The technology media, and telecommunication sector is currently facing a substantial labor-skills shortage, that is going to reach 4,3 million professionals and $448,70 billion in unrealized output by 2030, as forecasted in the Korn Ferry report “Future of Work. The Global Talent Crunch.”
In their way to widen the available hiring opportunities, companies turn more toward outsourcing software development and set their focus on nearshore or offshore services.
Nearshore Software Development
Software development services provided by companies located in countries close to yours, that have the same or a similar time zone.
E.g. If your company is from the Netherlands, it might nearshore to the Eastern Europe.
Offshore Software Development
Software development services provided by companies located on a faraway country, usually, from a different continent and with a considerable time zone difference.
E.g. If your company is from the US, it might offshore to the Eastern Europe.
Now, let’s say that you have decided to build a functional, innovative, and user-friendly software product with a nearshore software development team. How do you know who are the right software developers and engineers to hire for this mission, and most importantly – how do you get them together in a strong and effective team?
1. Start with a clear definition of your product
things first. Begin with establishing the features of the product to be developed. How do you want it to be? What are your expectations? What are the features it should include?
A clear product definition is going to help you make a decision related to the technologies to be used, the number of people to be involved, the type of project management and team collaboration to be put in place.
If coming up with an explicit product definition seems challenging to you, opt for IT consulting services to get it done or rely on your software development partner to put it in place. At ISD, for example, we provide all the necessary consulting in terms of product specifications, technologies, team size, way of working and any other aspect our customers need support with.
2. Choose the type of collaboration that suits your business model
If your choice to go for nearshore software development was already made, it’s time to look for a software development company to partner with. You can find here some best practices for a strategic and reliable business decision.
Your nearshore software development partner is going to be your trustworthy ally during the whole project lifecycle and beyond if you will also agree upon a maintenance setup. There are several types of collaboration to get things done, including: dedicated teams, extended teams or fixed price projects. Trust the software development company to choose the one that is the best for your business model and project.
3. Decide upon the type of project management you are going to use
Agile, Waterfall or other project management methodology? If selected correctly and implemented effectively, any of them could lead you to the expected outcomes. Discuss with the software development company to choose the way of working that suits best your project. Accordingly, they are also going to help you define the number of team members involved in the development and delivery of the project.
A typical and complex team usually is formed of various experts: Product Owners, Project Managers or Scrum Masters, Software Developers, QA Testers, UX/UI Designers, Software Architects, and Business Analysts. But every project has its unique formula denoted from its specifications.
Source: www.digite.com
Building a nearshore software development team also involves gathering everyone on the same page. Transparent collaborations, regular knowledge sharing, and traceability processes are essential frameworks for keeping all the team members connected and offering them visibility across all the project updates.
Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, Miro are powerful when it comes to managing a development team, keeping track of the progress, and getting everyone informed. At the same time, if you have partnered with a team of experts, these tools are essential in offering them a setup where they can self-manage their tasks and workflow.
4. Get to know the team
For a stronger and more productive collaboration, schedule physical meetings with the software development team from time to time. Either it is you visiting the nearshore software development company, or the team holding onsite visits – face-to-face are going to align your organization’s culture with the one of your business partner. Moreover, take your time to also learn about their lifestyle and discover their country, it will be of a great help in setting an interactive communication.
5. Communicate efficiently and effectively
Communication is crucial in business, no matter the context. When your team is located remotely, set from the start a transparent and efficient communication. Channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, email are already proven to be working productively. Use them regularly for meetings, updates, solving blockers, sharing progress, and documenting everything. The more visibility offered to the nearshore software development team, the better the chances for a project to be delivered in time, successfully, and with the expected outcomes.
If you have checked up all the above, avoid micromanagement and constant check-ups – in teams of true professionals and experts, they might become road blockers. Trust and empower the software developers and let them do their magic.