Rules For A Successful Software Technology Outsourcing

Posted March 20th, 2007 by Mybusiness

For the most part, small businesses in the software
technology industry rely on outsourcing providers to accomplish some of their
tasks. Cost-cutting finances and time
restrictions are the two major reasons why most companies outsource their many
technology projects overseas like India, China and
eastern European countries.

Although software technology involves complicated and
demanding projects, many companies have achieved success in their endeavors. Yes, with the right mindset and attitude, your
own success in outsourcing is indeed, attainable. Below are some rules for a successful
software technology outsourcing that you can follow:

Choosing Your
Outsourcing Partner. Outsourcing providers in different countries differ in
many aspects. The diversity in size,
infrastructure, capital, language, talent, and location all affect an
outsourcing firm’s capability of service.
For the most part, some companies choose their outsourcer based on the size
and reputation of the outsourcing firm.
But in reality, the success of partnership between the client company
and the outsourcer depends on not just one or two factors but with the right
combination of each and every factor involved.

What most companies don’t realize is that infrastructure,
language and skills all play a major in their success especially when
outsourcing software development. The
lack of sufficient communication infrastructure, like high speed internet
connection or smooth telephone accessibility will likely result to faulty
projects, thus alterations or modifications on those projects might be needed repeatedly.

A more in-depth research or study must be done on the part
of the client when seeking an outsourcing company for software development. Interviews with the prospective team members
must be personally conducted to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and
find out whether these people can really handle a certain project. This is true most importantly when looking
for programmers where a special knowledge matched with skillfulness is very
essential.

Deciding on the Right
Project. Evidently, finding a proficient and talented team to work on the
project is only the first step. Making
sure that this team will handle the right project for them is the next step. Not every project will be suitable for
outsourcing. Some projects do require
face to face communications. To avoid
serious catastrophe, it is advisable to start with outsourcing more simple
tasks like internal technical support, documentation, quality assurance, and
like projects. It is also recommended to
limit outsourcing with a specific time period of around 2 to 3 months.

Administrating the
Project.
In outsourcing software
development, correct planning and implementation is the key. When you
have decided on your outsourcing
team and which project to entrust them, it is imperative that you and
your outsourcing
partner understand each other. Give
clear and precise guidelines about your expectations on the project. A
written outline is indispensable. While the project is on-going, do
not just
count on assumptions that every thing is doing well. Ensure that every
thing is indeed doing well
by monitoring the day to day progress of the project either through
e-mail, instant
messengers, or phone communications.
This may require a little more patience and attention from you but
taking these extra efforts can save you from big disappointments.

Funding the Project. Cost-cutting will not be a good plan if it means compromising the quality of
work. Provide an adequate portion of
your resources in funding the outsourced software development project.

Testing the Project. Testing is important not only on the final
stage of the project. Even in the early
stages of the project, it is wise to conduct trial tests to ensure the quality
of work. Don’t miss on the small details. For example, if it is a support software, you
would want to measure the exact number of problems that the software support, how
long it takes to responds to each problem, and whether the response is
satisfactory or not. Pay close attention
to every detail and have a written record of all the tests conducted.

Learn
from the Project. Whether
the project has been a success or a failing one, it is wise not to stop and
plan on another project. Both you and
your outsourcer can learn from the last project. The written reports will be a great help on
your next endeavor. If the first project
was a success, you may want to add some complexities on the next one to improve
and perfect the process.

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About the Author

Liz Roberts is a successful internet marketer and has been using outsourcing to fuel her everyday online marketing business. In her recent years in the arena of online marketing, she was able to build a competent team of outsourced webmasters performing link building strategies and creating web templates.

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