Outsourcing Software Development Doesn’t Mean You’re Off the Hook
If you got the impression that outsourcing your project to experts means you won’t have to do any work, you’ve been misled. The advantage of hiring the right team to build your product isn’t that you’re detached from the situation, it’s that you have the right people doing the job under your watchful eye. The most successful outsourcing projects always involve a close relationship between the client and the development team.
Here’s why:
The process of agile development demands constant attention in order to make sure the development of the product stays on the right track. The team can adapt and adjust to your needs, but only if they’re aware of them. Neglecting the group you’ve chosen to partner with is the quickest way to run astray. Communication prevents them from spinning their wheels, wasting your time and money.
Plus, it’s unrealistic to think that you can know in advance exactly what your product should look like. You may have an idea, but that idea can evolve and become more specific throughout the process. Staying in touch with the team and playing a role in each stage of development will help clarify exactly what you’re looking for and increase the chances that the end result is something with which you’ll be happy. Active collaboration between you and the team ensures that you’ll get what you expect, on time, without breaking the bank.
How should this be done?
The way we accomplish this at SmartLogic is—no shocker here—by emphasizing regular contact and communication with our clients, consistently checking in with updates, and getting plenty of feedback to make sure we’re on the right track. This strategy is as important as anything else we do. If we don’t figure out what the client needs from us through effective communication strategy, we’re screwed from the start. Baked into our process are standups, chat, iteration, and epic meetings. Read more about what kind of meetings go into a successful development project.
What does this mean for you?
Your development team is not calling to shoot the breeze or tell you about last weekend’s fishing trip. If they’re worth their keyboards, they’re getting critical guidance from you about the development of your product. If you’re available and can offer feedback in a timely manner, you’ll end up saving time and resources while getting precisely what you want at the end of the day. If those messages end up in the ever growing call-back pile, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
What’s your experience with third party collaboration? Jump in the conversation here with your advice, anecdotes, and of course, shameless plugs about how good SmartLogic is about client communication.
Check out our other articles on optimizing your internal software development and outsourcing software development:
What Types of Meetings Make A Successful Application Development Project?
Benefits of User Stories in Software Development
Application Development Process Tip: Reverse Ticket Priorities on Friday
7 Reasons Why You Should Take a Project Temperature in Application Development