How to Select a Right Offshore Development Partner?

How to Select a Right Offshore Development Partner?

So, you’ve decided to leverage the services of offshore product development to improve the return on investment (ROI) of your product, or to make internal software development more efficient. This is a great move, because working with the right partner for your IT software outsourcing can massively reduce your outgoing costs, whilst also allowing you to utilise a wealth of new talent which you wouldn’t have access to if you decided to do it alone.

Once you’ve decided to opt for offshore software development, the next step is to ensure you work with the right partner for your business. So, how do you go about selecting an offshore development company? We’ve put together some key points to help you get started.

What to look out for in an offshore development partner

1. Technology

It’s vital that you make sure the offshore development partner can support you with your required technologies. Whilst some specialise in ASP.NET or Java based development, many offshore companies tend to use Open Source technologies such as PHP with MySQL. You need to make sure you choose a partner who has the capability and knowledge to match your software or product development needs.

2. Compliance

Occasionally in any business arrangement, things don’t go to plan. You must ensure your Intellectual Property is protected under the appropriate legislation before entering into any agreement with a partner. When working with offshore product development team of offshore software outsourcing companies, make sure that you have all the correct agreements in place before embarking on any work. It’s not worth the risk to just hope for the best, and at worst can prove a costly mistake for your business.

3. Scalability

Consider how your chosen offshore development partner can support you with growth and required scalability. Choose a partner who is willing to grow their team in line with your IT outsourcing company requirements. If you don’t, then you run the risk of stagnating.

4. Experience

It’s vital you choose a partner who has the experience needed to deliver your offshore software development project. Ask for references and look for referrals from previous clients. They should also have case studies outlining what other projects they have worked on. Be sure to check, and then double check for accuracy too.

5. Project Management Process

If you decide to outsource offshore software development services, you’ll be working closely with their team to see your projects through. Make sure you find out What approach they take to project management. Do they use Agile methodology or any other process? Do they have in-house certified Agile Scrum master? It’s important you know from the get-go how they will manage your project so that you can ensure you’ll work well as a team.

6. Communication Plan

Communication is vital for any project. Be sure to check how much emphasis they put on developing a communication plan which will ensure the project runs smoothly.

7. Location

Find out where the offshore product development partner is located, and ask yourself – Is this a location that you can easily visit, or can you bring people over for knowledge transfer and deployment support? Make sure you check immigration rules before signing a contract – getting a short term business VISA is easier for certain countries than others.

Also Read: Case Studies For Various Industries

In short, when choosing your offshore product development partner, if you find one with the right answers to the key points above, then you can be sure you’ve made the right choice with RSK Business Solutions.