Like most working business relationships, success comes from good communication. 

This has never been truer than with software development. With a great deal of technical detail involved, getting a project to successful completion is a two-way street; meaning businesses need to take an active role in establishing requirements, and communicating these requirements effectively.

Below, we list our 5 tips to guarantee a successful collaboration between your organisation and your outsourced software development team:

1. Have a strong technical lead

Your outsourced team will be equipped with high-end technical knowledge, but to see a software project through successfully, having a technical lead is also hugely important. 

From initial onboarding, this lead role will be able to guide on the specific developer skills and talent you need. And as the project gets underway, they are ever-present in aligning timescales with product and project requirements.

If your business is at a size that a ‘team’ is not required and there is only initially work for one developer, ensure that this developer has the potential to lead the project autonomously.

2. Have a clear roadmap for your product

Your team will, of course, have the capability to be agile, however, outlining steps and needs so your developers know what lies ahead is vital to success.

A good product roadmap will provide:

• A clear understanding of project through wireframes or screen designs
• A detailed explanation of how things are expected to work
• An estimation of cost and time needed to build your project
• A non-function prototype to help with re-active solutions along the way

3. Have a long-term strategy 

Short-term rarely pays off – you get your real ROI in the long-term. At Deployed, we ask our clients for visibility into their growth plans from the moment we are on board. This way, we can plan out hiring and training to help you project and build your strategy effectively.

From this strategy, we can have the right staff ready when you need them, allowing your business to plan further ahead and focus on long-term objectives.

4. Have a realistic mindset

Similarly to when you bring on a new hire in-house, an outsourced team will need some capacity to learn the ropes.  Expect that there will be time for adapting required, but with the right preparation, processes, and training, the transition can be relatively smooth.

Start your new team on less critical tasks and scale them up from there, this way you build confidence and give team members the necessary support they need to move onto projects under higher time-pressure.

5. Have a strong sense of partnership 

From making sure you’re aligned on culture and values to setting expectations for your outsourced software development team early on, communication is absolutely key to success. 

At Deployed, we understand how important it is to see your vision for outsourcing success, and also know your business requirements may inevitably change. We ensure your development  team are able to adjust and recalibrate expectations by taking the time to get to know you. 

Sound like something you need? See how Deployed can help with your software development requirements.