COVID-19 has made remote and offshore working a norm today. Offshore teams help in reducing the overhead hiring costs, save time, and allow companies to access a wide range of talent.
These teams also allow companies to complete urgent tasks quickly because offshore workers usually don’t require a lot of training to work on major projects.
No wonder why there is such a high demand for offshore developers and engineers.
However, in comparison to managing in-office teams, companies can face difficulties in managing offshore development teams due to challenges like lack of communication, the difference in time zones, difficulty in understanding the work, etc.
Accordingly, employers need to ensure that they also work on the personal development of their offshore teams while providing a good working environment.
Challenges of Offshore Team Management
Offshore development management is definitely a tricky process. Here are some challenges that companies face:
- Time differences, cultural issues, and language barriers can cause miscommunication between offshore and in-house teams.
- A sloppy onboarding process can lead to poor engagement and might even result in improper hiring.
- Software companies can face issues of data leaks and cyberattacks when working with remote teams. However, this problem can be solved by using the proper software.
- In-house teams might have to spend a lot of time adjusting working times and schedules, adapting to remote tools, and managing documentation when working with remote teams.
Companies are able to avoid most of these problems if they have proper processes in place. So let’s deal with the main question – how to manage an offshore development team?
Tips for Managing Offshore Development Teams
According to this article, the global IT outsourcing market is expected to reach $397.6 billion by 2025 alone, with more and more companies managing offshore teams. This means the industry is expected to grow at a rate of 4.5% every year. This means that a lot of talented professionals are actively looking for remote jobs to work on international projects.
But this also means that people have a lot of opportunities on their hands. If they don’t feel that their current place of work is not providing them with a competitive working environment, they can choose to work with another offshore team.
Accordingly, the retention of offshore workers is still something that employers need to work upon. Below, we have highlighted some tips for managing offshore teams effectively:
1. Define the Product Vision Clearly
When the team is hired, it is important to clearly explain the product vision and tasks. Your team should know the Scope of Work, the timeline, the milestones, and all the required steps needed to complete the project.
Most importantly, the team should know the vision they are working on, so they can understand what kind of end result is expected from them.
2. Use the Right Tools
The key to managing offshore developers efficiently is to cultivate a culture of collaboration and create convenient paths for communication. And this is only possible when the team has the right tools to use.
Email is the basic need to collaborate with offshore teams. But companies can also rely on tools like Skype, Slack, Zoom, and Google Meet to connect with their teams. There are also many productivity tools that teams can use, like Trello, Basecamp, and Asana, to manage all the project materials in one place.
3. Believe in Transparency
Transparency allows companies to build trust in their teams. Communication is the heart of managing any team.
Accordingly, when working with offshore teams, companies need to ensure their teams are kept in the loop with all the aspects of the project, they are getting timely feedback on their work, and they have ways to discuss their problems with the project manager.
Tips for Hiring Offshore Development Teams
The idea of hiring offshore web development teams is no longer a dream, It is a reality. Nowadays, a lot of companies are outsourcing their app development projects to offshore web developers.
Offshore app development teams are cheaper than on-shore teams, so it is easier to afford them. And, they are usually more efficient, because they have already developed apps similar to yours.
There are many reasons why offshore app development teams are becoming increasingly popular. Here are just some of them:
- You can get the same quality at faster turnaround time. On-shore teams need to spend weeks or months trying to understand your requirements. By contrast, offshore teams have already developed similar apps before and are ready to jump on board.
- You can have a better control over the development process. You can see the project’s progress and have more opportunities to ask for changes.
- You can have the same level of communication with your offshore team. They speak your language and can help you with all sorts of problems.
- You can get the same quality of services at lower prices. If you hire offshore teams, you can save up to 80% of your cost.
Hiring the right offshore app development team is essential to your success. There are several key elements that you need to consider when hiring the right offshore web app development team.
Here are the factors to look out for:
1) What technology stack is used to develop your application?
Different types of applications require different technology stacks. So, before you even think about hiring, you need to understand which technology stack your app requires.
Do you want to use a technology stack such as Ruby on Rails,.NET, PHP, Node.js, or Java?
Knowing the answer to this question will help you decide which team you should hire.
2) Does the team have experience working on similar projects?
You must be sure that the team you hire has experience working on similar apps. This is a critical factor when choosing a development team.
3) Are they reliable?
Look for teams with a proven track record. You want to hire a team that is professional and trustworthy.
4) Do they offer custom web app development services?
You want to hire a team that offers custom web app development services. It is important that your team can offer you something that you cannot find elsewhere.
5) How much does their price compare to other companies?
The last thing you want is to hire a team that charges you a lot and does not deliver anything useful. You need to ensure that the team you hire is affordable. The cost of hiring an offshore team should not be exorbitant.
6) How quickly can they deliver your app?
A good offshore web app development team should be able to deliver your app within a short period of time. If they cannot, it is a sign that they are inexperienced and may not have the necessary tools to build your app.
7) How many years of experience do they have?
You must hire a team with at least five years of experience. You need to make sure that the team has a history of delivering high quality results.
8) How many developers does the team have?
You need to ensure that the team you hire has enough resources. You do not want to hire a team with too few resources.
Final Takeaway
Managing offshore development teams effectively is imperative for companies to complete their IT projects successfully.
Differences in time zones, language barriers, and lack of communication can make it difficult to work with offshore teams. However, companies need to ensure they have clearly communicated with their teams what they expect from work and have provided both productivity and communication tools to their offshore developers.
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