Outsourced Software Development Team: Six Key Practices for Efficiency

Most of you will agree if I say software development is a process or a journey, not a task that will end by hiring the best software development team. In fact, it starts from there. After hiring a team of software developers, continued monitoring and communication are crucial. You can never sit back and wait for your software to be delivered; it's a terrible idea if you do so.

In short, you must take certain actions to guarantee the efficiency and productivity of your software developers. According to research, around 37% of IT projects fail because of senior management's lack of involvement or monitoring. It's clear that lack of coordination with your software developers may lead you to be part of this 37%, and we don't want that, so we are here with this article to get you covered with six best practices to ensure your software developers work efficiently. These practices will help you ensure your software developers meet your requirements. 

Six Key Practices for Efficient Outsourced Software Development Team

1. Clear communication
2. Establish a strong relationship
3. Use collaboration tools
4. Monitor progress and quality
5. Address time zone differences
6. Legal and security considerations 

1. Clear Communication

Whether you have an inbound software development team or outsource them, it's very important to have clear communication and documentation. Communicate your requirements to them clearly. Establish a clear communication channel; it becomes challenging in cases of outsourcing where your team and you don't work together. At that time, use an effective communication channel that includes continuous support and follow-up through calls, mail, messages, or any other way. Its main goal is to ensure that you and your software developers will be on the same page. In short, communicate the following things to your software development team clearly: 

• Your requirements
• Timeline
• If there are any changes in deadlines
• If there are any changes in the project

Make sure that this communication is not one-sided. Listen and understand what your software developers want to say; this will help you avoid misunderstandings and make better decisions.

2. Establish a Strong Relationship

From a business perspective, outsourcing software developers and establishing a strong relationship with them is difficult but essential. This involves clear communication channels, regular updates, and fostering a collaborative environment.

Businesses should prioritize building trust and alignment of goals, ensuring the outsourced team feels connected to the overall project vision. Stay connected to them throughout the Project and ask them if they require any details from your side. A strong relationship improves communication efficiency and promotes a positive working atmosphere for your team. Always establish a good relationship with the project manager, who concentrates on the team's efficiency and productivity. You can establish a strong relationship with the project manager as well as your software development team in the following ways: 

• Regular virtual meetings
• Clear communication channels
• Celebrate milestones together
• Joint problem-solving session

3. Use Collaboration Tools

It's not that easy to collaborate with software developers from different locations and different time horizons, but without collaboration, how can your business measure the productivity and effectiveness of your software developers? Thanks to different collaboration tools that are making this complex task easy. These tools streamline workflows, ensuring seamless coordination between onshore and offshore teams.

Following are different collaboration tools that you can use for your business. 

• Slack
• Git
• Confluence
• GitHub
• Trello
• Asana

You can use Microsoft Teams and Slack to support project tracking, document sharing, and real-time collaboration. Systems like GitHub enable collaborative coding, while project management tools enhance visibility into tasks and timelines.

4. Monitor Progress and Quality

It's never a good idea to sit back and wait for your software to be delivered. You should monitor and track their progress continuously. Set your quality goals and try to measure them by continuing to follow up on whether your software development team is matching your expected quality level or not. Effectively monitoring progress can ensure high-quality outcomes. These are critical aspects of managing an outsourced software development team; the following are some ways you can monitor the progress and quality of your outbound software developers.

• Plan regular status meetings
• Use task-tracking tools
•  Set some key performance indicators

5. Address Time Zone Differences

When you hire software developers from any software development company, in short, when you outsource your software development team, it becomes very difficult to work in different time zones. For Example, if your business is in the USA but you outsource software developers from India, the time zones of both countries are very different. In this case, managing the team and coordinating with them becomes problematic. In this situation, make sure everyone on the team knows when they can talk to each other. Even if people live in various countries, find convenient times for them all. Use technologies that let people exchange information without simultaneously needing to be online. Be flexible with work hours, if possible, so that everyone can collaborate smoothly. Handling time zone differences well helps the team work together effectively, even in different locations. 

6. Legal and Security Considerations

When collaborating with an external software development team, legal and security issues must be addressed. To safeguard both parties, contractual agreements should precisely outline the project's parameters, due dates, and payment terms. Conduct regular security audits, establish clear intellectual property rights, and define confidentiality clauses to mitigate risks. By proactively addressing legal and security considerations, businesses can build trust, protect their assets, and foster a secure and legally compliant collaboration with the outsourced team.

Remember, hiring the best software developers is not enough; you need to monitor the progress regularly to avoid any failure in your software development. For this, you should hire and work with an active, dedicated software development team that can respond to you on time and keep you updated throughout the entire development process. A planned approach is necessary to guarantee the effectiveness of an outsourced software development team. By implementing these practices, your businesses can establish a foundation for successful collaboration and achieve the desired results.