Outsourcing any custom application development project is definitely a challenge to undertake. Those who don't understand how the business works can end up with a costly mismanaged outsourcing project.
In order to ensure that your organization's outsourcing initiative does not fail, you'll need to follow the top 5 crucial rules in managing a successful software outsourcing project.
Prepare.
Many outsourcing initiatives fail because their managers are not equipped with the right information to manage it. When managing an outsourcing project, make sure you are equipped with the right and useful information. It might start with the precise information about your companies needs and vision, your criteria for the outsourcing vendor, communication and delegation plans, etc.
These pieces of information will help and guide you make a sound business decision and steer the project to a successful delivery.
Choose the right PM for the job.
If there's one position that your organization should not include in the outsourcing deal is the role of the Project Manager. The project manager can make or break your software development project.
Thus, ensure that this important role goes to the most skillful and trustworthy individual from your staff, that has the key experiences and character to perform the job.
Have a solid and airtight process. In order to ensure that your software development project flows smoothly, take the time to build a concrete process before outsourcing starts. This will streamline all the activities surrounding the project and avoid any miscommunication mishap.
Ensure that the processes are implemented and followed every time. Any time a process is skipped it increases the risk of the software development.
Treat the vendor as a key part of the team.
Just like with your regular employee, your company will have to treat your vendor contacts as part of the team. These contractors are still part of the whole development project, thus, in a sense part of the team.
Treating them as an outsider will not help your project but create a distrustful environment. Not being able to trust the vendor you're dealing with is already an indication that something is not going well in the project itself.
Keep communication lines open, on all levels.
Outsourcing will definitely challenge on how your organization is able to adapt to varying business situations. Not being able to react fast enough to an immediate issue can definitely sabotage your outsourcing efforts.
In order to ensure that your organization is able to keep up with all the ongoing development activities, reinforce to your in house and offshore teams that the communication lines are open; have a weekly meetings or even a daily status calls if necessary.
And if you want to learn how to successfully prepare, arrange and run custom application development projects with outsourcing teams, go here http://outsourced.sk
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