exactly your cup of tea, choosing to do it in-house can quickly
translate to consuming valuable time and money that would be better spent
elsewhere.
That´s why successful companies, especially small to
mid-sized, tend to outsource a big chunk of their software
development. It not only allows them to allocate their assets to tasks that
generate the highest value, but also prevents them from wasting heaps of
valuable resources on starting from scratch. Outsourcing allows companies to
complement their employees’ existing talents for marginally less than it would
cost to train them.
Even if you have invested in your highly skilled IT
engineers, managing too many projects simultaneously is not ideal and can
result in slower product release. If you instead decide to outsource new
projects that are coming down the pipeline, you can speed up the time-to-market
and gain an important competitive advantage.
With more time on their disposal, your engineers will be
able to focus on your core competences, enabling your company to grow and gain
in value. Producing great, beautiful and user-focused software is a delicate
craft by all standards and should be on the very top of the list of things you
should consider outsourcing.
PRO TIP: Always
strive to allocate your resources toward what your company is best at, that´s
your money maker. Find reliable and competent long-term outsourcing partners
who complement your existing expertise and can help you with the rest.
“Outsource partners can leverage their collective experience to help
overcome otherwise difficult challenges. Because they often work with many
companies on a variety of projects, outsource partners can quickly interject
critical skills and expertise to any product or software development”
–
Roman Pavlyuk, Salesforce.
3) Bring in Domain
Knowledge
Portfolio expansion is key to every sustainable business and
plays a crucial role for a company´s longevity. As important as it is to
maintain existing products and services, it is vital to keep your development
pipeline stacked. Sooner rather than later, this will drive companies to enter
new markets in order to leverage their core competences for business growth and
globalization. However, considerable planning and resources have to be invested
before jumping into deep waters and attempting to satisfy a completely new set
of customer expectations.
That´s where outsourcing software to a company within your
target niche can come in very handy. In addition to coders, good software
development contractors frequently employ in-house experts in a given niche to
help them understand the market from a user´s perspective. Not only will their
market-specific expertise eliminate your otherwise inevitable investment in
research, it will, more importantly, result in software which is tailored to
its end-users.
PRO TIP: Search
for a competent company that operates within the market you are targeting and
don't limit yourself to the first couple of hits on google. Every minute spent
here will be worth a fortune later on. Review their portfolio, contact existing
clients and ask for their domain expert to be present at the meetings as well.
4) Cut Costs
It´s largely believed western companies decide to outsource
their software to minimize expenses. While this is partly true, it doesn´t
come without its own price tag. More often than not, you will hear CEOs
complain about the decrease in their product quality when offshoring to third
world countries due to poor motivation, know-how and communication with their
contractors. In short, you pay for what you get.
On the other hand, you can opt to go with an outsourcing partner closer to you,
geographically and culturally. There are many economically strong European
countries worth considering that provide top-notch services for a marginally
lower cost than say US or Western Europe. Why pay your programmers $150 per
hour if you can get the same quality service for half the price? Not to mention
you steer clear of costly upfront investments in infrastructure, development
tools and licenses, enabling you to channel resources to much better use.
PRO TIP: The
cheapest option is not necessarily the best one. Instead of pinning down the
lowest price tag, rather go for the best cost-to-quality ratio. This will save
you plenty of gray hair with project coordination and result in a product your
customers will praise.
“I’ve found that when you work with a great developer, they not only
adhere to standards to ensure quality, they focus on your overall objectives
and intended results. Meaning the right team is more thoughtful in its approach
versus quickly slapping code together”
– Steve Mezak, Forbes
5) Meet Customer
Expectations
People often cringe when they hear the words “outsourcing”
and “quality” in the same sentence. But truth be told, the quality of your
software will depend solely on the provider you hire and can benefit you
immensely if chosen wisely. Good software contractors adhere to the highest
norms of quality assurance and will go well beyond their way to meet your
customers´ expectations and not simply slap the code together.
A competent
outsourcing company will carry out market research on client’s request to
precisely identify the voice of their customers. This may include organizing
focus groups, issuing acceptance tests or enrolling beta testers before product
launch. They work for you not only as their client but are in fact making
software for your clients.
Moreover, a great outsourcing company will help you finalize
software specifications or write them from scratch. They will advise on
long-term strategy, i.e. how will the chosen programming language influence
your company´s plans in the future. By identifying advantages as well as risks,
a good outsourcing company can also offer valuable consulting. The best
outsourcers aim to establish a long-term partnership with their clients, not
allowing any room to be left for mistakes.
PRO TIP: Choose a
reliable outsourcing partner that can
guarantee full traceability of the development process and a high level of commitment.
Plain body-leasing rarely works, best software gets coded in harmonious teams.
6) Enter the Internet
of Things
The ability to share information between different
applications, databases and computer systems is becoming crucial in today´s
IoT-ridden world. Every day, more and more aspects of our work are automated
thanks to the hidden, yet very important network of interconnected devices
around us. Companies are finding success in cooperation rather than in
competition and interoperability is becoming the new buzzword in the tech
industry today.
And who better suited at connecting different software
systems than outsourcing
companies? Think about it, their business model depends on adapting to the
needs of different companies, be it the choice of coding language, software
architecture design or seemingly trivial things like company culture.
Hiring an experienced
software development company to integrate your products with those of other
companies will save you tons of resources otherwise spent finding common
grounds with partnering companies. Third party contractors can immensely help
you overcome these obstacles by providing all-round expertise and a high degree
of flexibility.
PRO TIP:
Interoperability is crucial for sustainability and integrating into the IoT is
becoming a must. When you find a company to integrate with, propose hiring an
experienced third-party contractor that can provide consulting or even carry
out the entire task. Make sure both sides feel comfortable with the choice of
contractor.
Conclusion
Whatever your stance on
software outsourcing may be, there´s no denying it can be very fruitful for
companies who struggle to keep up with pressing market demands, limited
infrastructure, insufficient domain expertise or simply on a tight budget. But
make sure to do your homework before blindly jumping onto the outsourcing
train. Finding an agile outsourcing partner with the right set of tools and
expertise that also understands your company culture is tricky, but will be
well worth your while when you deliver on time, and your customers’
expectations are fulfilled.
Working in life sciences and have a software
development project in mind? Reach out to us with your idea. BioSistemika
is a custom software development company that specializes in software for
instrument manufacturers, software providers, and R&D.
Source: Codementor
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