There are two approaches you can choose
from when it comes to finding a reliable offshore software development vendor and
your decision should largely be based on the type of services you need. Out
tasking is a good option when you need to assign certain aspects of development
(sans management) to a group of outsourced programmers. This means project management
is entirely up to you. This approach, however, is only suitable for short-term
projects and not so much for software programs or applications that require
scalability, unless you stay in touch with the service provider and are able to
recruit them once more to rewrite or make changes in the original
code—something that is rarely the case.
Outsourcing, on the other hand,
is a more holistic solution that transfers the responsibility of management to the
outsourced company. This guarantees continued development and better
scalability for larger projects. When seeking out a software development
company, it is important that you get your expectations about your vendor down
to make sure that you are recruiting people who can very well provide you the kind
and quality of service you need.
Take into account the types of
technologies and industries that the outsourcing
provider specializes in and whether or not they can effectively work on your
project. Consider their knowledge of your industry as well as their scalability
offerings to make sure that they can take care of your future needs. Ask
whether they subcontract any part of the development process and take time to
decide for or against it, depending on your preference. Do they work for some
of your competitors in the market? Will this be a conflict of interest? What
size of development team do you need? These are just some of the most important
questions you need to ask before you shortlist your candidates.
