You have probably heard a lot about outsourcing software development and finally have come to the point where you decided to find a company that will help you handle your project. Or maybe you finally started to evaluate your team’s time and decided to free them up? Either way, outsourcing your software development or even a part of it is the answer. Where do you search for it? And who do you ask? In this article, we’d like to talk about ways and places to find such companies.
First of all, you have to define your budget. How do you do that? Well, you would have to open up a map and start with location. The Eastern European companies will always be less expensive than Central and Western Europe. Indian companies also do not charge much and might be an option. Top popular outsourcing destinations include Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic (Eastern Europe), Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia (South America), China, Philippines, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam (Asia Pacific). Consider the fact that you might want to visit the company someday, and how useful is it to get there from your location.
After clearly defining the country you want to work with, you should start checking local forums and directories. You will find a lot of useful information out there. It is easier to find software development companies by going through the local lists. Even better if you could go to Google Translate and type your search query in the local language.
After finding a few companies that are interesting for you – do your homework and review their portfolio. Check the team’s capability, designs and the technology stack they provide, references and most important, case studies. Don’t forget to take a look at the estimated delivery time and any other information that is important for your possible future collaboration.
Don’t be afraid to ask the company to provide you with a few contacts from current or past clients. The more feedback you receive, the better. Prepare a list of questions that should include info about responsibility and capability to meet the deadlines, accurate estimates, rates, general feedback, and quality of the delivered services. Gathering references and feedback is crucial before making any decision.
You can also try to check out a few industry events or trade shows and ask your colleagues who they choose to outsource to (if they have this experience). Attend a few events, ask for recommendations and contacts, ask advice on how to choose a proper company for your needs. There always will be somebody who knows a good company to work with, you just have to ask for it.
And the most important point is that you have to actually go and see the company you are going to outsource to. Visit their office, spend a few days there, talk to the employees and management, ask how they work and see the development process for yourself. A good company will be structured, work by Agile (or any other methodology), have happy employees and at least a decent coffee machine.