The number of businesses that use modern technologies to be more profitable and outperform their competitors is increasing day by day. But to implement and use these technologies in the virtual world, they need programming skills, a very specialized job. Thus, along with developing the World Wide Web and the emergence of businesses based on it, software project outsourcing seems to be more and more necessary. But why and when taking this action is wise, and what are the steps to a software project outsource?
Proper software project outsourcing, a way to advance technology
New technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives. They are instrumental in facilitating, accelerating, and increasing our information and activities’ accuracy, both in our personal lives and in our businesses. These technologies have emerged thanks to the World Wide Web and developers who make different software and applications. Since software production is a specialized process, we can say that many of these applications have been made through software project outsourcing.
Based on the company and business needs, managers create the solution to meet them in the form of application design. On the other hand, programming is a solution by which developers transform the above needs as human structures and requests into computer structures and commands. In other words, business programming is a stimulus and a weapon of other sub-sectors of an online business. All applications and most of the technologies that make the foundation of modern businesses result from different software projects.
What should we consider before outsourcing a software project?
Some people believe a cross-sectional software project outsourcing is cost-effective and logical. But when it comes to long term outsourcing process, it is not justified and may cause severe damages to the business. But this view is not scientifically correct. Although we should note that long-term software project outsourcing is more challenging, both long-term and cross-sectional projects will be successful if you do the outsourcing properly.
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Here are some tips to keep in mind before outsourcing software. These will help you decide if you do this or not:
Can you build the software without outsourcing?
If your staffs have free time and the necessary skills to produce the software, do not outsource. Software outsourcing is suitable for those who cannot do the project by themselves entirely and with high-quality. Remember, if you have the necessary skills and man force, no one will do it better than you. Because you have more compassion for your idea and exactly know what you want.
However, if you do not have enough human resources to do the project, outsourcing makes sense.
Do you have the necessary budget?
Software outsourcing comes at a cost. Although there are always agencies that do the project at a lower cost, the output quality often is not satisfying. So do not sacrifice quality for the price and outsource when you can afford it.
You should note that the final software producing cost may be higher than what you estimated or contracted with the third party. There are always unpredictable turns along the way that may change the project’s direction and consequently its costs. These price changes usually tend to increase, not decreasing.
Do you precisely know what you want?
You can not justify the third party about the job until you do not know what you want. You need to understand your project outsourcing goal and the features the final product should have.
Software project outsourcing steps
Software outsourcing has steps that you may not get the result you are looking for if you are not familiar with them. In other words, outsourcing is often wise, but the results are disappointing because you have not performed it correctly. The steps are as follows:
Define your goals precisely
If you want to experience successful software outsourcing, you must first know your goal of creating or developing the project. If your goal is not clear, the result will not be what you were looking for. On the other hand, defining the software’s purpose helps you make your third party aware of your needs and purpose.
Decide which country you will outsource your software to
You should do research about the countries that are suitable for outsourcing. In addition to the good reputation, you should also consider the costs. If you choose a country with a high money value (higher than yours,), you will probably have trouble paying the expenses. On the other hand, selecting a relatively low-value country may be economical. Some countries well-known for software outsourcing are Ukraine, Hungary, India, South Korea, and China.
Choose the best company in the region.
Although you may have found the most suitable country, choosing the right company is the most crucial step that if you do not do it properly, all your efforts go to waste.
Search Google for the best company in theregion. You probably will find several companies to outsource your software project. Investigate the site of each carefully, view their portfolio, and then decide.
One of the most beneficial actions you can take at this stage is to reach out to the customers. Contact them and ask if they were satisfied with the company’s performance. Are they willing to leave their job to them again? Do The company adhere to the schedule? And so on.
Contact the selected agency.
At this stage of software project outsourcing, you should contact the company itself. Try to select a few companies to follow up on others if you lose one. Contact them via the site, email, or phone call to complete your information. Some of the questions you need to ask to are the following:
- What specialties do their team consist of?
- Do they have a support team?
- What is the process of doing your project?
- How long does it take for the final software to be delivered to you?
- What technologies do they use to do the project?
- How much does it cost for you to outsource your software?
- Have they ever done a project like yours? If yes, can they provide you with the documentation?
- Do they deliver the software source to you?
- What files do you access while doing the software and how?
- With what software does the development team interact with you during software development? For example, GitHub, project management via Trello, time reports, IM (instant messenger), etc.
- Do they show you a functional product at different stages of software project outsourcing?
- What should you do if you are not satisfied with the result?
- Do they use the Agile software development model or the older ones?
Make your choice final.
The previous step may take a long time. But you should not rush, or you may regret it.
If the company you asked for their terms of software outsourcing answers you too late, this may be a warning sign. You may not be able to communicate effectively with them in the future. You should also be concerned if they openly accept any questions and requests you make as no one can do everything. They may just want to make money from you.
However, after careful consideration, you can select the desired company to sign a contract with them.
Essential documents for concluding a software production outsourcing contract
Some important documents that you may want a third party to sign are:
Service Level Agreement or SLA:
An SLA, or Service Level Agreement, is a bilateral contract between the client and the service provider that is entered into to ensure that the agreed service quality measurement parameters are met.
The penalties for the SLA are:
- Description of services: What services are to be provided?
- Accessibility: When can you use the service?
- Service Delivery: How the third party should deliver the service?
- Reporting method: How are the necessary reports obtained from the service? If there is a problem, who should take care of it?
- Performance monitoring: Who will monitor performance, and what the measurements will be.
- Penalty for non-fulfillment of obligations: If the service provider fails to fulfill its obligations, what will happen?
- Limitations: Under what circumstances can both parties violate the agreement?
SRS (Software Requirements Specifications)
The Software Requirements Document, sometimes known as the Software Requirements Specification (SRS), is a document that describes the challenges, features, and requirements that need to be addressed by the software. You must prepare SRS before outsourcing a project.
What should you include in the software requirements document?
A. Introduction
1.1 Purpose: Set expectations for the product result.
1.2 Intended Audience: Who is the end-user? Is this software used internally in a company or abroad?
1.3 Intended Use: What do you use the software for? What problem does it solve?
1.4 Scope: Explain the scope of the software. What are the main goals and objectives? How do they relate to the company’s goals?
1.5 Definitions and Acronyms: Provide an overview of the definitions that the reader faces while reading the document.
B. Overall Description
Describe what you make? And for whom do you make?
2.1 User Needs: Explain the user needs for this software.
2.2 Assumptions and Dependencies: What assumptions do you make that could lead to an error in your approach? Does the project rely on other factors that can influence software development?
C. System Features and Requirements
3.1 Functional Requirements: Take the time to define the operational needs that are necessary to build software.
3.2 External Interface Requirements: Are there UX and UI requirements to keep in mind when building?
3.3 System Features: What features do you require for software.
3.4 Nonfunctional Requirements: Non-operational needs such as budget, team, etc.
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
These are a kind of evaluation point for different stages of the project.
Learn more: KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement):
In a world where information theft is unfortunately commonplace, you need a legal way to protect your data and your project, so be sure to sign this document in the company you hire.
