Technology has become a vital part of our everyday life. Twenty years ago no one could imagine that being on the other side of the world you could easily speak online with someone from the French capital. No one knew that while living in Brazil you would be able to buy online authentic Japanese goods or Italian services.
Starting in the 2000s, internet technologies have sped up globalization. They develop websites, business and science and help people to communicate despite the distance. Today, neither a small shop owner nor an international franchise holder can ignore this process. Business and technology are co-working and developing each other.
Reasons for outsourcing
Internet technologies make sales grow because of easier communication between a seller and a buyer. At the same time, with the understanding of the positive influence of technology on their business, entrepreneurs and business owners get ready to invest money in outsourced development.
Modern business tries to use all benefits of internet technologies in software development. One of the examples is online sales and internet marketing.
But at the same time outsourcing may be a challenge. An unsuccessful outsourcing project may cause both a waste of time and money. And if you take into account an American proverb “Time is money,” it would mean a double loss of money.
In this article, we will describe the steps that will prepare your business for outsourcing and will help you to avoid some major mistakes.
Steps to successful outsourcing
Project outsourcing starts with grasping the idea of what it is and how it works. A successful outsourcing process includes 5 basic steps:
1. Setting your goal
2. Team selection
3. Writing project requirements
4. Cooperation
5. Implementation: analysis and correction
Let’s talk about each of these steps in detail, so you understand how each phase of the outsourcing process is carried out.
1. Setting your goal is the first step of your project development. Internet surveys, consultations with an outsourcing company’s specialists and outsourcing experience of other businesses will give you the idea of what is more suitable for your company. It may be a website, a mobile application or other software products that can be developed for you by an outsourcing team.
2. Team selection is the most important for project outsourcing. The future of your project directly depends on the expertise of the team members; they hold the responsibility for meeting your expectations.
In software development, as a business owner, you have two options: hiring and working with your own company’s IT department or working with an outsourcing company.
Working with your own company’s programmers gives you certain advantages. People that work for your company understand its needs better than any other team from outside. For you, it is much easier to explain your needs and correct mistakes. What if it is not economically viable to hire and maintain a team of full-time of programmers or you can’t find the necessary expertise in your home city?
In such cases, you may consider applying for the assistance of an outsourcing company. That may happen if your company doesn’t have an IT department big enough to fulfill the outsourcing project.
Working with an outsourcing company can be a challenge. First of all, because it’s hard to make your choice from the variety of outsourcing companies. Imagine visiting a shopping mall with a variety of shops and the goods they propose. But you can make a research on the internet to find the best option with a good value for money.
3. The next step is writing your project requirements. After choosing the team, consultations with specialists and deciding on your budget, you will be giving directions to your team. In other words, it’s preparing a model of your needs.
You should explain what features are required and what functions should be created. For example, if it is a website, you need to specify how many pages it would have and what kind of structure it should have (design). Meanwhile, the specialists will give you pieces of advice.
4. When you work with an outsourcing company, you are to be ready to keep in touch with the developer’s team. Communication online or via other means, like e-mailing or video conferences, will help your team to understand your needs better, avoid mistakes during the development process and provide the result that meets your expectations and business goals.
5. The final step is the implementation of the project. Before letting your website or mobile application go live, two more tasks must be completed: analysis and correction.
* Whether you begin an e-commerce business or you’re an owner of a real estate agency or a chain of pizza restaurants or you are representative of some non-government organization, you need your website or application to work stably. That’s why your outsourcing team members should analyze all the issues you may have before the implementation and be ready to fix them and make changes.
* Providing analysis, fixing bugs and correcting other mistakes is the job of your outsourcing team in all software development stages. It means that in the end, you get your app or website that works properly.
Following these simple steps will not only save your time and budget but will bring the results that you expect and serve you as a guide for your future outsourcing projects.
