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[O58]Offshore Software Product Development

by Dane Phillip, Dan

Technology is a wide arena, like our outer space in the galaxy. IT outsourcing isn't much different than any other kind of outsourcing. However, if there is danger that you will bite off more than you can chew, it's about time to take into consideration. Anyone who has experience in outsourcing knows that there are advantages as well as disadvantages in offshore software development. some tips to cut down risks.

It's not only about saving the bucks:

The most obvious benefit that tends to strengthen the demand of custom software development to an extensive extent is the cost cutting factor. Selecting the least expensive Offshore Software Development Company often backfires and ends up costing the client much more than initially thought. Offshore vendors are all facing cost pressures from wage inflation. Choosing the least expensive vendor just means you have chosen a company with very little leeway in its profit margins. This will affect everything adversely: hiring the right people, retaining the people who are working on your projects and providing the right resources for people to do the work on your development effort. Successful vendors may be better bets even if they're bit more expensive, given the realities in outsourcing and offshoring.

Hear their Story:

The Story of the provider speaks volumes about their professionalism, their business goals, their achievements, and their credibility. This will help you analyze how much you need to rely on them. How active and involved will they be and how much ownership they will take it helping you achieve your goals. If possible try hearing their story from other businesses who have worked with them. It will help you decide and understand how they practically function. Try to choose a provider you can have a long term relationship with. You will save time starting from scratch again.

Put Communication on high priority:

The basic reason is very simple: you know your business requirements best. Software services companies working in another part of the world can only develop a solution based on the input provided by you. But there will be loopholes unless the Communication is crystal clear. Fairly large projects demands for a dedicated project manager who is a single point of contact of the offshore team and acts as a virtual bridge between the business and the software developers. Agile methodologies are more realistic when it comes to making sure communication is facilitated properly and often with real code sent back for verification, reflection and fine-tuning.

Adhere to high standards:

Lookout for standards the provider adheres to, You need to understand that successful custom software development depends upon standards the provider follows in the process, documentation, coding in short the entire development cycle For example, The most dependable companies use the highest industry standards in testing each aspect of the products they create so that you receive a product that is ready to implement.

Check out their past experience:

The work done in past speaks a lot about the experience and expertise the provider has. It also talks about the domain they have been exposed to and the learnings they have picked up along the way which may help your goal. In theory, offshore software development companies should be able to perform custom software development for any type of business. There will be less of a learning curve, though, and greater chances for success, if the company has knowledge of your industry or a related industry.

Technology Expertise:

The most agile software development companies have an extensive network of specialists but they may be not adequate in terms of the technology expertise your project demands. So you will need to compare not only the domain expertise but also the technology expertise of a provider. Essentially, the provider needs to be competent and flexible, and see their role as an information technology partner who solves your software problems, supports your team, and manages your projects from beginning to end.

Study the Methodology the provider adapts:

We should remember that software development methodologies are all milestones in the continuing evolution of software engineering. This evolution is still continuing and there will be more variants in the future. And, depending upon the nature of the software development project, the choice needs to be different. A compatible Process Methodology accelerates the delivery of high quality custom software. An Agile Process Methodology follows a controlled, iterative development and prototyping process.

Huge cost savings, time optimization: there are several benefits but these opportunities and advantages in this business are also accompanied by challenges. Though the software vendor has hi-tech professionals with the best of technical skills with delivering quality output, there are few challenges faced which cannot be overlooked. These challenges are communication gaps, non-clarity of the project status, improper estimation in terms of resources and budget therefore and of course cultural hindrances.

Cost cut without compromising on quality is the key objective for this business and to achieve this objective, there has to be a smooth coordination between offshore client and the software vendor. This should start with the best possible approach by both the parties the offshore client and the software vendor.

The most important aspect in the offshore software development other than the required technical skills is the smooth communication between the two parties. Generally the offshore vendor works in accordance with the client for the later convenience but it is better if you as an offshore vendor also have a local presence for the client. This is like an added privilege, since this strengthens the client's confidence into the offshore vendor. This helps the client to approach the vendor easily.

Hence forth, to bring success to any offshore software development projects, it is the joint effort from both the ends that ultimately works out. But the most important factors here would be transparent and clear communication, proper forecast on resources and budget and smooth coordination on deliverables.

Article Source : Pg. 241

About Author

Both Dane Phillip & Vit Coers are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Dane Phillip has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet. . Dane Phillip's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.

Vit Coers has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Computers and The Internet. The author is recommending for offshore . The company deals in. Vit Coers's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.