Engaging directly with outsourcers: The Pros and Cons

by Admin

Processes

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Posted on 16/07/2020

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Many UK businesses are unable to develop new systems inhouse, this often leads to them working with consulting companies such as ourselves. Many are now increasingly looking to offshore parts of their IT estate in particular software development.

Here we are going to discuss some of the benefits and setbacks associated with UK firms engaging directly with offshore companies in comparison to working with local firms to manage the offshore operation.

Pro: Flexibility - The undeniable advantage of standing up an offshore team to deliver a software solution is the speed at which they can be ready to start a new project. This can allow any business to push forward with pursuing its digital agenda. The sooner that these systems can become available the sooner business can realise the benefits.

Pro: Timezone - A common misunderstanding with outsourcing is the availability of offshored teams whilst often you will find that a member of the team is available round the clock to answer queries or provide updates, there is often a delay between members of the delivery team being able to provide a clear answer. Most queries can be answered near immediately but those larger more technical questions tend to add up.

Pro: Value - With the rising cost associated with outsourcing software development especially with the near-monopoly that some large outsourcing companies have over local markets in Asia.

The cost of offshoring has been steadily rising for a variety of reasons however is still significantly lower than many UK based teams even compared to internal developers.

Con: Trust - The difficulty of finding offshore developments teams that you can rely on the quality and professionalism is enough of a reason to avoid direct engagements are we are sure any company who has attempted to will know.Finding agencies that provide this service can be even more challenging at times.

Con: Communication - Without a designated intermediator in place to engage between product owners and offshore developers, we have found that even the simplest of requirements can be misunderstood.

Con: Control - Most firms tend to allow some form of creative freedom to their developers, whether that is applying exciting new frameworks to the front end of the applications, or implementing an advanced software architecture pattern in the cloud.The overall objective remains the same with some aspects of creativity thrown into the mix however there is a general understanding that certain Non-functional requirements (NFR) need to be met.These tend to be the areas that are lacking when delivered.

Conclusion: While we believe that outsourcing has many benefits, these can often be negated when engaging directly with offshore companies.Hybrid solutions such as our own allow clients to engage with trusted consultants locally who have a strong partnership with offshored developers.

If you are interested in finding out more please feel free to get in touch.