The term “outsourcing” became widely known in software project management in the 1990s. The main reason for the emergence of the outsourcing phenomenon was the significant increase in the number of software projects and, consequently, the need to hire an increasing number of programmers with high skills and salaries for software development.
If you are a programmer, you know very well that due to the expansion of IT, successful software projects require the cooperation of different specialties.
This article will explain why outsourcing may be a lifeline for professional programmers to reduce stress and software project management workload.
Software project outsourcing benefits
First of all, let’s start with a definition.
Outsourcing is the transfer of non-core tasks from a person or company to another expert company or person.
Note if a company makes money by baking cakes, outsourcing cake production is pointless! Also, if the company conducts intermediary business activities, then outsourcing of accounting and finance is not possible; Because financial services are the most essential and central task of this company.
There are many other examples, but the main point is to understand that you can not outsource all tasks.
This issue is also present in IT and programming: some software project tasks cannot be delegated to another person or company, which will inevitably lead to a reduction in the quality of work.
If a programmer could delegate all his software project tasks to others, he would no longer be a programmer; He was an employer!
However, outsourcing of non-core software project tasks has the following benefits:
Number 1: The lower cost is the main advantage. It is believed that outsourcing in a software project is at least 10% cheaper than hiring an employee. On the other hand, everything may not be so simple – the benefit may be more significant, but it may also become negative! Outsourcing cost is an integral value that combines various factors and aspects into a single numerical characteristic. If you do not understand these factors’ influence, You can not understand the real benefit of this.
Number 2: Possibility of stricter software project management and control: An outsourcing agreement, as a rule, means a monthly payment, so in outsourcing a software project, the programmer has an additional mechanism to control the outcome: Not paying salaries on time or even cutting off further cooperation. This is something you can not do about your hired employee. Just keep in mind that a contractor can run away from you as quickly as you can run away from him.
Number 3: Attracting skills that are lacking in your business. If you need a one-time service for one software project, there is no point in hiring an employee. When we talk about outsourcing, we are talking about long-term projects or series. When it comes to outsourcing the software project, you may think of it as a long-term project or a series of software project management. But the reality is that outsourced work can be very short-lived.
The benefit of outsourcing comes in the three options listed above. Any other situation is most likely some combination of these three factors. These three advantages of software project outsourcing can be considered as three vertices of a triangle.
Outsourcing can be done for the sake of number 2 (and then clause one may not work) or for the sake of number 3 , and then number 1 is respected. This means that acquiring new skills should be cheaper than hiring, but you pay more to control the project.
Well, in the end, let’s look at an example of software project outsourcing. For example, suppose you outsource the technical support of a software project. In that case, the main criterion is the cost: outsourcing should be cheaper than hiring an employee or doing it by yourself (Given that time is worth its weight in gold). Regardless of how it is organized legally, through an employment contract or a service contract, the result is that you pay less money than a full-time employee, and control will theoretically improve.
So if you -as a modern programmer- use this advice of economists, you will probably make progress in your software project management. Do not cling to old, rotten methods. Look with your eyes open and enjoy the benefits of what lies ahead. Focus and do what works best for you in the long run.
