From lack of in-house resources to cutting business costs

A business may search for a software development outsourcing partner for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is that the company concerned is suffering from a lack of in-house resources in terms of quality and/or quantity, either temporarily or permanently. That is, it does not have enough developers to carry out a new assignment, and/or such a new assignment requires very specific skills in the field of programming, architecture development, quality assurance, etc. that the in-house staff does not possess or their expertise does not meet the required standards.

Cutting business costs is another very common motivation for outsourcing software development. In a competitive environment, cost management is of critical importance for companies to achieve their strategic goals. By outsourcing development tasks, significant savings can be achieved; however, a number of other circumstances (such as inherent costs, the “shock” the internal organisation has to face, etc.) should be taken into account as well before the final decision is taken.

Prepare for a longer process

When you are ready to select the suitable partner, prepare for a longer process. You should not try to save time in all phases of the selection process, from the research phase, through the interviews, to the final evaluation and contract conclusion! After all, you are about to entrust a company that had been previously unknown to you to carry out tasks that used to be the responsibility of your employees and are still important in terms of your operations.

You intend to select a partner that best meets your expectations. One that performs quality work and that has a highly-qualified and experienced, i.e. high-quality, staff. One whose internal IT infrastructure is secure and whose availability is sufficiently high for you. One that fits you in terms of corporate culture. One with which you will certainly be able to communicate easily even when you are faced with difficulties.

• Determine the planned purpose and scope of outsourcing and the expected outcome

• Do not try to save time in the selection of your partner

• Choose the partner whose company profile meets your expectations to the fullest and not the cheapest one