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Companies increasingly seek to outsource their software development needs to reduce IT-related costs and increase staff flexibility. This has made several organizations across the world choose to hire an outsourced development team in addition to their in-house staff - with 37% of small businesses outsourcing at least one business process. However, for the collaboration between in-house and outsourced development teams to be successful, seamless team integration is crucial. This not only ensures that projects are delivered on time and within budget, but also fosters company-wide collaboration and innovation, improves communication, and enhances overall team performance. In this blog, we'll share with you easy-to-follow tips on how to build seamless integration between your in-house and outsourced development teams.
What Is An Outsourced Development Team?
An outsourced development team is a group of software developers and IT professionals who are hired externally to work on specific projects or tasks for a company or organization. Rather than relying solely on an in-house team, the company leverages the expertise and resources of an external service provider or outsourcing company to fulfill its development needs. The outsourced team can be located in the same country - using onshore outsourcing - or in a different country - through offshore or nearshore outsourcing - to save the most money, depending on the company's requirements and preferences. They usually work as independent contractors and collaborate with your in-house staff for a variety of tasks. Companies usually need an outsourced development team because of different reasons, such as cost reduction or labor shortages, but there’s more to it than pure necessity. To find out if your company would benefit from an outsourced development team, read this previous article of ours!
How To Build Seamless Integration Between In-House and Outsourced Development Teams
Introducing your outsourced development team to in-house staff.
Introducing your outsourced development team to your in-house staff as part of the staff augmentation onboarding process is a critical step in fostering a cohesive and collaborative working environment. During this first meeting, provide an overview of the outsourced team's composition, roles, and expertise, highlighting how their skills align with the project goals. Encourage open dialogue, allowing team members to share their backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise. Emphasize the shared objective of working together towards project success and emphasize the importance of effective communication and collaboration. By facilitating this introduction, you lay the foundation for a harmonious integration between the in-house and outsourced teams, fostering trust, mutual respect, and a productive working relationship.
Highlight your company’s needs and objectives.
Before hiring an outsourced development team and introducing it to your in-house staff, it's essential to analyze your company's goals and requirements. This involves understanding the specific skills and technologies needed, defining the scope of work for the outsourced team, and aligning expectations and deliverables. By establishing clear objectives from the beginning, both teams can work together effectively, ensuring successful collaboration and quicker product development times in the long run. This will also help you better manage your remote development team!
Prioritize cultural fits.
A good cultural fit is a crucial aspect of successful outsourcing relationships, but it is especially determinant of your success when getting your new hires and existing staff to collaborate more efficiently. To evaluate whether the outsourced team's culture aligns with your company's values and working style, evaluate the outsourced team's dedication, commitment to quality, and problem-solving approach. Analyze their track record and references to ensure they share the same work ethic as your company and ask them relevant questions to help determine if they would fit in with your current corporate culture. Be sure to also look out for some of the obvious red flags when hiring remote developers!
Define clear roles and responsibilities.
Clearly defining roles and responsibilities is essential for seamless integration between your in-house and outsourced teams. This involves identifying team leads and points of contact, such as designating individuals who will be responsible for overseeing the project and coordinating communication between both teams; assigning tasks and responsibilities by creating a detailed work breakdown structure that outlines the tasks assigned to each team member, including deadlines and dependencies; and ensuring accountability and ownership of tasks through implementing processes to track progress and hold team members accountable for completing their assigned tasks.
Set up team-building activities.
While you might already have social activities set in place for your in-house employees, it’s important to give your new remote hires a warm welcome as well. If you want your outsourced development team and existing staff to get along from the start, it’s best to strategically plan a company-wide activity right after you hire remote developers. Virtual get-togethers such as online happy hours, trivia evenings, and events for special dates and holidays can really help bring all teams and departments together, helping to break the ice when it comes to your newest team members and smoothing over any cultural differences that come with outsourcing.
Ready To Hire Remote Developers And Build An Outsourced Development Team?
At Blue Coding, we understand that building an outsourced development team can be a challenge, especially when it comes to integrating your newly hired remote developers with your existing in-house staff. That’s why when considering the option to hire remote developers and build an outsourced development team, choosing our Blue Coding's nearshore outsourcing services offers a seamless solution to hire remote developers more effectively. Once our technical vetting team has selected the right candidates for your company, we make sure the transition happens as quickly and smoothly as possible. By leveraging diverse technical expertise, incorporating quality control measures, and providing ongoing support, We ensure that your new remote team integrates effortlessly, delivering high-quality results from the get-go. If you’re ready to outsource developers, contact us today for a free discovery call to learn more about our nearshore software development services!
