The Top 10 Tips You Need to be Mindful About While Outsourcing Software Development Services to India

Introduction

Globally, there is a spike in demand for software developers. New products are emerging every day, and the developers are on top of the competition ladder to grab the market first before someone else does.

But it is not as feasible to the company as it sounds. A company has to make a ton of investment to hire software development team and provide the infrastructure for them.

So, what is the solution? The solution is to outsource software development to a third party. There is cost-cutting, and you get desired output within the allocated time by outsourcing to other countries.

Did you know that top companies like Nike, Alibaba, HP, and Google outsource their business (software development or manufacturing processes) offshore to get efficient and cost-effective products or services?

It is not a surprise that Asian countries like China, India, and the Philippines have the best resources for the IT sector and out-of-the-world quality of work.

According to a NASSCOM study of 2019, many Indian software development companies have the upper hand in more than 50 nations, and 80% of American and European countries prefer India for outsourcing.

But are there any roadblocks to address? There are times when the output is not as expected because of a lack of communication or clarity.

Here is an article with a compiled to-do list while outsourcing software development services to India.

Why is Outsourcing Software Development the New Normal?

The software development team works round the clock to design the product, and the result has to adapt to the audiences' changing needs while adapting to the recent trend of automation. Hence there are many challenges in software development, and every company strives to eliminate the pain points and give the best result.

But, it comes with a price. Software development requires resources, infrastructure, quality assurance, and application integration, all in a cost-effective way.

So what is the alternative? To outsource software development to an efficient country like India with reduced cost and maximum expertise. The basic tenets of outsourcing are to utilize the in-house developers to ideate on a bigger scale and create strategies that otherwise become impossible with the workload.

Advantages of Outsourcing Software Development to India

India holds a strong foothold in the IT sector across the globe. According to Statista, the IT sector accounted for 8% of the country's GDP in the fiscal year of 2020.

It suggests that India has both talent and skills in software development and is constantly evolving with the latest software development trends to deliver quality products in all industry verticals.

Following are the advantages of outsourcing software development to India-

Talented Human Resources

India has a massive talent pool in the software sector that makes it stand out for outsourcing software development worldwide. Since 95% of the software developers in India are of the age group between 18-35 years, they have mastered the new tools and stay abreast with the market trends to provide effortless and quality products.

Indian software development professionals have managed to outperform in every aspect, be it cloud services, artificial intelligence, or blockchain development. Therefore, other countries opt for offshore software development company India.

Since software development is leaning more towards cloud services, other countries are opting for India since India ranks third worldwide in the number of cloud professionals as of FY2021.

Affordable Cost

What do you look for while building a house? It is design and cost. Unfortunately, if you focus more on aesthetics, the cost will increase and vice versa. It is the exact situation with software development. When you compromise the price, the quality takes a hit.

To avoid this, companies outsource software development. India is a boon to the companies compared to countries like the US, Canada, or Australia. Here, outsourcing is budget-friendly and, at the same time, assures high quality.

High Quality

When the price is low, generally, you surmise that the quality of the product does not match the standard value. But outsourcing software development to India ensures that the product does not have any loopholes and surpasses the expectations.

The talented software developers in India bring creativity to the project and follow the workflow till the end, and techies from the top software development company in India agree with the fact. Because of these work ethics combined with diverse knowledge and great ideas, outsourcing software development to India is preferred by most companies worldwide.

No Language Barrier

India has the highest English-speaking populace worldwide, with over one billion. According to the EF English proficiency index surveyed for 112 countries, India ranks in the No.6 position in Asia for English proficiency. Hence, an added advantage to other countries when relying on outsourcing software development.

Communication is the most valued asset, and only with effective communication can you expect a product that meets your expectations.

Read also - Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes During Outsourcing Software Development

Ten Pro Tips For Outsourcing Software Development to India

The above sections covered the various aspects of outsourcing software development and the key benefits of turning to India for software development. But, the entire stage from intimation of the project, discussion of budget and requirements, and execution to obtain the completed product is indeed a weary journey.

A communication gap, a missed detail, quality check, or neglecting follow-up can result in an unpleasant situation and get the wrong output.

Here is a section having ten excellent tips to remember the next time while outsourcing software development services to India.

Communicate Clearly and Frequently

There is no hard and fast rule to ease business with outsourcing service providers. But one must remember that outsourcing software development comes with its own set of problems. The first one is the communication gap. Since the provider is not in-house and communications are usually virtual, ensure clarity from your end.

Frequent communications and engaging in brainstorm sessions with them to understand both are on the same page make the process easy. Many companies fail to do so as they expect the client to provide excellent output with minimum interaction. It will snap. Have a communication platform where you can constantly follow up on the progress and come up with a quick fix to any bottlenecks.

Dedicate a Project Manager

When you decide on any offshore software development company India for developing software, it requires a dedicated manager to oversee the project progress. A project manager can regularly assess the milestones achieved and push the project to meet the deadlines.

You have invested money and time in the outsourcing company, so do not ignore the importance of the appointment of the project manager who becomes responsible for the overall project.

Understand the Cultural Differences

When you trust to pass the baton to the outsourcing company in India for most of your software development, you have to understand and respect the cultural differences. While working with teams offshore, the regular hitch is the time difference. You must acclimatize with the timezone of India and accordingly allot tasks and communicate.

India observes holidays on different days if you compare it with your country. Hence, chalk out a plan that excludes their important days or holiday break to ensure smooth workflow.

Choose the Efficient Outsourcing Partner

While India has the largest pool of IT resources, you might give the project in the wrong hands if you overlook the client's credibility. A company must be well equipped with the latest software development trends, such as a keen eye on User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI), different cloud services, and cross-platform app development. The list goes on. But take extra time to evaluate the potential provider. You can understand the nature of their work, their previous associations with clients, their experience, and the resources by interviewing them. Do not merely go by the price, but the quality you can expect from the client.

In the end, you want a creative solution to the problem and value to the product, so conducting thorough research of various outsource providers in India guarantees you a successful project outcome.

Quantify the Efforts and Achievements

To ensure that the outsourcing company does not rote tasks and skip the deadlines, you have to use ticket trackers and hold each party accountable for the work. So set a bunch of achievable goals and revisit them from time to time to understand the roadblocks. You must address the issues, defects, and achievements and measure them with concrete metrics.

Discuss the Timelines

The companies choose outsourcing software development due to the high investment required to hire software development team in-house. But the project has a fixed timeline, and you have to launch it before your competitors. So, be clear about the timelines from the start to avoid confusion. Also, a pro tip is to allow a small leeway for any end-of-the-moment changes in the design, quality, and budget.

High-level Planning and Discussions

The purpose of outsourcing software developers to India is to pull their ideas and creativity to better use to benefit the company. To do so, you require high-level planning. Emphasize your goals and vision.

Product first and User foremost are the two software development mantras in today's world. So arrange team meetings daily to analyze the development based on functioning and end-user perspective.

To achieve this, you must make a solid plan and apprise them of your expectations. It is mainly because your outsourcing partners have other commitments too. So, by giving a clear picture of your work methods, they can plan their schedules to fit yours.

All-time Availability

Software developers are not new to unpredicted hurdles. They have to tackle premature bugs, integration, software testing errors, and hence there are many challenges in software development. So, once you assign a project to an outsourcing team, it is just a start. You have to be available to answer their queries and respond. Remember that there is a time difference, so your timely response can benefit them and expedite the process.

Avoid Micromanagement

Once you have picked the offshore software development company India, you must focus on their skills and refrain from micromanaging. Micromanagement can restrict them from giving their best. Instead, they can work independently by applying their thoughts to bring innovation to the product.

Maintain a Repository

It might seem old-fashioned, but it's always better to maintain a repository sheet. With various back-end operations in order, record all the expenses, monthly ledger with bills, projects in the pipeline, and invoices to have a clear picture of the expenditure and miscellaneous items.

Conclusion

According to the 2021 reports from Evans Data Corporation, there are 26.9 million software developers in the world, and the numbers are increasing day by day. But the software development team becomes a pricey investment to the company, along with the increased labor costs.

Hence, the companies are outsourcing software development services to India to reduce the overall cost and get high-quality. But to manage a team outside the workplace is challenging but can only be tackled with incisive actions and clear communication.

All you need is a perfect plan of action, thoughtfulness, the right strategies, and management skills to make teamwork possible.

One must choose the right team for outsourcing software development that understands your goals and has diverse experience in the domain. So do not leave that to chance when hiring the outsourcing partner. Your project might be short-term or long-term software development, but irrespective of that, a good team can ensure quality and standard.

Many outsourcing companies for software development in India offer maintenance and support once the product comes to the market. It will additionally assist in integrating new features to the product and be up-to-date with the market trends.

So, make a checklist and make the right choice of picking the top software development company in India for outsourcing software development.