The competitive and highly specialised nature of the software development industry poses a challenge to businesses. Hiring developers who are experienced enough to take on complex projects means having to fund high salaries and commit to recruitment efforts. In some cases, development projects are also not able to justify a full-time hire, with many businesses opting for sporadic development such as when creating a new app or digital product.
It’s for these reasons that software development consultants and agencies exist: we are here to help you by stepping in on a temporary basis, acting as an outsourced resource you can draw on when required and then move away from when the project is completed.
However, making a decision around whether to hire remote software teams or recruit in-house isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are some core considerations you’ll need to take into account – some of which we’re keen to discuss simply to highlight our goal to be an open, honest and inclusive development team. Let’s take a closer look…
The benefits of outsourcing to a remote team
Improved efficiency
Efficiency is, at its very core, about minimising time spent on a task and increasing the yield and/or quality of the project. Hiring a remote team gives you instant access to skills, experience and coding languages that would take years to train in-house. That instant boost to your development capacity means the product will be created faster, to a tighter timescale and remain closer to the specified budget.
In fact, most agencies or businesses simply can’t afford a full-time development resource – especially if it’s for specific projects that have fluctuating time requirements. For a business building an app, for example, hiring a full-time dev team would be highly inefficient as once the app is launched, it can be maintained and updated with far less intensity than during the build.
Greater time & money savings
Outsourcing software development can save you a lot of money in the long run – not only through the increased efficiency of a skilled team but also through faster product development. Launching an MVP (minimum viable product) to a tighter timeframe allows you to start generating revenue.
Increased flexibility
As COVID-19 transformed the world of work, businesses have recognised the value of remote work. For those looking to recruit developers, geographical factors have traditionally limited access to the most skilled teams to popular tech areas like San Francisco in the US or London in the UK.
Hiring a remote development team gives you access to a highly flexible resource, a team that is independent of the salary expectations of a certain area. What’s more, remote teams are generally accustomed to working to client timeframes, so even if you’re in a different timezone they are likely able to accommodate.
Higher quality product
By outsourcing software development, you can get a higher quality product than you would if you tried to do it in-house. The efficiency gains, independent expertise and focus on project-by-project development mean a remote team are entirely angled on delivering your finished product to the highest standard. They aren’t affected by internal pressure, politics or bias.
What to consider before hiring a remote development team
These are all benefits, but what about the cons? Rather than listing the downsides, we’re going to help you factor any potential negatives into your decision-making when hiring remote teams so you can avoid them entirely…
Project expertise
When interviewing for a remote team, first look at their case studies and experience to ascertain if they’ve worked on similar projects. While this isn’t always necessary – some developers can work on virtually any project, there’s generally a better end result if you can match your business’ goals to the remote team’s expertise.
Timezone
While most developers can and will work to any timezone, it’s always a better idea to work with teams that aren’t on the other side of the planet. Even with the best intentions, projects can become tricky when you’re managing the development process AND dealing with timezone challenges.
Communication
The most successful outsourced projects happen when communication between both parties is clear and consistent. If you have any in-house developers or designers who will need to interact with the remote team, it’s best to introduce them early and establish how contact will work. This could be through a single project manager or be more direct and free-flowing. The important thing is to establish a process early so you can both be more efficient.
If you’re interested in working with a remote software development team that has expertise in front and backend development, we can help. We’ll discuss your requirements, build a project plan and deliver projects to the highest standards. Click here to get in touch.
