Today, a growing number of companies are considering working with an offshore development team. It is considered the best way in order to capitalize on the technical talent available across the world. Regardless of the size of the company, this approach can be suitable for you if you want to minimize the cost and maximize the returns.
If your company is looking to scale your technical department down or trying to outsource it entirely, you might be thinking about starting an offshore development team. However, not many of you may know how to convert this goal into a reality. For those who are trying to effectively navigate this transition, we have some tips that can help you out.
1. Find the Right Talent
The key to a successful partnership with an offshore software development company is choosing the right one. However, to make sure that you make the best choice, you will first need to fully understand the needs of your company. This includes the product you want to develop and the infrastructure required for that.
If you can convert your project's requirements in terms of technology, it will be easier for you to find the right offshore software development company for your needs. Also, remember that you now have access to talent pools from around the globe, so do not hesitate to expand your search.
2. Explain your Company Culture and Values
In order to effectively manage your offshore team, you should clearly communicate your company culture and values. This can be done during onboarding so that your chosen company can familiarize itself with the common practices of your organization. It is vital for everyone to be on the same page, especially in terms of their duties and what they cannot handle.
By being transparent, you will be able to make everyone feel part of your organization and clearly define who will be responsible for which task.
3. Extend your In-House Communication Practices
If you already have an in-house team, then it is crucial that you let your offshore company know how your existing processes work. You should be able to integrate the process of offshore application development with your current workflow to ensure that both teams can work together effectively.
Instead of coming up with a new communication plan, you might simply have to extend your current practices. This will apply to collaboration, documentation, quality control, and planning.
More importantly, make sure that you allocate adequate time for the offshore team to get used to your company practices. You might need to offer more training to reap high productivity rates. This can also help easy integration of both your in-house and offshore application development teams.
4. Have At Least one technical Expert on Your Team
If you are hiring an offshore software development company to meet all your technical needs, then you should have at least one technical lead on your side. This IT specialist should be someone who has thorough knowledge about your software requirements and company products. He or she will be the one that manages the team on your behalf.
This is crucial because, with an IT specialist in your team, you might struggle to find the right direction to manage your offshore team. You might not have sufficient technical expertise or familiarity with the jargon. This in-house employee can help bridge the gap between your company and the outsourced organization. In addition, you should also delegate a delivery manager to your in-house team who is responsible for the management and communication between the two teams.
5. Delegate Real Business Problems for your Offshore Team to Solve
It is not uncommon for businesses to hesitate to assign important tasks to offshore teams - one reason for this could be a lack of trust. However, there is a reason why you invested time and resources to carefully select a brilliant offshore software development company for your organization.
As such, it is best to take advantage of the developers and talents that come with the team. Make sure that you factor in their unique expertise and perspective on your important projects as well. This could be a thoughtful way to show your appreciation which will also convey to your offshore team that they matter. If not, it is likely that they will lose motivation which will reflect on the quality of their work as well.
6. Identify Common Tools
As we discussed earlier, you should familiarize the offshore team with your company's practices. Alongside, it is equally important to find common ground between the different tools used by both organizations.
Your chosen offshore application development company might be using entirely different tools and might be following different coding practices. Such inconsistencies across your teams can lead to serious troubles. For instance, this could result in late detection of bugs, integration issues, downtimes, and more.
Therefore, while defining your requirements, you should include what set of tools your in-house employees are using for software development and testing. It is crucial for your offshore development team to use the same to ensure cross-team collaboration and timely delivery of products.
7. Communicate with the In-House Team
Understanding the priorities and preferences of your in-house team is crucial to seamlessly work with any offshore software development company. For the reason that it is easier, many project managers tend to overlook addressing the concerns of internal teams. However, working through cultural barriers and different time zones can take its toll on your salaried employees too.
As such, while attempting to manage your offshore team most efficiently, you should also be patient with the people in your own company - so that you can lead better.
Remember that every individual and every team is different. And working with an offshore software development company can come with its own challenges. Even if you have sufficient experience and resources, you will still have to employ trial-and-error in multiple scenarios.
By clearly defining your requirements, priorities, and managing them through effective communication - it is indeed possible to work seamlessly with an offshore application development team.