Introduction:
Offshore development has quickly become one of the most leveraged software development practices globally. As it comes with a lot of advantages and considering the current scenario, many organizations are opting for offshore development.
Table of Content
- Poor Communication
- Haphazard Project Management
- Erratic Quality of Work
- Excessive Focus on Cost
- Lack of Business Understanding
In previous blogs, we have already talked about the benefits of offshore development and how to choose the right offshore development partner.
When technology companies want to scale their software development, it is good practice to explore different options. However, in this blog we are going to focus our attention on the most popular one: partnering with an offshore software development but have some hesitation over the how to move forward, we have got you covered. Let us take a look at the main mistakes’ companies commit when offshoring, as well as actionable advice for avoiding them and suggestions for a better strategy!
Given below are some of the most common problems you might face while working with an offshore development company along with precise actionable tips on how to tackle them.
Poor Communication
For many countries that host offshore development centers, English is not the main language. The language barrier may be problematic, especially for projects regularly requiring communication and a high level of detail.
Solution:
For day-to-day communication, you have got instant messengers like Slack and Skype. You can silo users into specific ‘rooms’ or have one-on-one conversations through text or audio/video calling. Slack is also a great medium for sharing images and files which is transformative for more complicated projects!
Screen-sharing, cloud storage, and multi-access platforms like Google Docs are all essentials for working with a remote team.
Haphazard Project Management
In many countries that host offshore development centers, the IT field is known for turnover rates as high as fifty percent. High turnover rates result in lost project knowledge and expertise. This can have an impact on project efficiency, speed, and quality.
Solution:
When working with an in-house team, it is easy to keep track of each team member, their tasks and upcoming deadlines. Naturally, this is a bit harder with a team 6,000 miles and several time zones away.
That is why implementing task-tracking systems is crucial. The best way to do this is to set up a productivity tracker where each team member notes down their tasks, progress, and delays. This will help you see exactly how your team is getting along with their duties and responsibilities.
Along with regular meetings to review progress (using those communications tools), you can keep everything tightly under control.
Erratic Quality of Work
Some offshore locations may be behind in technology and development practices that are needed for the project at hand. Poor or sloppy coding can ultimately lead to a disappointing product, resulting in frustration and wasted time for debugging.
Solution:
You should try to go to experienced and smaller firms instead of large firms with multiple layers of management that have a higher chance of miscommunication and unnecessary overhead. It will be better to have a team of around six to seven expert offshore developers than a larger team consisting of less skilled developers.
Excessive Focus on Cost
In offshore software development, the key is to focus on cost-effectiveness, not just cost of your offshore development team. If you are looking to scale up your software team, your focus should be on value, not raw numbers.
Solution:
You need to carry out proper research to find out the “average” rate from different offshore development companies. And then choose among them based on various factors such as Positive client feedback, product improvements, Positive ROI, and just don’t fall on rates and make the wrong decision.
Lack of Business Understanding
Developers in an offshore development center may have a completely different outlook on standard business operations due to the business culture of the country. This may lead to different assumptions about the way a project needs to be managed which may cause confusion and frustration.
Solution:
There are possibilities that either we do not share our expectations with the entire team or provide a business domain understanding. Now, your onsite team members have opportunities for interacting with business users. But it is not the same case for offshore teams, right?
Therefore, it is a must that your onsite team share domain knowledge to offshore team members so that the whole team can be on the same page.
Conclusion:
As keeping projects onshore do not magically solve all your problems just the same, all offshore projects do not fail. Offshore software development is still going strong. Moreover, there have been various experienced corporations that have expressed satisfaction with their offshore software development.
Mindpool provides dedicated teams of exceptional talent to innovative companies in Silicon Valley and across the globe. Our developers become your extended team members, working exclusively for you. Bringing in our decade-long experience as a professional offshore development center in India to the table, we offer unmatched offshore software development services which save you the unnecessary hassle and costs for implementing a local development team.
