5 Ways Companies are Outsourcing Web and Software Development

Outsourcing is here to stay and is a great solution when implemented correctly.  We have seen margins increase for US firms from 50-70% as a result while seeing the quality of their work actually increase.  Here are 5 key ways to partner with an outsourcing firm:

1. Think Long Term

Why long term?  Have you heard the saying “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast?” This means that you exercise the correct form and processes over and over.  A slower approach reduces errors. As you exercise the form over and over, you go faster and faster till it is just an easy transaction. 

To outsource successfully, you need to think of putting in the structure, processes, and workflow to ensure you can scale it with quality output.  Strategically, you are better off this way. Long-term partnerships are going to lead to a better product. A long-term approach allows the team offshore to understand your process, nuances, and culture of getting things done. Quality goes up as a result.  

If you are rushing to get something done and want to bring on 20 sets of hands to force the project to completion, you may get it done but you are setting yourself up for issues. Procrastination never did anyone any favors.

Giving yourself this time allows for better communication so that the work you need finished, gets done the way you wanted with minimal errors. (Dinamis is at <2% errors, FYI.)

Which leads me to my next point.

2. Document and Publish Clear, Lean Processes

Your documented processes are how outsourced teams learn. Refined processes ensure that each team member can knockout the workload in front of them to your specifications. If the processes are long-winded or choppy, you are going to diminish their productivity. In the words of Michael Scott, “keep it simple, stupid.”

Creating detailed documents is also going to cut down on questions or back and forth needed for clarification.

3. Implement Solid Tools

For those questions that your documents just can’t answer, use the best tools at your disposal. Development tools like Jira and GitHub keep your team functioning like one. And don’t let the name fool you, Slack is an amazing communication tool that provides constant communication and can integrate other tools such as Trello or Zendesk to expedite challenges that pop up while working in different time zones.  

Resources like these are the next level of assurance that everything is going according to plan.

4. They Crawl, then Walk, then Run

If you slam on the gas in your car, you’ll just spin the tires. The same goes for teams. This kind of goes back to the first point. Stage your project and ramp up to going full steam ahead. Iron out the kinks so that when it counts, you are a well-oiled machine.

5. Scale

Once you have the systems in place you can now apply your sales team to increase the tempo of work.  The structure is scalable and really lends itself to growth. We have one firm who went from five team members offshore to 50 today. They scaled and are saving 67% on their costs. You can do the same.

Other Articles You Might Be Interested In: