Remember you want your app to be quality first of all. That is your number one goal. Build your actions around this purpose.
Outsourcing of mobile development continues to be a trend in 2021. Why do companies outsource? The answer is simple. It’s cost-effective and adds value with industry experts across the world. Application outsourcing is a hassle-free way of streamlining the business with an emphasis on high performance. Let’s go through some of the questions you may have when you need to decide whether to go in-house or outsource.
Why is it Worth Outsourcing the Development of Mobile Applications?
According to statistics, $88.9 million is the staggering figure that showcases the cost of global outsourcing of the mobile app development market. The figure is extensive and speaks about the popularity of outsourcing.
Access to high-rank developers at a low budget is perhaps a major reason to prefer outsourcing against in-house team management. The pay for a Business Analyst is 2 or 3 times higher in the United States than in Latin America, Eastern Europe, or Asia. This concerns other specialists, which means that the cost of a project in the United States will be three times more. Consider these figures.
Outsourcing and Internal Application Development
While internal application development offers more opportunities for teamwork and coordination, it may pose a higher cost of management, team maintenance, etc.
Suppose you need to make a change in app development mid-way. With outsourcing, you don’t need to incur massive losses as compared with contractual relations with in-house personnel. Outsourcing is much more flexible and you can make changes if you decide that you need more or less.
What are the Outsourcing Options?
When you have an application for outsourcing, you can:
- Hire a development company
- Hire a freelancer
- Build a team of freelancers.
Hiring a development company: most application development companies are specialized in technology and application. They have domain experience to predict and overcome obstacles. Finally, hiring a development company is time-efficient and cost-effective.
Hiring a freelancer: this is an option to go when your budget is really low. The freelancer may not be the right fit for your project. In such a case, you face a high risk of failing your project.
Building a team of freelancers: this is a more reliable option with a geographically large outreach for top talents. When you have a team of freelancers that you constantly work with, your work becomes much more predictable.
How to Outsource the Development of a Mobile Application?
Here is a 5-step guide on how to outsource the development of a mobile application.
Step 1. Set up the preparation phase
At this phase, you are going to decide on the project type, understand your ideas and expectations as well as get a project plan. You need to develop accurate timelines for each and every deliverable. At this phase, lots of discussions are going to be held with your own team.
Step 2. Create a design for your app
Now that you have a clear idea of what you are going to do, it’s important to have a rough design for your app. Draw a rough design for your home page and some of the in-app pages. This will help the developers to bring them to life. Remember what you have in your head might not be the end result that the developer comes with. Therefore, a rough wireframe design is important.
Step 3. Budget for your project
Now that you know exactly what you are going to order from the developer team, set up to budget for your project. The cost may vary from the simplicity to the complexity of your project. Once the budget is decided, it is a matter of choosing the best developer team that has the necessary portfolio for your specific application.
Step 4. Research the market for the right developers
Researching the market for the right developers may take time. You may want to consult websites like Manifest, Clutch, GoodFirms, etc. The portfolio of the developer is the number one thing to look at, including the number of years in the market, experience that fits your needs, customer reviews, and the budget. After you choose the top 5 or 10 teams, start doing a screening interview and choose your best option in terms of time, quality, and cost.
Step 5. Manage the process
After choosing the right outsourcer, your job is not done. You need to have a project manager in your team that will constantly communicate with the developer team to make sure things are on the right track. Communication is vital for the right outcome of the project.
Key Benefits of Outsourcing Application Development
Here are some benefits of outsourcing application development.
1. Cost-effective approach
As you have seen, running a project in the United States is three or even more times more expensive than in Eastern Europe or Asia. According to statistics, some 60% of companies pay attention to cost-cutting feature when they try to find an outsourcing company.
2. Efficiency
You don’t need to hire a developer team when you outsource. The outsourcing team has already the necessary resources and personnel to do work for you, from a dedicated team of developers to a state of the art equipment.
3. Security
Another significant advantage over the in-house development team is that outsourcing companies work with local legislation and data protection rules. You want to make sure that the app is not vulnerable to hacking which might lead to loss of sensitive data and information and here is when the developer team comes in handy.
4. Scalability and flexibility
Suppose you decide to develop more complex and unique functionality. Instead of hiring new personnel, you will request the outsourcing team to scale up. Many professional companies can easily scale up your team from 5 to 15 developers without causing an unnecessary nuisance for you.
Your app team will also use flexible software development methodologies, like Scrum, Kanban, etc. that will allow you to add or remove features in the mid-way.
5. Work round the clock
Since you will have access to the global market, this will ensure round the clockwork. When your in-house team works only during work hours, an offshore team may work round the clock ensuring fast delivery of work.
Where Can I Find Suitable Outsourcing Agencies for Application Development?
You can consult sites like DesignRush, Tim Ferriss, or do individual internet research.
How to Choose an Outsourcing Agency?
Research a list of application outsourcing companies and screen based on your needs. The following points will help you filter companies.
1. Do not just look at prices
Your number one goal is to complete quality work. Therefore do not rush to low-budget companies just from the start. Research qualifications first before you look at the budget.
2. Look at domain experience
You need companies specialized in your domain who will be able to overcome obstacles and produce seamless and fast results.
3. Look at the technology used
You want to make sure to use the right front end and back end development language. Therefore using the company with the right equipment and software is essential.
4. Company stability
The stability of the company is an indicator of the future success of your project. A company with the relevant experience that smoothly functions in the market creates more grounds for reliability and trust.
5. Choose a vendor with the best budget
After you have gone through the portfolio of the vendor, you can consult the best budget offered. At this point, you can compare prices and choose the best fit.
Wrapping up
Now that you know why to choose an application outsourcing company and how to do that, it’s time to enjoy the benefits of outsourcing right away. Remember you want your app to be quality first of all. That is your number one goal. Build your actions around this purpose.
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