Tips On How To Choose An Offshore Software Vendor

EzineArticles, October 31, 2006
By Rod Morris
(http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-On-How-To-Choose-An-Offshore-Software-Vendor&id=344007)

IT departments and software companies across the world are considering outsourcing in a big way. The obvious advantage is the cost and the not-so-obvious advantage is the availability of highly qualified personnel. If you are considering engaging an offshore development team then these tips can help you make an educated decision on which company to go with:

1) Knowledge of the industry vertical Software has become highly specialized and it is necessary that you choose a vendor who has working knowledge about the vertical you belong to. A company claiming to cater to all verticals in software development services may not have specialization in any area. Choosing a company which does not understand your industry can result in a learning curve which may even become a cost centre for you in development costs.

2) Track record One of the best ways to check knowledge of a company is to pay attention to the track record of the company. Ideally case studies of previous projects and client references of people who you can contact are good indicators to check the working history of the company. This may take some time to do, but should definitely be done if you are considering employing a team for the long run.

3) Quality certification Most well qualified outsourcing companies are now working hard towards quality certification to help them stand out in the crowd. A basic ISO certification or SEI CMM level certification should be given preference when considering an offshore vendor. These quality certifications are usually awarded for the processes followed by the company and can go a long way in influencing the quality of work.

4) Quality of personnel A quality check and telephone interview should be done with personnel who will write your code. It is necessary to validate that they are familiar with the fundamentals and have good research knowledge along with the ability to learn.

5) Infrastructure Information Technology services requires good infrastructure and sufficient back ups to tide over various kinds of problems which might arise from either technical failure or geo-political issues. Apart from back up plans, regular telecom and hardware infrastructure along with physical infrastructure should also be considered when evaluating a vendor.

6) Years of business Preferred offshore vendors are those companies which can show over 7 years of business (which means that they have been around since the time of the dot com crash and have managed to live through it) and a healthy percentage of growth. A fairly new company might have a good value proposition but there is a risk factor regarding business continuity which you might need to take into account.

7) An onsite visit to validate all claims One of the best ways to ensure that you choose the right vendor is to actually take a trip to the country where the vendor is based. Most software developers are based in India or Eastern Europe and a visit there can validate all the points above as well as give you an opportunity to meet the people who will be delivering business critical services.

It may not be possible for you to undertake all the above steps when evaluating a vendor but even a few of these steps will ensure that you are able to make a good decision when it comes to choosing an offshore vendor.

Rod Morris is the founder of CodeLance – a leading freelance programming website.