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When it comes to our ever-evolving IT industry, companies are constantly searching for new ways to save money on development costs, speed up their recruitment processes, and increase team efficiency. Now, nearshore software development is a popular solution to modern coding needs and an alternative to traditional recruitment techniques. This practice has been rapidly increasing in popularity for the past few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, having grown a shocking 98% during 2022. However, nearshore development has its own set of best practices that need to be followed in order to ensure maximum success with this outsourcing strategy. In this article, we will discuss the key practices for nearshore software development so your company can take full advantage of nearshoring moving forward.
What is nearshore software development?
Before diving into the best practices for nearshore software development, it’s important to first understand the definition of nearshore software development. Nearshore software development is a process in which companies outsource their software development needs to developers located in nearby countries. This IT hiring strategy allows North American companies to benefit from much lower development rates and the opportunity to access a larger talent pool than what may be available in their own countries, especially given the repeated IT talent shortages of recent years.
Now, while many will be quick to compare nearshoring to offshore outsourcing and point out the slightly pricier services of nearshore development, this outsourcing strategy still possesses some unique selling points. To start, there are fewer time zone differences and language barriers when working with nearshore developers, thanks to the closer physical locations of the LATAM IT hubs, making communication and collaboration easier for both sides of the team. Another benefit of nearshore software development is the ability it provides to companies willing to leverage the local culture and experience of developers in other countries. By partnering with nearshore developers, companies can gain insight into different markets and cultures, allowing them to create more innovative solutions and better serve customers from all over the world.
5 best practices for nearshore software development
1. Establish a specific software development methodology.
Project management in the IT industry is all about choosing the right methodology to work with for all development projects. This ensures consistency and will help you set a standard for any projects your distributed workforce work on during a nearshore software development arrangement. As of 2023, the top 4 software development methodologies are Agile, DevOps, Waterfall, and Rapid Application. Right now, the most popular one is Agile, but feel free to pick the one that fits your business the most. At the end of the day, choosing between these software methodologies will allow you to have a consistent project style and better organize all tasks pertinent to a certain development product your company is trying to finalize.
2. Hire nearshore developers whose skills match the company’s needs.
One of the main best practices for nearshore software development is to hire talent that matches the solutions to your IT problems. Companies should look for developers who have experience in their chosen language or technology stack - meaning the technology your organization needs to finish a certain development product. This will ensure that they have the necessary skills to complete all pending projects in a timely manner, whether that is a mobile or web application and front-end or back-end work. There are certain red flags to look for in coding candidates, but not having a certain proficiency level in the technologies you’re recruiting for is the first and biggest one of them.
3. Extensively vet and interview all nearshore development candidates.
As with any recruitment strategy, it’s also important for companies to identify quality talent by conducting thorough background checks and interviews with all potential development candidates. This will help to ensure that only the most qualified developers are hired for the job. Furthermore, your organization should have clear guidelines for hiring and interviewing so that they can get an accurate assessment of each candidate’s skills, experience, and qualifications. Finally, conducting English proficiency examinations as part of the hiring process is a fantastic way to ensure there won't be any language barriers between your existing team members and your outsourced staff.
4. Set both clear expectations and communication channels.
Once a team of nearshore developers has been assembled, there are certain best practices for nearshore software development that should be followed in order to ensure a good working relationship with your new remote employees. The first step is to establish clear expectations and goals for the project or the role all nearshore developers will undertake in the following months. This will help to set a baseline for the project timeline - or the role’s day-to-day operations - and provide a reference point for all parties involved. Additionally, it’s important to establish clear channels of communication between teams so that updates and progress can be tracked easily and it’s easier to overcome any cultural or language barriers that may exist between teams. To do this, it is important to find a common channel that all remote staff members can use to communicate effectively.
5. Embrace the benefits and nature of remote work.
Remote work has several advantages, but the nature of this type of working relationship is slightly different from what a full-time in-person role looks like. If you want to have a successful nearshore software development experience, it’s key for you to embrace the ins and outs of having a distributed workforce. This means allowing flexible working hours, having a conversation about any existing time zone differences, and using tools for remote work in order to lead a more productive development team.
Ready to get started with nearshore software development?
Overall, following best practices for nearshore software development is essential in order to ensure a successful project outcome. By understanding what nearshore software development entails, establishing proper vetting procedures for remote IT hiring, and following the best practices for a successful nearshoring experience, companies can benefit from cost savings while still receiving high-quality work from experienced developers in other countries.
Now, at Blue coding, we understand the many challenges of getting started with nearshore outsourcing when a company hasn’t had any prior experience with this methodology. That’s why we offer custom nearshore software development services to help organizations hire the right nearshore IT professionals to join their teams. Thanks to many years of nearshore outsourcing experience and a large network of LATAM developers, our team is able to place the right developers into your company in a matter of days. This efficient hiring process will contribute to money-saving development results and better long-term outsourcing partnerships. Contact us today to learn more about our nearshoring services!
