You have a brilliant idea! You've presented it and have acquired some early-stage funding. Now it's time to build your minimum viable product (MVP). After much consideration, you decide to outsource the development rather than build an in-house tech team.
Having done this myself, I want to highlight four common pitfalls to avoid when outsourcing your tech:
1. Not choosing the right methodology
When outsourcing, always go for an agile rather than a waterfall project methodology. Waterfall is the older methodology, based on a fixed-scope approach with set deadlines.
Agile is much better suited to modern-day development work. It delivers prototyped products faster and allows for adaptation and change as the product is developed.
2. Not having a dedicated role of product owner
Product owner is an important role that must be kept in house. The role bridges the gap between end-users, developers and broader stakeholders. They prioritise and coordinate the development work and ensure development is matching the requirements.
3. Not communicating, communicating, communicating
When outsourcing tech, it is essential to communicate. A single meeting each week is not enough for you to communicate updated requirements, be updated on development progress and track the project.
Fortunately, agile methodology solves this issue. If you stick to the agile meeting rhythms, your project will have more than adequate communication.
4. Using a stick, not a carrot
Don’t implement or enforce punitive measures for slow delivery on development. As with any creative task, a motivating carrot is more effective. The single greatest encouragement any developer can receive is positive feedback from a customer.
TAKEAWAY: Outsourcing your tech may be the right approach if you need speed to market and don’t have an internal team. If you choose this path, consider the pitfalls I have highlighted in this article and make every effort to avoid them.
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