4 Things To Avoid In Offshore Web Development

Offshore web development is a great choice for companies that do not have expertise or manpower for web development in-house. The reasons for using offshore web development services are many such as the cost of hiring permanent developers, web designer, HR headaches, flexibility to scale around your business, computers, software and the list goes on. A company that wishes to develop a website, application, or any software can easily contract out this specific work to many offshore web development companies across the world. All you need to do is find an offshore partner that suits your needs in terms of technical expertise, budget, communication abilities, and experience.

Offshore web development services relieves a company of the pressure of development and allows them to focus on other more important aspects within their business. A website of a company represents the organization online and it must be in sync with the missions and goals of the company. The overall layout and design of the website must reflect the ideology and objectives of the firm. As an example, an E-commerce site needs to be attractive but also needs to be strategically developed around the needs of the consumer with calls to actions, easy user-flow, navigation etc. Conveying all these details to an offshore web development service provider may be a tough job but must be done in order sure that they fully understand your goals.

Details of your project need to be communicated to the designers and developers so they can completely understand what need to be shown on the website. To ensure that your final product is delivered according to your specifications, you need to make sure that someone is responsible for the monitoring of the complete project. Some things that need to be kept in mind are as follows:

✓ Offshore web development services are only going to work if there is effective communication between client and company as well as consistent monitoring of the project needs to take place.
✓ An offshore web development services partner needs to be selected with due diligence and thorough examination to look at the technical expertise of the developers, designers, and overall company.
✓ The portfolio of work should be thoroughly looked at and previous clients should be spoken to as references if possible.

Mistakes that could lead to a bad experience with offshore web development services

They are some pretty common mistakes that tend to happen when working with an offshore web development services provider and we have compiled a list of what to look out for and be careful of. If you can avoid these mistakes, you will more than likely have a positive experience:

✓ Lack of communication & clear directions – This by far the biggest mistake that happens when people start working with anyone especially with an offshore development partner. Firstly, distance and even time-zones play a major factor when working with an offshore developer partner but clients sometimes think that they have sent a document with directions then they have fulfilled all their responsibilities. It is imperative that you communicate at regular intervals as well as have a clear sense of direction. Many times the scope, direction, and timelines change quickly which is not a bad thing, but when not controlled properly, can be quite disastrous. It’s like any relationship, the more you communicate the happier both parties will be.

✓Research on an offshore web development service provider – Lack of time and sometimes the lack of expertise can result in choosing an offshore partner that simply does not have the ability to deliver what you need. It’s imperative that the offshore development partner you choose has a portfolio that speaks for itself but also has the necessary technical expertise to fulfil your needs. Try to get the help of someone you perhaps know if you lack technical knowledge to help you judge the companies against each other. Also, interview and speak to the people that will be working on your project to help you get a sense of comfort. Never make a haste decision and make sure to think things through thoroughly before making your final decision.

✓ Safeguard Intellectual property rights – Many times people don’t think of this and realize how much access developers have to your information. Ensure that the developers don’t have complete access to everything and you have the necessary legal documentation to cover yourself against loss, stolen code etc.

✓ Clear price & delivery time – This might seem simple and obvious, but as the saying goes “common sense is not so common.” Make sure all prices and delivery times are clearly spelled out without any chance of confusion from both parties. If not clear, this can cause serious problems later on when working with your offshore web development service provider.

Summary
Working with an offshore web development service provider can be a very rewarding experience. Like anything else in life, you need to be careful, thorough, and look out for certain things. This above list both discussed the advantages but more importantly the things to avoid when working with an offshore partner. If you can find the right balance, the sky can be the limit in terms of what you can accomplish. If you are looking for any assistance with offshore web development or anything else, please feel free to reach out to the team at Mind Digital Group.