Outsourcing Startup Development: How To Do It Rightly
By Ray Parker, IQVIS
Startups have to go through various stages from idea generation to final launch of the product. This also includes hiring a team of best developers, engineers, and designers to kick-start the project. However, the cost of hiring in-house team will blow your money away.
When it comes to startups, lack of funds is the major problem. For this reason, outsourcing is considered to be a cost-effective and ideal method to carry on with the idea successfully. In fact, many startups outsource every task whether it be data entry, social media and SEO or startup product development.
The reason is that outsourcing not only helps you stay within your budget but also hire the best resources from all over the world without any geographical constraints. The total IT budget being spent on outsourcing rose from 10.6% in 2016 to 11.9% in 2017.
If you want to outsource your work, it depends largely on what you want to achieve. Whether it is due to the non-availability of technical resources or lack of funds to manage in-house resources, outsourcing helps you achieve any of these.
For now, the article mainly focuses on key aspects of outsourcing development. If you are outsourcing development project, here are some the key things to keep in mind.
Picking the Right Resources
It requires a lot of hard work to create a brand that people would love. At this point, you have to find the right people to handle your development project ranging from web app development to mobile app development. Decide on whether you are going to hire freelancers or a full-time agency to carry on the work. Most of the startup entrepreneurs usually prefer working with agencies that are more reliable and able to deliver quality work.
The important thing to keep in mind is that whether you are hiring an individual or an agency, there are some advantages and disadvantages. Make sure to analyze each other side by side and take your final decision. For instance, an individual freelancer will offer you services at low cost as compared to the agency. However, the quality of work may differ.
It is therefore recommended to look at the portfolio of both and decide on what’s best for you. Quality should not be compromised over cost because it’s all about your reputation and success in the long run.
Updated with Technology Standards
When it comes to the app or web development, technology has affected them largely. When outsourcing your development work, make sure to keep technology standards in mind.
Chaim Sajnovsky, the founder at B7Dev.com, suggests that “Being able to feature up-to-date technologies in your development is critical”.
For instance, most of the people access websites through mobiles. If the resource you are hiring does not know what responsive web design is you should avoid hiring, whether it be an individual freelancer or an agency. It is also important to have responsive web design as it leads to search engine ranking and driving traffic.
Ensure Seamless Communication
Communication plays an important role when outsourcing your project. Without proper communication, you might face problems such as technical issues or addressing your concerns.
Don’t outsource development if there’s no guarantee of a personalized communication. Why? Because sooner or later you'll encounter technical issues after the project has been completed. Make sure to define proper communication channel and specified time, to avoid any problems in case of difference between the time zones. You can use Skype, TeamViewer or Slack to ensure proper communication with the service provider.
Cheap Services is not for Startups
You are a startup, that’s good. You are low on funds, true. But what you should not go for is hiring a cheap outsource agency or freelancer to save your money. If you are looking for something extra ordinary, you need to hire someone to deliver something optimum. Even if you have to invest extra hundred dollars, the deal is not going to cost you. All it matters as a startup is to bring the perfect product without any bugs, flaws or discrepancies.
You only get what you pay for and highly skilled professionals don’t come with a low price tag. They are in demand and you have to be very careful in finding those resources. You might save the cost in the beginning but the ROI will greatly effect if you are not willing to invest in someone skillful and experienced.
Have a due Check on Company’s Progress
As a startup, everything is in your hand from business processes to finance and marketing. You have hired an agency or a freelancer, but that does not mean you should give 100% control to them without needing to see what’s going on.
Make sure to keep yourself updated on the progress of the project and have strict invigilation. If you are thinking of checking all the things after final delivery, you might get in trouble. Watch out for the ongoing development process and give your feedback and suggestions all the way long.
Conclusion
The world has become fast paced and people are becoming skillful with the passage of time. No matter, what idea you are going to kick off, make sure to outsource your development, where you can benefit from it in the end. You will have better productivity along with reducing the overall cost of hiring in-house developers, utility bills and much more.
Author Bio:
Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 15 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writing and Digital Marketing with IQVIS.