When a company chooses to have their project developed by a third party it’s called outsourcing and it provides many advantages. The most obvious benefit is cost reduction, since one does not have to find and recruit specialists in a specific technology but can just find them and hire for a project. It makes plenty of sense with new languages and methodologies being introduced and necessary for particular operations. Outsourcing became a global strategy that allows you to find the best people for a job you need to have done right now and it gives you the possibility to do what you do best.

So, let’s go through the pros

Identifying gaps in your workforce is one thing, the other is to recruit and afford people who want to stay with you for a longer period. Software outsourcing providers offer the quality of performance without obligations that would have to be taken with your standard employees. If you have a small business you don’t need to hire a senior specialist, but you can get the job done by finding an outsourcing partner who will deal with IoT, cloud computing or software development for you. More importantly, you will gain access to top level specialists with great expertise who will help you to achieve your goals cost-effectively, quickly and with a reduced risk. 

You have three ways to form a partnership with your outsourcing providers

• Staff augmentation. It’s a model in which you use your existing staff, but you let them cooperate with external specialists. It’s a great method if you want to train your employees to deal with new software – they will be present when it’s created, they will also be in contact with outside workers which will help to improve the workflow. Your company will not only gain knowledge and expertise, but also additional training. That way you don’t need to hire a whole team, just people with skills that your on-site team is lacking at the moment.  
• Dedicated team. In this model you cooperate with a delivery team with a project manager, who oversees the process and provides you with a finished product. You will be able to participate in the project on-site, but don’t need to bring any technical specialists to the table. 
• Project-based model. It’s a model where the outsourcing provider presents you a fully finished product based on your needs. You explain what goals the software is supposed to meet, and external specialists deal with the plan, execution and testing. 

Whichever method you choose you need to find the right partner who will understand and support your goals and provide the talents you need. Reducing costs is only one aspect of building a good relationship with your software provider – it might look like the most vivid one, but you cannot forget about the big picture and its other elements. Yes, you will save on recruitment costs, healthcare, office supplies, but what you really pay for is knowledge, experience, know-how and top talents performing for you. And since talent is the most important resource, you are looking for that and not just on how to reduce costs. 

More importantly, you cooperate with somebody who understands your needs and has the knowledge necessary to offer you the best product. You only have to set up your expectations and discuss the possibilities to optimize all the processes you’re interested in implementing in your company. You define channels of communication and enjoy the final product. And by choosing an experienced team you cut the time down and increase quality simultaneously.

Offshore companies will also help you if you have an atypical problem – something that needs a solution that is yet to be discovered and requires more thought on tackling the issue. 

Hypothetical downsides of hiring an external company can be easily noticed at the stage of discussing the contract. Communication barriers between native English speakers and the rest of the world will be visible at the stage of meeting your potential business partners. Time Zones issues can be set up in the contract. Also, credentials from past clients generally can give quite a lot of information on the team you’re planning to hire. 

Why should Polish developers get your attention?

Poland is among the top 3 countries who finished a challenge consisting of 15 different domains (from algorithms to security issues). It also won the gold medal in the Java category. Moreover, a lot of Polish developers have a university degree and their level of English is generally good or proficient.

As long as technology itself isn’t the core of your company, outsourcing is probably a good idea. And Poland – a great place to look for your business partners. 

Author: Leszek Warzecha, Digital Marketing Specialist at ITSG Global