Which Development Tasks are the Easiest to Outsource (Experts Advice)

Software development is no easy task, especially when you’re looking to create something innovative, inspiring, and unique. It is a mishmash of various processes whose complexity depends on the project involved.

Irrespective of the software development life cycle methodology adopted, software development involves these steps:

• Conceiving the software/application
• Specifying the requirements for developing the software/application
• Designing the software/application
• Programming the software or application using one or many programming languages and frameworks
• Documenting the entire software/application
• Testing the developed software or application
• Debugging and removing the various errors and bugs found in the software/application during the testing phase
• Deployment of the developed software/application at the desired location/system(s)
• Maintaining the developed software/application that includes adding relevant updates, new features, and finding and fixing previously unaddressed issues

While some businesses like to complete as many development projects as strictly in-house as possible, others like to outsource several development tasks for varied reasons. You can hire an outsourced development team to help you with the software development tracking process more efficiently.

Business Process Outsourcing has become a global phenomenon now. It has grown to such an extent that freelancing has become a full-fledged profession these days. As a consequence, there is no dearth of best nearshore and offshore development companies, ready to help you out with your development projects readily.

The first two steps of software development i.e., conceiving and specifying, are obviously not outsourceable. This is because these are decided solely by the client and the provider.

Moreover, the deployment process is also not preferred to outsource as the client would definitely want the provider to do the deployment themselves, not anyone that they have hired. Finally, maintaining is something that the provider is held responsible for. Hence, it can’t be outsourced as well. The rest of the development process can be outsourced.

Looking to outsource developers to your team but don’t know which tasks need to be outsourced and which doesn’t? Worry not, we’ll help you out. The following section details various tasks of the entire software development process that can be easily outsourced.

Development Tasks Easiest to Outsource

1. Designing

As soon as the requirements are noted down, software development enters the designing phase. It involves a maiden or high-level design of the main modules of the software with an overall design representation, usually using a block diagram of the software or app being developed.

The programming language, operating system/platform, and hardware components are all known by this time. Afterward, a detailed or low-level design is created with prototyping as proof-of-concept or for firming up requirements.

Designing is one of the development tasks that can be outsourced and is typically outsourced. You simply need to provide the specifications sheet to the experienced outsourcing team, and they will come with a suitable design for you. You can also ask them to present you with multiple choices.

2. Programming

Another part of the software development process that you can outsource is programming. This part of the software/application development involves real coding in the programming language(s) of choice. You can decide the programming tools on your own or consult an outsourcing provider to suggest the best options to you.

Once you’ve decided what needs to be added to the software and how each and everything should work, it’s time to hire an offshore development team that can get the programming done. You can review their work and ask for changes/modifications required, if any.

3. Documenting

Documenting is that part of the software development process that involves organizing the internal design of the software for future enhancement and maintenance. It can be easily outsourced at one’s own convenience.

Typically, documenting is done throughout the software development process. This is due to the evolving nature of the software development process. These new changes need to be reflected in the documenting. Hence it is continuous. Documenting can also involve writing an API, external, or internal.

The extent of internal documentation depends on the chosen software development life cycle. For instance, plan-driven models to the likes of the Waterfall model produces far greater documentation than the SDLC methodologies based on the Agile approach.

4. Testing

Software testing is an integral and important aspect of the software development process. This part is important because it helps in recognizing defects and errors in the software being developed. Testing is another software development task that can be easily outsourced.

There are more than a few testing types that need to be conducted on software to ensure that it works as expected with no problems and gives out desired output/results. In test-driven development, tests are developed just before implementation and also serve as a guide for implementation correctness.

5. Debugging

Debugging is the process of removing errors and bugs found during the testing process. Usually, it is done collectively with the testing process but might be separate in some cases. If you require separate debugging, then you can go for outsourcing easily.

Reasons Why You Need to Outsource Software Development

Why do you need to outsource nearshore or offshore developers? There can be one or many reasons, enumerated as follows:

• An alternative to Lacking In-house Experience – There might be projects that require technologies with which your in-house isn’t that much comfortable to work with i.e., lacks the desired level of experience. For such projects, outsourcing is a blessing.
• Get the Top Talent to Work for You – Outsourcing gives you the opportunity to choose from a giant talent pool. Bring the top talent to your workbench and let them deliver excellent results for your business and product while working inline with your in-house team.
• Hassle-free – With outsourcing, you need not worry about a lot of many things, including recruiting, hiring, and training. Simply give out the instructions and expect great results delivered in time.
• Reduced Costs – Outsourcing can help in cutting costs while reducing workload at the same time. Moreover, there is no need to make any upfront payment.
• Risk Mitigation – With a quality outsourcing provider by your side, you get a great project management system and a flexible, tried-and-trusted application development process for efficiently mitigating risks for your business.
• Streamlining Multiple Projects – Having a focused strategy is one of the most important advantages for an IT firm. Outsourcing helps you manage multiple projects at hand and even dealt with an overwhelming workload without even breaking a sweat.
• Time Savings – With people working for you around the clock, your development project is guaranteed to have a reduced time period than that it would have required without outsourcing. This is very helpful when you have to make delivery ASAP.

Conclusion

That completes the list of the development tasks that are the easiest to outsource. Practically, you can outsource the complete software development process. However, it’s better to do what you’re best at and outsource the rest.

Featured image by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash