Software development is a systematic and tedious process carried out over a period of time requiring significant monetary and human resources to achieve. In order to execute a successful software project, companies need to hire and build a dedicated in-house team that will handle the project and carry it through its completion. However, in some instances that is not possible like where requirements are always changing, or the time to market is very narrow, or the company does not have enough or any skilled resources at all for the technology chosen. Any one of these reasons could make a business rethink their in-house approach and seek alternative solutions, for example outsource the work to a web design and development company.
These web designing and development services provide an excellent opportunity for organizations to have their work done for them against a price, which in most cases is better considering the long term monetary savings and the hassle that come with house teams. However, even selecting a web development company can become tricky. With so many scams going out there and inferior quality services being provided, it’s imperative you get the most value for your money.
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It’s important to follow some key basics before proceeding to outsource your work. Not only will these save you and your business from dealing with the substandard ones but also bring awareness for the right ones.
Aspects to Consider When Outsourcing Web Design and Development Work
Compatibility
Whenever outsourcing web design and development work, there are always some or most requirements in mind that a business wants. These requirements can be functional, expectational, risk, and generic. It’s important for the preferred outsourcee to possess all of the necessary services that fulfill at least the basic if not the entire list of requirements of the outsourcer, ideally it should be all but can always be negotiated with the technology provider.
Visibility
Some development companies tend to be secretive regarding their operations and especially the key people in their management. While not necessarily a bad thing it is still a great way to establish trust between customer and business, by letting the customers know about their key executives and connect with them via social media channels.
Customers today are sharp and consider this as a good gesture towards being valued and part of the entire customer dealing process. The more visible they are, the more chances of them being transparent about their services, processes and other matters that will reflect in the business relationship.
Technical Competence
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a company to outsource a web design and development project is their technical competence. Technical competence includes the level of skill the company possesses in certain software technologies. Not all companies are the same, while one might have more domain experience in front-end technologies, the other will have in back-end or server side technologies.
It’s important to choose a company with fair amounts of experience in all industry relevant technologies and development expertise in a range of market industries.
Contractual Obligations
Some outsourcing companies tend to put the entire liability on the outsourcers end. It’s good to partner with companies that allow flexible contractual clauses and or provide a copy of their contractual clauses before signing of contract, for the legal counsel to view in advance.
Important clauses to consider are software ownership rights and other surrounding intellectual property and their transfer-ship. Also if the software project involves transfer of sensitive personal data, there should be appropriate organizational and technical safeguards mentioned in the data protection clauses/agreement.
Team
Having the right team could mean the difference between a successful software project and the one that has internal clashes. Having the right number of team members is vital for the success of the project where no one member is over burdened with project requirements leading to inferior quality work. One should look for companies based on their team strength and the original project requirements. Possessing sufficient number of team members to effectively execute the project.
Feedback
Feedback should be considered when selecting a company to outsource a development project. Feedback provides insights on how previous clients were treated during the course of their relationship with a specific outsourcing company, in addition to providing details of their satisfaction levels after receiving the project and using it for sometime. Happy customers means good ratings of the company in the industry
Communication
Communication is a vital factor in determining the good companies from the bad ones. Just by the communication an outsourcer can get an idea how a certain service provider respects and values their customers. Look for the ones that truly honor and value your requirements by listening them through completely and not just outright saying no to them.
Business Approach and Innovation
Some web designing and development services are project driven and some have their own character and vision according to which they function. While not necessarily a bad thing, it’s always good to partner with a company that has a forward thinking philosophy. Not only does this reflect positively on the image of the organization but also reflects in high quality work being delivered which is of utmost importance.
Portfolio
Portfolio is the pride and joy of any software development company, look for the ones that show promising portfolio projects for clients in a range of industries. Looking at portfolio projects allows an outsource to judge the credibility of projects delivered by the development company and their operational effectiveness in the industry.
