Well, to start, let me say…there are 100 and 32 flavors of things that you ’should’ know before outsourcing your software project to firms in other countries…here is a quick hitter of 8 major things to think about before jumping into the world wide web of deceptive software outsourcing.
My purpose here is to inform you about some of my experiences and not to necessarily bash these companies. I have done business with many good people overseas - and I have experienced some disasters. This post is to help you avoid some of the disasters.
- Experts are hard to find. In this day and age, everyone and their brother claims to be software developers. Do your research on the company you decide to go with- look at samples of their work. Experts are getting harder and harder to find. Ask lots of questions…and know what questions to ask.
- Do your homework. Know who you are doing business with.
- Fail to plan, plan to fail. You must be prepared to hold their hand. Document every little requirement before starting any coding and make sure to get everything in writing.
- Software companies don’t do design well - Don’t expect an outsourced technology/software company to do ‘design’ or UI work. (If you find a software company that can do great UI design, please let me know.)
- Don’t oversimplify your project. Even though “you” think that a your project is “easy,” you must be prepared and understand that, most likely - it WILL turn into a much larger project than you think. So when the developers come to you and say…its going to take another week to complete your website. Just be prepared. And again, planning ahead will help to reduce the likelihood of this happening.
- Everyone is in business to make money - outsourced software companies included. An upfront low ball price, in my experience, will only get you sucked into a long and drawn out project where they keep coming to you for money every month — while your application never seems to get completed. The lowest price is not always the best price.
- Communication. This is usually the #1 reason why project fail. Communicating, setting expectations, and then keeping your calm when they are not met. What is your preferred means of communication? Many of these companies prefer to use IM (instant messenger). Now, don’t get me wrong, IM is great for communicating but can you pick up the phone and call them if necessary? Better yet, do they speak the same language as you do? Just keep this in mind throughout the lifetime of your project.
- Business ethics. Yes. This does come into play. Now, there are plenty of companies out there that are “good” people, and I have worked with many. But on the flip side, there are also tons of companies that simply want your money. In the US, we are generally accustomed to ‘get what we pay for.’ But as the world is getting smaller and smaller, we have become a bit naive now. As things get sourced to other countries, you better watch your back…some of these people just don’t have the same ethics as we do. It’s your job to know what you are buying and receiving. Buyer beware.
Again, I would say that these are some of the top things to think about before going overseas, mainly to avoid the bad experiences, the grey hairs, the sleepless nights, the hand holding, and overall - to save you money in the long run.
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