Developing software in-house is a costly endeavor and it does not only take resources and financial load but time as well to complete the project. If you have been in this industry for quite some time then you are probably aware that in-house software development has almost never proven to be effective in terms of saving time and money.
Luckily, there are various ways for your company to reduce software development costs without losing quality so you can focus on the activities necessary for growing your business. The following are some of the ways that can best suit your needs:
1. Consider hiring remote developers from Europe
Europe is a very attractive location to consider if you want to hire remote developers with an aim to reduce your costs without losing on quality.
The growing tech talent market in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe keeps gaining popularity among foreign business owners. Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, and North Macedonia are some of the best destinations to outsource software development. The quality, availability, and affordable cost of the IT professionals in these countries are among the top factors considered by many American and Western European companies.
2. Draft your own requirements
So you have decided to work with remote developers. Or, maybe you are thinking of outsourcing software development and are already considering a few tech companies to begin with, well good for you. But make sure that you provide them with a clear set of details or project requirements to work with. If they don’t receive clear instructions then chances are that the whole project is going to end up in huge turmoil.
If you are choosing an outside company to outsource your software development to in order to save money, then at least draw a proper requirement sheet to let them know what you want and how you want it. This way there will be no misconceptions whatsoever and the software will end up being exactly how you wanted it to be.
3. Communication is important
Things are not always as simple as hiring the right person from the other part of the world or choosing an outsourcing company, handing over all the details and requirements, and then contacting them just before the deadline so they can deliver you the final product. Well, if it could only work this way, but sadly it doesn’t. Do you need a superior quality product? If so, then you will have to remain in constant contact with the team that is working on your project and help them immerse in your company culture.
Guide them through everything, help each other to break through any communication barriers so that if there are some issues then these can be dealt with right there and then. Effective communication will keep things streamlined and will provide you with an effective timeline regarding the completion of your project.
This way you will not only make sure that the final product is of supreme quality, but you will be able to cut costs at the same time and build a strong relationship with your contractors.
4. Involve your quality assurance team right from the beginning
Software quality assurance should start as early in the software development life cycle as at the requirements gathering stage. Involving your QA team from the very beginning can save you a lot of time and money as the later QAs find a bug, the more expensive it is to fix it. Moreover, fixing one bug may cause another, and another which eventually may require rewriting the entire system because of one flaw.
Conducting testing on a regular basis through a well-defined process and flawless communication with the outsourced/remote team developing your software will not only help you save money but also achieve the desired results with a high level of quality.
5. Focus on the necessary features
Creating something of value that your users will find useful is by far the most important aspect of software development. But, oftentimes, teams tend to lose their focus and get lost in various discussions which may cost you not only time and money but a lack of quality as well.
When you are planning your software production there could be a lot of new ideas simply pouring out about all the possible features and functionalities you could include. The ultimate way of dealing with this issue is to select the features that are a priority and must be included within the finished software and leave the others for production in the later stages.
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