How To Avoid Some Common Mistakes When Working With An Offshore Web Development Company

How To Avoid Some Common Mistakes When Working With An Offshore Web Development Company

By admin January 10, 2014
Blog, Web Development 0

Offshore web development partners can be found anywhere from directly on Google to online freelancing portals such as Elance, Guru, ODesk and more. It has become common nowadays to hear about how clients are unhappy about the results they have received from their offshore web development partner. Unfortunately this happens and prospects that we speak to on a daily basis shed light on common issues that they have faced in the past. In this blog post we will walk through how a company or client can avoid some of these mistakes when they work with an offshore web development company. If you use these simple strategies, more than likely you will be able to get good results when you are offshoring your web development projects.

Clear Goals: This part is essential as a client themselves need to have a clear vision and goal about what they want to achieve. You should write these goals down on paper and visualize the plan on how to get there. Obviously, get input from your offshore web development partner on how to achieve these goals but it should be clear to you as you are the captain of this ship. If you don’t know what you want or what your goals are then chances are your offshore web development partner are not physic hence you will not get the correct output. This is the first part which needs to be clearly laid out. You know what you want and what your goals are, so stick to them and get there!

Clear Instructions: This is probably one of the most common areas where offshore development partners fail the most. Unfortunately most offshore development partners are not great at communicating hence have trouble truly understanding the instructions that have been provided by the client. It is critical that a client clearly lays out what they want done and how they want it done. It is also recommended to ensure that they are no mistakes, make your offshore development partner repeats exactly what you want done and if they clearly understand it. Make sure if possible that this is in writing so there is no confusion or possibility of the offshore partner trying to blame you as a client for their own mistakes. The clearer the project specifications are defined in the beginning, the easier it will be for developers and project managers to deliver exactly what you are looking for.

Clear Timelines: This is probably the most important part of insuring that your offshore development partner is not making any mistakes. If you have done the first 2 things correctly then this 3rd thing is fairly straightforward. Ask them how long they think it will take to develop your project and make them commit to this time in writing! A great way to make sure they stick to this timeline is to set milestones and penalties if these milestones are not met. On the flip side if you can afford it, dangle a bonus amount for the offshore partner for delivering quality work on time or before the committed time. You can get fairly creative here but the most important thing is to make sure that the timelines are mutually agreed and most importantly, delivered.

Above are just some of the techniques you can use when working with an offshore web development company. We have found through our experience that clients who know what they want, when they want it, and are clear with instructions, are the ones that are the happiest with their offshore partner. If you have selected a competent offshore web development partner and follows these steps to safeguard yourself, more than likely you will be happy with the outcome your project. As always if you need any help or advice on any web development projects you have or are consider to offshore, please feel free to reach out to the team at Mind Digital.

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