4 Things To Look For In An Software Development Outsourced Team To Improve Your Product Values
When developing any software solution, one thing to keep in mind: during the development process, there are some software development teams tend to prioritize developing new features to support the evolution of your product, though such an approach can trap them to spending all budget on supporting legacy code.
In such circumstances, the software development team must find the balance between a software’s service and functional value. In order to find this balance, you can start by outsourcing a software development team that knows the importance of service value. So, suppose you have come to the decision of outsourcing your software solution, this article will tell you exactly four things you should look for in a software outsourcing company, whether they are onshore, offshore, or nearshore, to improve your software product value via improving the service value.
What is service value and why does it matter?
When developing any software product, you’re creating your business value that is made up of:
- Functional value: this value comes from the software product’s functionality that is most appreciated by the end-user. Functional value depends on the product’s functionality, usability, performance, safety, and reliability.
- Service value: the service value determines the implementation of the product’s functional value under current conditions. This has to do with the technology used, the work of the experts on the project, the speed at which developers adapt to changes, and whether they can ensure a stable development process.
The more extensive the software product’s functionality is, the more code it contains; meaning you have to spend a lot of time and money to maintain the ever-increasing amount of legacy code. Therefore, the budget for developing new features is still small. In simpler words, if your development team prioritizes functional value, then you will spend most, or not all of your budget on maintaining the existing code.
On the contrary, if the software development team puts service value first, you can be ensured of the continuous functionality improvement while new features are added easily at a cheaper cost.
How to enhance your software product’s value through software outsourcing
In order to meet the end user’s requirements, the internal software development delays the rollout of changes that provide service value by delivering new features. But as for an outsourcing team, it is easier to stay on track throughout the development process since they are not influenced by the end-users requests. Besides all of the benefits gained when outsourcing your software to an IT vendor, this is another advantage that we might not have mentioned. With the right approach, you can reduce a significant amount of costs for delivering new features.
The software development company that provides outsourcing services is not just an intermediary between the contractor and the end-user. They are more like a strategic partner. Therefore, look for companies that understand the importance of your product’s business value and are committed to enhancing it from the start of the project.
An outsourcing team can reduce the cost of delivering new functionalities for your product in the following ways:
- Eliminating unnecessary costs by fixing bugs, improving old code, reducing project downtime, etc.
- Improving the efficiency by developing only useful and needed features.
By dealing with companies that strive for your product’s service value, you can see significant improvements in your business value with minimal resistance from your internal development team.
Four things to look for in a software development outsourcing team
Although the software outsourcing team is a strategic partner and should be included in your business, they are somewhat not under your management, it’s more like a win-win relationship. So the question is: how to find a partner that will treat your software as their own? And how to make sure that they are striving to improve the business value?
Here are the four things to look for in an outsourcing partner:
- Scope of services: as for the scope of work, you should opt for companies that provide comprehensive engineering services, meaning they do not only provide developers but also business analysts and project managers. Of course, you can still choose a person from your internal team to be your project manager, but companies that offer the “whole package” often provide a full scope of services. Such companies can give you a new perspective on the project and make sure efficient management of resources and project teams.
- Attention to service value: An outsourcing team that pays strong attention to service value is the one you should opt for. Have a look and understand how they plan the development process. When developing new features, they should also consider the service value of the product and dedicate some time to improvements. Lack of attention to infrastructure, technology, and development sustainability can damage a product’s functionality.
- Well-implemented company culture: the corporate culture of one company can also give you a sense of how successful your project will be. Mature corporate culture should include continuous learning and exchange of experiences. This ensures that your dedicated development team can maximize the advantage of new technologies, optimize development processes, and continue to give you the necessary skills in case specialists leave the team.
- Know exactly who the contact person is: communication is critical in creating a product’s service value. Find a partner who can provide you with a contact person who you can contact at any time. This makes sure that the development process is manageable and sustainable. It also makes all communication related to the project faster and more transparent.
Bottom line
A qualified software development outsourcing provider is the one with its own mature development process and strictly follows its best practices; consequently, you can be relieved knowing that your new features can be delivered reliably, customer requirements can be met, and the cost overruns can be avoided.
It is common sense that the internal development team is always eager to release and improve the product; consequently, focusing mainly on its features. However, for a product to succeed in the long-term in such a competitive market, a proper balance between its service value and functional value is vital.
By cooperating with companies that believe that understand the service value is an integral part of the product, you can form a fruitful partnership and be successful in your field.
