Outsourcing Challenges Part 2: Offshore Software Development Team Structure

How to best organise a software team?

What is an optimal combination of team members in a software development team? Outsourced development teams are structured to meet the company's particular needs. Optimal team composition is the one that allows to successfully deliver even the most complex project requirements within your timeframe and budget. You can come across these definitions of team structures:

• Generalist teams, which contain a broad range of expertise and typically carry out end-to-end project development.
• Specialist teams, which focus on projects that require a particular subject matter or technology expertise.
• Hybrid teams, which contain a mix of generalists and specialists.

Your engineering team can be comprised of front-end developers, back-end developers, full-stack developers, mobile developers, desktop developers, data engineers, DevOps engineers, software architects, information developers (technical writers), support engineers, manual test engineers, automation test engineers, product designers, business analysts, scrum masters, etc. If you are looking to ramp up development capacity a generalist model may make sense, while disruptive changes could opt for a specialist team that can implement the latest technology innovations.

How to best organize a software team that supports several projects?

The answer depends on the complexity and specifics of the project. Often one manager can be enough to oversee several small projects. In contrast, a large-scale software project will most likely require a dedicated project manager to ensure everything goes smoothly and your requirements are delivered on time, on budget, and on value.

What are some best practices for composing an offshore software development team?

Outsourced software development teams can fail when specific objectives, practices, and communication methods are not established. Here are some key aspects of assembling a successful outsourced development team:

• Execute an extensive vendor selection process. Determining the best vendor for your offshore software development team should be a comprehensive process. Without taking the proper time to evaluate the services and key differences between service providers, an organization can establish a long-term relationship with a provider that does not meet its needs.
• Define specific objectives and build a roadmap for execution. Whether a company seeks better scalability, faster time-to-market, or additional resources to execute a specific project, an organization must understand the purpose behind selecting an outsourced development partner. Determining key reasons for outsourcing will set up an external software development team for success, making it possible to accurately assess project progress and ensure business objectives are achieved.
• Determine responsibility distribution and ownership. Based on the specific engagement model, outsourced development teams can take full control of a project or leave its responsibility in-house. No matter the case, stakeholders must be able to communicate, accept deliverables, and make key decisions.
• Establish goals and manage risks. Prior to the start of development, determine each of the vendor’s necessary objectives to ensure proper planning. Identifying potential risks, budgeting for contingencies, and vetting a vendor’s security controls can prevent future problems from arising throughout the development process.
• Set up a proper communications process. Companies and vendors may have different communication preferences. Whether a business is hands-off or wants to be deeply involved in decision-making, define a communication plan detailing all of the necessary meetings, demos, and reports.

For nearly three decades, ELEKS has been a trusted software partner for Fortune 500 companies, large enterprises, and startups. Providing a wide range of outsourced software development services, ELEKS’ custom software development model ensures successful outcomes from innovation to maintenance.