How Do I Actually Choose An Offshore PHP Development Company

You have finally decided that you want to give offshore web development a try but more specifically, you are looking for an offshore PHP development company to work with. More than likely, the main reason you have decided that you want to work with an offshore service provider is due to the many benefits that you get with an offshore web development company such as you can save time, money, HR costs, operational expenditures and so on. Trying to find an offshore PHP development partner to work with can be a very daunting task to say the least as a simple Google Search yields 1.8 million results (As of today May 12, 2015). Now, the question is how do you actually select who to work with out of these hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe, what do you need to keep in mind and what needs to looked at when considering an PHP partner. So, below we will go through a step by step process or a guideline you can call it on how you can actually successfully work with an offshore PHP development company:

✓ Ask Around & Network – You would be surprised at how many people are actually working with offshore web development providers. By just asking around and speaking to colleagues, friends, family, business association, networking and so on, you are bound to hear about an offshore PHP development provider someone is working with or has worked with in the past. If someone is recommending a certain provider, more than likely they are making that recommendation based upon a past or current experience which is invaluable. Try to see what recommended companies you get pointed to as this will be a great starting point. You should also look online as the options are many so they are no shortages of both a company and the talent pool.

✓ Hone In On Your Specific Needs – A Google search will yield you countless companies but how do you know the good from the bad. Firstly, try to hone in on exactly what you are looking for. For example, are you looking for help with a specific PHP-based CMS (Content Management System) platform such as WordPress, Magento, Drupal, OpenCart, Joomla or perhaps you are looking for a customized CMS to be created for you. The more specific your needs are, the better for both you as a business owner as well as the company you are evaluating as it makes it clear for all parties involved. Lastly, if you are looking for a specific PHP-based CMS as earlier mentioned, focus on a partner who is an expert with that CMS. Again, the more specific you define your PHP development needs, the easier it will be for you.

✓ Portfolio – The good news is that you have focused in on exactly what you are looking for and found a number of companies with nice-looking websites that look like they know what they are doing at least from the outside. After you get in touch with them, you need to speak with them and understand on how capable these offshore PHP development companies are by asking to see the portfolio of work they have delivered that are similar to your project to give you a good sense about the company. By checking the portfolio of work they have delivered recently or even in the past, this will allow you to really judge them on the expertise of this offshore development organization. Actions or actual work speak as a true judge of how good a company is so this point should be carefully looked at when evaluating an offshore PHP development company.

✓ References – You have seen the portfolio of work that the company has provided and everything looks good, great! Now, the next step is to actually speak to current or past clients if possible to get a good sense of how they actually worked when a project is live or ongoing. Just looking at a completed project is not enough as you need to actually speak to clients if possible to get a good sense of how the work was done, was it in-budget, delivered on-time, what was the team like when the project was happening and so on. By speaking to a client, you will get a really good idea of the offshore PHP development company you are looking to partner with. Any good offshore web development company will and should be able to provide you client references that you can speak with. If they cannot, then this is something that should worry you and raise a red flag.

✓ Communication & Project Management – Everything has checked out so far and you are down to the final offshore providers that tick all the boxes in terms of portfolio and references. As a company you will be working with either long term or perhaps even short term, you need to really have a good sense of the communication techniques and project management style that the offshore PHP partner you are working with will provide. Ask them to see what tools they are using and what type of software they will using to keep you updated throughout the life cycle of your project. If you have any suggestions or preferences, make sure you ask them to use that specific software/project management methodology as the options are many within the market.

✓ Contract & Deliverables – You have finally made it all the way down to negotiations as you have found a good web development partner that knows what they are doing and has ticked all the boxes as listed above. One of the most important, if not the critical thing to ensure that is clear for all parties involved is to have everything in writing for all parties. Details such as pricing, deliverables, in-scope work, timelines, warranties, support and so on need to be clearly laid out for both you as a client and the offshore PHP development company you are looking to work with. The more clear, concise and transparent the contract is, the better it is for you as a client and the offshore PHP company you are thinking to work with.

Summary
Working with an offshore PHP development partner can be a very rewarding experience for both you as a client and lucrative for the offshore web development company you are working with if you are able to find a good partner. Ensure that you conduct all the necessary due diligence as discussed above and are fully satisfied with the offshore partner you are going to work with. By choosing an offshore web company to work with, you can really save money, time and much more making it a win-win situation. Take your time and do all the necessary checks till you are fully satisfied with your decision. Don’t rush into anything or be penny-wise pound foolish as this will end up costing you more in the long run from both a time as well as money perspective. If you are looking for a reliable, trusted and capable offshore PHP development company in India, please feel free to reach out to the team at Mind Digital for any of your development or digital marketing needs you have.