The Ultimate Guide to Disadvantages of Outsourcing: A blog that takes a look at the disadvantages and positives of outsourcing software development
The recent years have seen a lot of businesses outsource software development to countries across the globe. This has been due to two reasons. First, the costs are far lower than in North America, Europe, and Australia and second, the talent in India (and other countries) is abundant. For businesses that outsource their software development overseas, this has meant tremendous savings. However, there are both pros and cons of outsourcing your software development.
Outsourcing software development can be tricky to do, but for the long-term success of your business, it is a necessary step you must take in order to scale. In this article, I will go into the benefits and drawbacks of outsourcing your software development.
While many companies choose to outsource their software development, it’s not always the best option for every type of project.
Pros
Cost-Effective
One of the primary advantages of outsourced software development is its cost-effectiveness. It can be less expensive to hire a third-party developer than to hire a team of in-house developers. This is especially true for small businesses that might not have the resources to build an in-house software development team. By outsourcing, you’ll avoid the costs associated with hiring employees, including salary and benefits.
Save Time and resources
Outsourcing to experienced developers can also save your company time. When your company doesn’t have to go through the hiring process, you have more time to focus on other business needs. Additionally, working with experienced developers means they’ve likely worked on similar projects before, which reduces the learning curve that comes with hiring new employees.
Faster Development
Another benefit of outsourcing is access to a broader range of talent. Experienced outsourced software developers are often specialists in their field and may even have unique skills your in-house employees lack. They also tend to work within specific industries, so they’ll be familiar with your industry’s standards and practices. By choosing specialized talent over generalists.
Faster deployment
In many cases, it’s faster (and cheaper) to outsource software development than it is to hire in-house developers. Why? Because it’s difficult to recruit and retain talented programmers who have specialized skills.
Cons
As with any business decision, the choice to outsource should be carefully analyzed. To make the best decision, you must consider all the pros and cons of outsourcing for your individual situation.
Here are some potential downsides to outsourcing software development:
Lack of control
This is perhaps the biggest disadvantage of outsourcing. When you outsource software development to an external vendor or freelancer, you lose some control over the process. You can mitigate this risk by choosing a reputable company that has ample experience working with clients from your industry or with companies of your size.
Communication problems
Language barriers can create issues during communication between teams — which can in turn cause project delays and hurt the quality of work delivered. It’s important that you hire a team whose members can communicate in your native language (or at least don’t have strong accents that make it difficult for you to understand them). If your project is complex and involves people with different skill sets (for example, if you need both a backend developer and a frontend designer), it’s even more important to ensure that everyone speaks the same language and understands each other well enough to collaborate effectively.
I should mention that I think outsourcing can be a tricky subject for most businesses and freelancers. Skeletos can help you develop your software. The choice to outsource or to do everything in-house has been a problem plaguing businesses for decades and no clear-cut answer has been formed, although I certainly have my opinions. The topic is highly nuanced and greatly depends on the situation you are finding yourselves in.
Making a decision on whether to outsource software development is a big step for any business. It will be a challenge for you to work with individuals outside of your company, both technically and culturally, but there are many benefits that can offset those growing pains. Some may argue that using offshore developers can be risky, but if you approach it in the right way, outsourcing development can be a great option. Get in touch with Skeletos to develop your software.
