It can be tempting to consider outsourcing your bespoke software development to another country.
On the face of it, working with a developer overseas can be a cost-effective way to get what you want created quickly.
Because let’s be honest; who wouldn’t rather pay £200 a day for a developer than £800? It seems like a no-brainer, you get access to highly-educated, experienced developers for 130 per cent less money.
What’s not to like about that set-up? A £75k project delivered for less than £20k is a saving not to be sniffed at!
Or is it?
In our most recent ExperTEES session we spoke to two local businessmen who’d outsourced their software development, only to find that the reduction in cost came at a price.
Quantity surveyor Paul Bass has worked in the building industry for two decades, and it was this experience that led to the development of CORE, a piece of software that can be used as a live project management tool.
Paul explains: “We developed CORE for the construction industry, as through our experience, we knew there were lots of efficiencies to be made in the sector.
“We’ve no experience in tech, so we spoke to some of our contacts who recommended a developer in Yorkshire. However, the developer then outsourced some of the work abroad – which is where the issues arose.”
Paul found that, with communication being confined to written notes and screenshots, there was little to no input from the developer creating the software.
He said: “Essentially, the issue that we had was that everything was so literal; we asked for something and we got it, whether it worked in practice or not.
“That’s why you need a developer on board you can chat with, as it needs to be a two-way process, with them putting a virtual arm around you, sharing experience and advice.”
Peter Holdsworth encountered the same issues when he outsourced the development of his digital footprint app Odyssea, a place where people can share photos and build family trees.
He said: “Cost was the main driver behind outsourcing the software; that and lack of experience.
“Again, the issue for us was communication. I found a developer in overseas through some forums I was on, but it was hard to build a real relationship just through phone calls and sharing drawings on bits of paper.
“It took 18 months before we had a workable solution, and even then it wasn’t perfect.”
Both men turned to us to finish their projects, where we worked collaboratively, making suggestions based on our previous work and finishing with an end product everyone is happy with.
That’s because there is more to creating software than the build itself and each project should adhere to a set plan, agreed by all parties.
At Sapere, we always start with some consultancy work, which allows our experts to understand what the client is trying to achieve so the correct solution is proposed.
From there, a specification of works should be drawn up, along with wireframes of the proposed solution. The specification should be the blueprint of any well-designed software and the wireframes will help the customer visualise how the product will look and work before it goes to the development team.
Only after the specification document and wireframes have been signed off by the customer should any actual development work begin.
Development should be agile, allowing for deviations in scope to be brought into the build or managed as additions at the end.
And of course, as with any plan, regular client meetings should take place demonstrating progress in line with the project management methodology and agreed milestones.
Once the software is designed, testing should be carried out by the development team before being handed over to the testing team. Only once it has been signed off by the testing team should the solution be presented to the customer to check and sign off.
That is how it should happen….
The common thread through both Peter and Paul’s projects is the lack of detail and quality at the first two stages of the process or that the developers are working off a scoping document produced by the customer, rather than the other way around.
The result of missing the first steps is the solution is not what the client wants or needs, therefore the application does not do what they want.
This has further ramifications along the line with the continuation of errors as the development team are asked to make changes to correct the incorrect or missing functionality and the project never gets finished to the client’s satisfaction.
So while it may well appear cheaper to have software developed overseas – and there is never a question over the developer’s ability to code – overall, the investment and time spent managing it is wasted.
As Paul says: “The main challenge in building the CORE software was how we procured it. We were in a rush to get started, while one thing we’ve learnt from working with Sapere is the importance of having a very clear specification from the beginning.
“How you describe something isn’t necessarily how you build it, so you need the form that close working relationship with the developer to benefit from their input.”
If you want to make sure your money is well spent – and you get what you pay for – get in touch with our award-winning team via our contact form, email sales@sapere.co.uk or call 01642 955645.