Accelerating Innovation

Outsourced Software Development – Accelerating Innovation in Tomorrow’s IT

Outsourced software development is a huge worldwide industry and one that is growing fast, fuelled by the rapid emergence of new technologies.

In the last year, the global market for outsourced software development amounted to 66.52 billion U.S. dollars. (Source: Statista)

Headforwards is one of the most innovative providers of outsourced software in the UK, with established clients across Europe and Asia.

Here is our expert view on why you should consider outsourcing your software development.

The benefits of outsourced software development

Cost savings: Using an outsourced software development company can save you a significant amount of money. You avoid recruitment fees and the costs associated with training and onboarding staff. Added to this, you avoid extra employment costs such as NI and other staff overheads, like premises and equipment. Nevertheless, quality always matters more – so in choosing your provider it is vital to look beyond simply price.

Access to talent: One of the most important drivers in the global outsourced software development market is the rapid emergence of new technologies. This means it can be increasingly difficult for companies to find the software talent they need. IT is a sector which is experiencing significant skills shortages, especially in some of the very latest software areas. Outsourcing software development is a way around this and gives you access to a huge pool of talent, with diverse and leading-edge technology expertise.

Flexibility: You can scale up or scale down as required, adjusting to the needs of your business. So if, for example, you need to redeploy budget or if you expand your in-house team, you could reduce the amount of work you outsource. If, on the other hand, you want to scale up or if you need experts in another area of competency, you have the ability to do that. There is also built-in flexibility in the way outsourced software developers work with their clients. For instance, they can be used to augment an in-house team or to act as a standalone dedicated team working on a specific project.

Time savings: Your outsourced team will be focussed on your project, delivering in line with your required critical path. This can mean reduced time to market and provide a competitive advantage. Your outsourced team will also be able to hit the ground running, as they are experienced in working on a project basis and delivering against demanding KPIs.

Cybersecurity: With mounting awareness of cybersecurity threats, working with a good outsourced software development company can give you immediate access to high level skills and protocols to ensure that your data is safe and compliant.

Access to new opportunities and fresh perspectives: Working with an innovative software company can open your eyes to emerging opportunities. Software companies with multidisciplinary teams feature a variety of competency centres and this can help keep your own business at the cutting edge. An outsourced software development consultancy will be able to bring a fresh perspective to your business and help your company think outside the box.

Mitigate risk: By working with an outsourced software consultancy, you benefit from access to robust project management and quality control systems that are tried and tested. Having these systems at the core of their approach helps to mitigate risk for your business.

As you can see, outsourcing software development offers a broad and important range of benefits, which is why the industry continues to grow so fast around the world.

As a company that has delivered outsourced software for many years, Headforwards has come to understand any possible pitfalls and has identified ways to ensure these are avoided. There are many areas to consider but here are the three key elements that we believe should be cornerstones of an outsourced software development project.

Three Critical Elements for Success in Outsourced Software Development

Clear communication

Close communication is vital for the success of any software development project. Indeed, this is at the heart of the agile and DevOps methodologies. Both these frameworks enable close collaboration between team members, so that mistakes always translate to learning, ensuring that development becomes an iterative process. Where an outsourced partner is used, it is important that communication remains a top priority – even although there may also be language barriers, different cultures, or time zones to consider. Video calls and other web-based methods can be used to make sure communication continues to flow smoothly and that everyone works closely as one team throughout the process.

Clear metrics

It is essential that any outsourced software development project has clearly agreed metrics at the outset and that both parties fully understand how a project’s success will be measured. Not only must there be agreement and clarity about the final outcomes, but also full agreement about all milestones along the way and all crucial timeframes.

Clear vision

The outsourced software development company should always aim to understand the big picture. It is vital to have a good understanding of the client’s overall strategy and where their project fits into the whole. It is only then that the software development company can consistently make the right decisions at every level in the company and truly deliver against the client’s business objectives.

Outsourced software development is a major game-changer. As the sector continues to grow and mature, outsourcing will be regarded as essential for delivering cutting edge IT innovation. As a result, outsourced software development companies will increasingly be seen as vital strategic partners. It is an exciting time to be at the forefront of this trend, helping to shape the software industry of the future.