Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Sudeep Srivastava, CEO at Appinventiv.
Due to the rising cases of COVID-19 on the global front, there are many industries that have seen an impact by the wave of social distancing, specifically the software domain.
As the world remains refined to their homes, there are many software projects that have come to a standstill because of the lack of a collaboration infrastructure. However, the software development sector has now started seeing a shift – a solution-centric shift brought on by outsourcing and remote development. It’s been reported that software developers are among the top five most common remote jobs worldwide with a 24% growth expected by 2026.
Here we’ll detail how COVID-19 has caused a sharp rise in hiring offshore app developers.
Before we look into the ways of how to outsource app development, let us look into why this is not the time to give up on your dreams of starting your own app.
The uncertainties around the present situation have scared off wantrepreneurs from the market. They are known to prefer a stable market which they can predict and gauge, meaning that there is a lot of space for entrepreneurs like you to enter the app domain. If you launch your application today, you’ll be ahead of your competitors with new downloads and loyal users.
At this time, when the world is brimming with unemployment and remote work has become the new norm, you can seek quality talent via online marketplaces to help with your app development at a more affordable and flexible price range. Online marketplaces such as Toptal, Upwork and Hired are great for hiring specialized developers who are constantly searching for new opportunities.
With the majority of the world sitting at home, there are certain applications that have seen a rise in demand – video streaming apps, video/call conferencing apps, fitness apps, P2P payment apps, EdTech apps, remote health management apps, etc. So, if your new app idea belonged to either of these use cases, you should most definitely not give up on your vision.
Assuming that you’re convinced, let’s move to the next stage – how to outsource app development during a recession.
If you’re outsourcing app development in a time like now, it’s important to understand that there’s a lot more at stake. Meaning, you will have to be sure about whom you recruit. When done right, outsourcing can be extremely beneficial for your business, especially when your objective aligns with the remote developers’ skillset.
Yet, at the same time, there are multiple things that can go wrong. Therefore, you should follow due diligence when hiring a remote team.
Before you start with anything else, the first step should be to identify development needs. A clearly drafted RFP right at the beginning of the project can help you decide on the resources that you would require, both in terms of toolset and manpower. Your development requirements must clearly showcase what your expectation is, in terms of work delivery.
Hiring remote app developers is not easy, it’s a given. One of the most crucial concerns that businesses have when it comes to outsourcing their software project is data leakage. They will have to share their credentials, business plans, and information with someone sitting thousands of miles away.
Noting this, it’s extremely necessary to be sure of the competence and background of the software development company you will be partnering with. With the help of a detailed, all-encompassing screening process, you can evaluate the developers’ capabilities and thus prevent any future shocks.
The next in the list of outsourcing roadblocks is glitchy communications. Due to different time zones and language barriers, collaborating on a project remotely can be very difficult. This means you need to have a communication strategy in place in addition to the best collaborative platforms.
Entrepreneurs would also have to ensure that both their remote and internal teams are aligned on the mode of communication, frequency, etc.
When you work with an outsourced remote team, it’s important to create a detailed roadmap which would help define the extent and the project timeline. Instead of being completely unrealistic about deliverables, it will be better to fix timelines which everyone would agree with.
It also helps in knowing the holidays that the partnered agency and their developers celebrate. It would help you to plan the right milestone and timeline.
With all this said, we hope that you now feel more than prepared to outsource your app development with the confidence that your new business will indeed, succeed in the market.