Building and Scaling Productive Remote Engineering Teams: Top Tips

The number of people working from home has been rising since 2009.

Over the past decade and so, most industries have realized the benefits of allowing their employees to work remotely. In fact, hiring remote teams to build and scale businesses has become a norm in recent years.

According to Owl Labs, 16% of companies around the globe are fully remote. It may seem like a small percentage. Nevertheless, the trend shows a groundbreaking change happening in the industry. Because at the beginning of this century, terms like “remote teams” and “virtual businesses” were not so popular. Such approaches were often termed as “non-workable models” by most companies.

But at the beginning of the past decade, things began to change. More people choose to work remotely for better work-life balance and better opportunities. Companies also started granting remote work to increase employee retention rate, flexibility and to attract a high talent pool. Today, 85% of managers think that remote teams will become a common practice in their industries.

The trend is more apparent in the IT, financial services, and healthcare (surprise!) industries. In the IT industry, the hiring of remote engineers happens mainly due to three reasons.

It is difficult to find the right talent locally.
It is expensive to hire locally.
More people are preferring to work remotely. Unless companies choose to hire remotely, this talent pool, which mostly consists of experienced professionals, is out of reach for them.

We have seen a 44% growth in remote working over the last 5 years. The rate of growth becomes 159% if we consider a longer duration of 12 years. If these numbers have proven one thing, it is that remote working is becoming the new norm in the industry.

So, as a business, how can you cope with this latest trend and leverage it to your benefit?

If you are looking for an answer to the above question, don’t worry, we have the answer ready for you.

In this article, we are trying to answer three commonly asked questions related to hiring remote engineers. They are

How to build a remote engineering team that fits your business?
How to manage and scale a remote team of developers?
Why should you hire remote engineers?

So, let’s dive into them.

How to build remote engineering teams?

Understand the actual role

When hiring for a position, the hiring team should first understand the position in depth. They should understand what the position demands and how critical the position is for the business. They should also comprehend the existing chemistry between the teams and what work style will suit the environment perfectly. This will also help you as a hiring manager to evaluate whether the position is suitable to hire remotely.

Industry expertise

Along with technical and soft skills, the team should also evaluate the industry expertise of the candidates. A candidate who has enough expertise in the industry is less likely to make mistakes and she will need less supervision throughout a project. Hiring people with expertise will help you to avoid one of the biggest drawbacks of hiring remotely, communication issues.

Industry experience

Experience should be a primary parameter when evaluating candidates for a remote engineering role.

Just like candidates with industry expertise, an experienced candidate will be more familiar with the role and responsibilities. Such candidates can contribute to your business independently and also as a part of a team. The experience they have gained in their career will also help your existing team positively.

Also, keep in mind that remote working does not suit everyone. Hiring candidates who have already worked in a remote position will help you to mitigate the risk.

Availability and communication

Hiring a remote engineering team has its own challenges. When the teams are available on-site, communication is a breeze and availability is not an issue.

However, when hiring a remote engineering team, these two factors can become challenging. When you are hiring from a different time zone, the resource may not be available during a time that is convenient to you and the team. This will negatively impact the quality of the work and the timeline of the project. As a result, the cost of the project will also shoot up.

Thankfully the recent technological advancements have made a positive impact on the communication landscape.

The various communication and team collaborations tools available today can mitigate most of the communication issues arising from remote hiring. However, the hiring team should make sure that the candidates are comfortable working in a different time zone and the tools you are going to use are convenient for them too.

Hire remote teams from existing markets

Outsourcing talent is one of the most revenue-generating industries for many countries.

Countries like India, Vietnam and Ukraine already have a well-established outsourcing industry. This means that the talent in these countries is already accustomed to remote working, its culture and challenges. Moreover, they are more likely to be fluent in one of the international languages, making the language barrier irrelevant.

Since a major chunk of revenue is coming from the outsourcing industries, such countries are also focusing on improving the infrastructure in this field. There are more IT parks emerging day by day and the people in these countries have access to electricity, better internet and higher education already. The lower living cost around this part of the globe warrants that the cost of hiring a remote team of developers is also affordable.

Hire pre-vetted remote engineering teams

The hiring process can be hectic. Especially when you are hiring remotely. You have to make sure that the candidate is right for the role, right for the team, the “cultures match”, and successful hiring will contribute positively to the overall business. As a result, the hiring process can become complex, lengthy, repetitive, and tiresome for every party involved.

Thankfully, hiring pre-vetted remote teams helps you avoid this. A pre-vetted engineer is someone who has already gone through screening, interviews, and tests to prove that he or she is the right fit for a specific role. So, by approaching such pre-vetted developers, you are most likely to find the right candidate.

How to manage remote engineering teams?

Managing and scaling a team of remote developers is different from hiring a remote team. To make it easier for you, here are a few tips on how to manage a remote engineering team, once hired.

Communicate clearly

When working with remote engineering teams, it is better to define a formal communication channel and set clear expectations. Unlike in an on-site work environment where communication is faster and informal, a remote work environment demands a different approach. Since availability, cultural background and language barriers can cause gaps in communication and lead to misunderstandings, it is better to plan and schedule face to face virtual meetings or define a formal channel to communicate. In a remote working environment, formal communication supported with documentation is the right approach.

Build rapport

A remote team should not be unorganized and unengaging. There should be a good connection and better understanding between team members and friendly engagements should be encouraged. When there is a good rapport between the team members, it is easier to come up with innovative ideas and the team will move in the same direction. A supportive environment will transform any challenging task into an opportunity to learn.

Encourage transparency

The number of software that can help you with team collaboration, documentation, project management, task management, incident response, bug tracking, design thinking, review and quality check etc. is higher than ever before. The use of such software not only brings transparency to the team but also helps you with managing the resource most effectively.

Here is a list of the most common software used in the industry.

Communication and collaboration: Slack, Google Hangout, Twist, Zoom
Task management: Todoist, Tick Tick, Microsoft ToDo
Project management: Jira, Asana, Trello, Basecamp
Incident response: Freshservice, PagerDuty, Dynatrace
Bug tracking: Asana, Jira, Sentry
Design thinking: InVision, Sketch, Figma, Abstract

Plan ahead

Planning and scheduling are most important when managing a team of remote engineers. Every member of the team should have a clear understanding of the project roadmap and the role he is going to play. The task list and schedules should be communicated at the beginning of the project itself and they should be documented. With the right planning, the team will have a way to avoid uncertainty and can work in a stress-free environment.

Convenience and automation

One of the common mistakes everyone makes when dealing with a remote development team is excessive micromanagement. This can be in the form of an excessive number of daily meetings, morning, and evening status reports, using tools that question privacy, or excessive amounts of documentation. As a result, the remote team finds the working environment stressful and there is not enough time to complete the actual work.

So, it is better to schedule meetings only when necessary. The participation should be limited to people who would really benefit from the meeting. Most of the meetings can be replaced by a morning or evening email or with good project management software. Instead of using traditional documentation methods, we can use readily available tools, like the ones mentioned before, to improve team collaboration and track progress.

Why hire remote engineering teams?

Access to the right talent

Hiring the right talent locally can be difficult for so many businesses. There can be various reasons including affordability, lack of local talent, the nature of the business, indirect hiring cost, lack of flexibility or even the nature of the project.

For example, even though it’s rare in occurrence, companies may be forced to work on projects that are outside of their expertise. To fill the gap, they would need a person or a team of professionals who are an expert in a particular niche. If the demand for such expertise was always low in their country, the number of people with the right talent would also be less. It is because people are more likely to choose a career in fields with high demand so that they will never run out of opportunities.

So, if the talent is not available locally, what can the business do?

Of Course, dropping the project will have a negative impact on the business; especially when its growth is dependent on the completion of the project. In such cases, hiring remotely will be the right choice for them.

Affordability

The cost of hiring and maintaining a permanent team is the highest in countries like the USA. However, there are other countries like India and Ukraine where the salary for the same role is only a quarter of what it is in the US. So naturally, if a US-based company hires remotely from India or Ukraine they can save up on costs as they have to pay only an amount equal to the local pay band. This way companies can cut costs and improve their profit margin significantly.

According to Standford, employees that work remotely are more productive than on-site workers. The study also showed that remote staff have a lower attrition rate, and they work more hours per year than their onsite counterpart. This is mainly attributed to the better work-life balance and flexible working hours available to remote workers.

Flexibility

One of the benefits of hiring a remote engineering team is, you can hire them for the short term or long-term depending on the duration of the project. Since remote roles are not treated equally to permanent roles, cutting down or scaling the size of the remote team is easier and less complex.

If you are outstaffing the role, things become a lot easier since the salary, allowances and benefits are handled by the outstaffing agency.

Final thoughts

Hiring remote engineering teams has already become a norm in the industry. It helps businesses to save up costs, add flexibility to the business, find the right talents, and improve productivity. Even though building and scaling a remote engineering team has its own challenges, they can be easily mitigated by using the right methods and tools that are readily available.

AlignMinds has more than 12 years of experience in working on web, mobility, cloud, and AI technologies. We are offering a wide set of services including outstaffing and remote development. If you are looking for a pre-vetted team of remote developers, contact us now!

October 25, 2022November 28, 2022

How to Hire Remote Developers?

Hiring remote developers enables you to meet your business’s objectives a lot faster and efficiently. However, organizations find the process of hiring remote developers troublesome and tiring. This article will help you understand why you should hire remote developers for your projects and how to hire them.

Remote developers

Remote developers, as the name suggests, work remotely. They are not physically present on the premises of the organization, but they are part of the organization’s process and contribute towards its business goals and objectives.

The main benefit of employing remote developers is, you can hire them globally based on talent, market expertise, industry, or cost. In fact, these are the four main parameters organizations are using to scale whether a candidate is a right fit for a remote role.

Talent

Just like any other industry, raw talent is invaluable in the software industry too. Be it coding, designing, testing, deployment, management, or any other skill relating to software development, there is always a high demand for talent that can make the implementation of projects fast, smoother, efficient, and trouble-free. One of the reasons why outsourcing development becomes popular is because of the non-availability of talent in an organization or even in particular geography and organizations as a supplier of software development services is forced to find talent to meet their clients’ expectations.

Usually, the best talents are found in developed and developing countries as they have better access to new technologies. Also, since the industry existed there for so long, the human resources in such countries have gained massive experience due to either being a part of the industry or working under an experienced organization or mentor. Exposure to different methodologies and working culture has helped them to become familiar with most of the challenges in the industry and it has boosted their creativity to find unique solutions to challenging problems.

Market expertise

Ever since globalization, the border between markets has narrowed and even faded away. However, there is still a demand for products and services that are tailored to fit a specific market. Developing such tailored solutions demand insight into the target market and what type of solution would be better suited for them. So, the demand for people who can understand the market, find the best possible solution and implement it in a way that meets the goals effectively arises. A demand such as this forces organizations to hire workers who are more familiar with the market even if that means hiring them remotely.

Cost

Cost is a bigger factor that’s in play when it comes to hiring developers. Hiring a developer internally and long term may increase the overall cost for an organization. They have to account for the cost of infrastructure, allowances like travel expenses and rent, etc. So many companies, especially the one that manages short-term projects prefer to hire developers remotely as they can be employed short-term until the project completes. Hiring developers remotely also allows them to hire from a large talent pool. Also, there are countries where the cost of living is less compared to other countries, and you can find developers who charge less from these countries.

Industry expertise

Just like market expertise, industry expertise is also an important factor when it comes to hiring remote developers. Since different industries have different problems that are unique to themselves, companies need developers who can think differently to address such problems in the most efficient way. For example, a solution targeting the logistics industry needs to address several issues like tracking, cost, the time needed to deliver items, pick up and schedule, space allocation, etc. However, developing an e-learning platform demands a different approach since it has at least no nil presence offline.

Why hire remote developers?

The main reasons to hire remote developers are productivity, the right talent, low investment, less legal work, and experienced candidates. Let’s discuss the reasons one by one.

Productivity

Remote working allows developers to work from an environment that enhances productivity. They can work from the comfort of their own home, or from their favorite coffee shop. Some companies do away with regular 9-5 schedules and employees are allowed to work during the time convenient to them. The only expectation is the compilation of work assigned to the employees. Due to these benefits the developers will be working with the comfort of mind, there are fewer chances for error, and the work will be completed faster as there will be fewer creativity roadblocks.

Courtesy: Great Place to Work

Right talent

As mentioned earlier, sometimes it is difficult to find the right talent locally. This is especially true for companies who work in niche markets or the ones from developing or underdeveloped countries. Since developed countries are spearheading technology innovation, they have enough talent who are already familiar with the latest technologies in the industries. They might also have people with decades of experience in an industry and it is most likely that the industry is pioneered by them.

Low investment

Remote developers work independently. They are less dependent on company infrastructure since they are working away from the official premises. So, companies who hire remote developers can save the cost of infrastructure and space and may be able to allocate the budget to find the right talent in the global market.

Quality

Hiring remote software developers is one of the ways to increase the quality of work for many companies. Since they are no longer restricted to limited geography to hire from, the large pool of talent available at the global level helps them hire skilled developers who also have experience in the industry and the market. Right skill along with optimal experience directly contribute to an increase in the quality of the work.

Less legal work

Hiring internally, especially from abroad, demands excessive paperwork. The process undergoes excessive legal scrutinization, making many companies think double while hiring globally. For example, when hiring a foreign nationalist as a regular employee there is a need for official documents like passport, background check, application of VISA and approval of the same, etc. As result, the overall cost increases as allocation of more resources are needed for the extensive documentation and the onboarding process will become longer since VISA approval takes time.

However, if you are hiring remote developers, you can avoid such hurdles without compromising on finding the right talent.

Availability

Being available to clients around the clock is one of the challenges faced by software companies. It becomes more of a challenge when their client base is spread across different time zones. So, companies are looking for a way to create multiple shifts with different rosters. This challenge also forced companies to hire from the same time zone as it will also help them with narrowing cultural and communication barriers with their clients and market.

Employee retention

Employees, especially millennials and gen Z, are moving towards a good work-life balance rather than job security and higher-paying jobs. Unlike previous generations, they are quick to change jobs and more likely to choose a job that gives them comfort in terms of quality of life and convenience. Most of them prefer remote jobs as it offers them an option to choose how they work and their working environment. According to this report by Gartner, “By 2020, organizations that support a “choose-your-own-work-style” culture will boost employee retention rates by more than 10%.“

Cost

Hiring remote developers is one of the best ways to reduce operational costs. Apart from the reasons like low infrastructure investment, no need to pay allowances like transport expenses, rent, etc., the availability of options to hire from countries where living expenses are less is another contributing factor to the reduced cost. Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Vietnam, and some east European countries can offer great talent at a reduced cost.

Daxx reports that hiring remote developers from India will cost you around $19–$40 per hour. Wherein if you are hiring from Eastern Europe the rate can be anywhere from $30-$65. However, you should consider the skills and experience of developers when evaluating the cost of hiring.

Challenges of hiring remote developers

Even though the benefits of hiring remote development teams are known to most organizations, they are hesitant to hire remotely due to many reasons. The challenges they are afraid to face are,

Tracking productivity

Many organizations are afraid that working remotely will make developers become less productive. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has already proven it wrong. In fact, reports like the one from Great Place to Work® show that working remotely improves productivity.

Communication

Another challenge they are afraid of facing is the communication barrier. Since software development involves collaboration between different teams and members, a gap in communication can increase the cost of development due to quality issues and fixes, and it can also extend completion time. However, if developers are using the right tools and methodologies, such worries are just imaginary. Apps like Asana and Slack, virtual meeting solutions like Google Meet and Zoom, and productivity suites like Google sheets and docs, etc make communication between teams, and between developers and clients, smooth and effective.

Time zone

The difference in time zones can become a potential challenge when it comes to remote hiring. However, it is more of a planning and communication failure than anything else. As mentioned above, with the right tools and methodologies, organizations can avoid emergency situations and employees will not have to worry about odd calls.

If you are still worried, here are a few tips on how to manage remote development teams.

How to hire remote developers?

You can use certain techniques and procedures to hire remote developers. This will allow you to hire the right people and avoid any trouble.

Define requirements

This is most important. To find the right developers, you first have to define your requirements clearly. Start with understanding the project and its requirements. Find what skills and levels of experience are required to meet the requirements. If you are totally new to the industry, you may need help from an experienced person to define the requirements.

Usually, the requirement listing starts with identifying the problem you are trying to solve and the features of the solutions you are trying to develop to solve the said problem. Then you must choose a platform that makes the development of such solutions easier and future-proof. Once the platform is confirmed, you can break down the features into a set of requirements and identify what level of skills and experience is required to build these features. This step may not be possible without choosing a platform as different platforms have different strengths and weaknesses, and each may follow different approaches and methodologies.

Once all these are well defined, you can look into the cost and timeline required to complete the projects. The quality of the solution can break or make how successful it will be in the market. So, cost and time should be considered as an elimination method rather than a primary requirement when it comes to software development.

Search for candidates

Start looking for eligible candidates and share requirements online and offline. You can share the details with your professional and personal circles and also create a list on the various job listing websites.

Another way to find talent for your requirement is to search the internet, especially B2B websites Clutch and GoodFirms, freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr, and also make use of your connections on LinkedIn.

Screening

Once you have a list of potential candidates for the job, start screening based on eligibility and the nature of the requirement.

You can check the candidates against various parameters like,

Expertise and experience

Check whether the candidate has the right skills and enough experience to do the job. He should be an expert in his field and also have a basic understanding of the technologies and methodologies that are going to be used for the development of the solution. Since software development requires an interdisciplinary approach, a lack of basic knowledge of the overall process may cause conflict during the development. Another point is to note that, while hiring the most experienced candidate may seem like the best approach, it will shoot up the cost unnecessarily. So, hire only for the required role.

Location

The location of the candidates has an impact on the development process as people from different geography may have different cultural backgrounds. It is always better to make sure that their values and ethos are aligned with that of your organization.

Even though you can give importance to time zone, it is not as important as we usually think as most remote developers are already prepared to work during the time the client prefers. In fact, some of them may be looking for remote jobs due to the flexibility it offers.

Cost

It is better to screen out candidates who are outside of your budget. Make it clear how much you are willing to pay them and negotiate if possible. But do not expect them to lower the price significantly. Keep in mind that you need someone who is eager to take up the job and complete it with the same enthusiasm.

Work set up

Even though as important as any other factors mentioned above, this one is usually neglected by hiring companies. Even if the candidates have eligible skill sets and experience, they will not be able to complete the required tasks without the right tools. If you are willing to pay for the setup they are going to use for your project, communicate it in the very beginning itself or even on the descriptions of your listing. There may be potential candidates who are not interested in applying for the position as they think the job demands a costly setup. Stating your willingness to pay for the cost may make more developers interested in the job.

Interview

Conduct a virtual interview with the selected candidates. Make sure that the interview is scheduled for a time they are also comfortable. If possible, give them the time required to understand your project and requirements. This will help you to weed out candidates who are not so serious in their approach.

During the interview, check their communication and technical skills. You can also discuss the challenges they faced during previous remote works, how they overcame them, and what are the challenges they are expecting to face during your projects. If it is required, you can also conduct a machine test along with the interview.

Contract

Once you have decided who fits for the remote job, make it formal by requesting them to sign a contract. The contract should clearly state the nature of the work, requirement, nature of employment, the pay and payment mode, and how the work will be delivered to you. The contract should also protect your intellectual property rights.

Conclusion

Hiring remote developers may be the right choice for many organizations. It will help them reduce costs and legal work and hire the right talent for the required job. The best thing is that hiring remote developers is not as difficult as many people think. The latest development in technology and communications has made it trouble-free and transparent.

If you are looking to hire remote developers, AlignMinds offers On-Demand Talent with a wide range of expertise and experience. To know more, contact us now.

October 25, 2022November 28, 2022

Offshore Development Teams and Cultural Conflicts: Insights and Remedies

Earlier it was difficult for people to communicate with their family members and friends when they were working in a foreign country. The family members have to wait for days to receive a letter and vice-versa. Now, the situation has drastically changed. The advancement in communication technology has resulted in more communication modes such as video calls, chats, and emails. And, it has made communication easier and efficient.

The advancements in communication have also transformed how businesses function. Every business tries to adapt and change according to the need of the hour. Startups or established businesses- both try to grow in a short span of time. In order to attain maximum growth, they need to adopt quality and efficiency and the “team” becomes a crucial component to achieve that.

Building the team

Interviews, training, onboarding-everything of the hiring process consumes time and money.

But it is now possible to hire a team who is fully equipped with the required skill set and knowledge. Also advancements in communications and technology have helped businesses to hire an exceptional team from any part of the globe. This type of hiring, known as ‘offshoring’, is considered the best way to develop a quality product at a low cost.

According to Forbes, offshoring “ does not only relate to the production of physical goods, but also services. The Indian IT industry, for instance, has been powered by waves of offshoring by technological companies in the West.”

The following graph shows the total contract value of the information technology outsourcing (ITO) market worldwide from 2000 to 2019.

Source: Statista.com

From the above graph, we can see that, even though there was a dip in the contract value in the year 2016, it has bounced back in the year 2017 and remained almost consistent in recent years. With a value of around 60 billion US dollar, the outsourcing industry is one of the key industries in the world. It has helped in boosting the employment generation and income level in the east while the west was able to cut down their operating cost.

The reason for hiring offshore developers may vary according to the businesses goal. It can be done to gain greater global scalability, for cutting the development cost or to develop a quality product.

Source: Outsourcing-outlook.com

What is an offshore development team?

As mentioned earlier, hiring offshore developers is a type of outsourcing where a business hires a development team from another country. Companies hire offshore development teams with different aims such as web development, mobile app development etc.

Hiring offshore developers can be broadly classified into two. You can

Hire offshore development agencies: You outsource a whole project to an agency abroad. They will take care of every aspect of the project and hand you over the final product.
Hire dedicated offshore developers: You hire an individual player to an existing team under your wing. They fill specific roles that are crucial for the implementation and completion of a project like design, coding, testing etc.

What are dedicated offshore developers?

Dedicated offshore developers are a team of professionals from another country who you hire to work for your project. A good team of dedicated offshore developers will work solely on your project and will deliver the project on time.

Hiring dedicated offshore developers will help you greatly in cost-cutting strategies. There is no need to spend on office space and other perks such as health insurance and salary hike. You only need to pay for the service they offer.

Dedicated offshore developers are the apt choice for a project that does not have a fixed framework. Dedicated offshore developers are equipped with the required skill set. So it is easy for them to adapt to the random changes in the parameters of the project.

Pros of hiring offshore development teams

Low development cost

Developing countries have a lower cost of living than a developed country. It reduces the cost of hiring offshore developers from these countries. India is a popular destination for hiring offshore development teams.

No training needed

An offshore development team does not need any training. They are equipped with every skill which enables them to start the work immediately. Or if put it in another way, you can hire a team based on the required skill and expertise.

Shared responsibility

When you outsource to an offshore development team, both you and the offshoring team have a shared responsibility. If the project does not end up as planned, some offshoring companies also provide a partial refund.

Working infrastructure and latest technologies

Offshore development teams are already equipped with all working infrastructure facilities. They also work with the latest technologies and have a better understanding of the competition in the field. You can use their expertise and technological advancement to the advantage of your business.

Cost-effective business scalability

When you hire an offshore development team, it can help you to scale your business in a cost effective way. It is a low-risk growth approach to expand your business.

Helps to concentrate on core areas of the business

Offshore development team comes with a better manageable workforce. So, when you hire an offshore development team, you will get more time to focus on other core areas of the business. A good offshore development team will also make sure that your project will be completed within the budget and timeline which was agreed upon.

Easily increase and decrease the size of the team

You can easily remove and add team members when you hire an established offshore development team. You will also save time on interviews and the process of onboarding.

Cons of hiring offshore development teams and remedies

Communication issues

Time zone differences make it difficult to communicate with the offshore software development teams. Monitoring the activities of an offshore software development team is also a problem. You may not be available or there will be some network issues that can happen when the project manager tries to communicate with you on some serious problems.

Remedies

Foster a good rapport with the team. You should communicate with them regularly through video or voice calls. If time permits you can go and meet your offshore development team at their place.
Setting up a dedicated chat room for proper communication between your project manager and offshore software development team is a good strategy. When there is a constant transmission of ideas, the scope of flaws in communication can be reduced to a certain extent. There is no need to regularly spend time interacting with the offshore software development team if there is a dedicated chat facility.

Data security issues

While hiring an offshore development team, data security is the most common problem faced by the clients. If you didn’t have a correct background check on the offshore development team, it might lead to information leak.

Remedies

Check if the offshore developers are following strong security policies. As most information leak happens through the internet, allow only necessary internet interactions.
A best offshore company encrypts and stores the given data. Before hiring an offshore software development team, you should ensure that they follow proper data encryption protocols.
A regular risk assessment carried out from your side will minimise the risk of a data breach. You can also ask your offshore development team to conduct random checks.
Regular scanning of the network for vulnerabilities and security issues will help in minimising the risk of a data breach. You can also ask the team members to not bring any data storage devices to work.

Management issues

It is easy to manage an in-house team as every one is available in the same workspace. Some may find it difficult to manage a team of offshore developers.

Remedies

You can send one of your trusted employees to oversee the work of your dedicated offshore developers. It might incur extra charges for you but, it is a good option if your project takes only a month or two for completion.
You can also seek help from a team member and ask him/her to write a detailed daily work report. You can regularly schedule conference calls with the offshore developers and convey your ideas to them.

Issues relating to cultural differences

Cultural differences might reflect on the quality of work. The developers from different countries have the same technical skills but different cultural backgrounds.

Remedies

Prior to the start of the work, you can have a conference call with the offshoring team and can discuss working standards that both can agree upon.
You can make sure that every member of your dedicated development team understands and speaks English or any other common language.
You can invite your offshore developers to your office events. This will help to understand them better.

Geopolitical issues

Since your offshoring development team is from another country, geopolitical situations of the country can affect the work. Geopolitical issues include terrorist attacks, wars between nations etc.

Remedies

You should always have a contingency plan when you hire offshore development teams so that you can take necessary steps if something goes wrong. A good awareness about the geopolitical situations in the country where your team is located is an absolute must.

Where to look for an offshore development team?

When you are looking for offshore development teams prefer a location that is having similar cultures as your homeland. The best offshore developers are found in Asia and Eastern Europe due to their affordable rates and good communication skills. In Asia, India and in Eastern Europe, Ukraine is a popular destination for hiring the best offshore developers.

You can search popular directories such as Clutch, ITFirms, GoodFirms etc. to find offshore developers who are having the required skill set according to your needs. When you search on these platforms you will get the reviews of the past clients and choose the best offshore developers among them.

You can also seek help from consultants who can connect you with the best offshore developers out there. They can be a mediator and help you in making negotiations on the rates.

How to hire an offshore development team more effectively?

When you are looking for offshore development teams you should check some factors. You should have a good understanding of your project and its expected outcomes. You need to communicate important details like number of members you need, skill level, and expected date of project delivery etc. to the offshore development team.

Hire a team of offshore developers who are committed to delivering quality work. If you are choosing dedicated offshore developers, always double-check for reliability and experience.
A complex project may take years to complete depending on the workforce. So it is advisable to hire offshore development teams who not only understand your current requirements but also the future needs as well.
Shortlisting countries that have the best price/quality ratio is an important part of hiring. You can get a quality product at a reasonable price when you hire the right offshore developers.
The communication process is the most important part of hiring an offshore development team. So hiring a team of offshore developers who can interact with you without any flaws is an essential requirement.
Always have a deep-check on the data protection norms of the country before hiring an offshore development team.
You should choose an offshore development team who respects and has clear specifications about intellectual property rights.

The following graph shows the leading countries in offshore business services.

Source: Statista.com

Managing offshore development team

Managing offshore development teams is as easy as handling an in-house team if you know how to handle the communication gap between two time zones. Some of the things that should be kept in mind while managing offshore development team are as follows:

Always check that the offshore development team is having the same business mindset as yours. Ensure that the cultural differences do not lead to any challenges in product development.
At the start of the project itself, make the offshore development team understand the values put forward by your business. Managing offshore development teams becomes easier when the offshore development team understands the values and objective of your business.
If you think that cultural differences will pose some issues in the development, you can hire offshore development teams from a country that possess similar cultural standards as yours. Managing offshore development teams are easy when the cultural standards of both sides are similar.
Managing offshore development teams becomes difficult when there is less communication or there is a language barrier. You should hold meetings regularly with your offshoring software development team. It helps to avoid misunderstandings and moreover, it gives good control over the team.
Always dedicate some time to listen to the offshore developers. They have years of experience and worked for many clients on a global level. They can help you in brainstorming ideas that may help your business to grow beyond boundaries.

Hiring an offshore development team is not a simple task. But it offers more advantages than having an in-house team. When the concept of offshoring is fully understood and when the offshoring team works in sync with the ideas put forward by you it helps in the smooth development of a quality product.

AlignMinds Technologies is an award-winning mobile app development company with a decade of success stories. We offer digital product engineering services that include strategy and design, web and mobile app development, DevOps and cybersecurity. We can help your businesses to get an edge in the competition through innovative solutions. Contact us now!

October 25, 2022November 28, 2022

Hiring Mobile App Developer: Things to Consider Before Planning Your Perfect App

The internet has become a crucial part of our lives.

Today, there are 3.5 billion mobile users worldwide. The transition of feature phones into smartphones during the past years has led to higher internet usage. There are many surveys that show an insight into higher mobile usage compared to preceding years.

The following graph forecasts an increase in smartphone users by the year 2025 in India.

Courtesy: Statista.com

People mostly use smartphones for games, business and education along with communication. On average, a user in India spends about 4.3 hours on a smartphone daily.

This recent trend has led to the development of various mobile apps in many genres. Here is where a business firm thinks twice before developing an app. They find finding a good mobile app developer is rather hard.

Most businesses start planning a mobile app by looking into the interests of the user. The next phase usually involves hiring mobile app developers.

The future of the mobile app depends on whether you were able to hire the best mobile app developer and how much expertise he/she had in the field working on similar solutions.

Hiring a mobile app developer is not a troublesome task if you know how to approach it. Consider these points before hiring a mobile app developer.

How to hire a mobile application developer?
Which is better: freelance app developer, app development company or dedicated app development team?
The best place on the internet to hire a mobile app developer
Developing a mobile app: in-house developing team or offshore development team?
How much does it cost to hire a mobile app developer?

Let’s discuss these points in detail.

How to hire a mobile app developer?

As the number of apps launched on different platforms is increasing day by day, your app should have its own strong points. To ensure that your app stands out from the rest of the apps in the market, you should hire mobile app developers who are exceptional in their field of work.

How to hire a mobile app developer for your next project?

Usually, this is the first question that comes to the mind of anyone who is looking to develop a mobile app.

To hire mobile app developers, begin your search using the internet. You can also ask for help from your contacts from the industry. After finding the most experienced and the most reputed team of mobile app developers, compare the price range.

An analysis and comparison of the projects accomplished in the past will help in hiring the right mobile app developer for your project. The best way is to hire mobile app developers who have received awards and certifications.

Looking into the expertise in multiple fields of app development and search based on reviews by earlier customers will help you to hire mobile app developers who are exceptional in planning and developing a mobile app.

There are three types of mobile app developers.

This includes freelance mobile app developer, mobile app development company and dedicated app development team.

Which one is better?

Let’s analyse the pros and cons of hiring freelance mobile app developers, mobile app development company and dedicated app development team.

Hiring app development company vs freelancer vs a dedicated app development team

When it comes to finding a developer for your next mobile app, you usually have three options.

Hire a mobile app development company
Hire a freelance mobile app developer
Hire a dedicated team of mobile app developers

There are many mobile app development companies that offer exceptional development services. There are also fraudsters who take advantage of posing as a great mobile app development company, thus draining all your money.

Hiring mobile app development companies helps you in hiring staff with more skill, experience and expertise as they are appointed after an initial screening or tests. The mobile app development companies assist you in the full development of the app including testing and app deployment. A mobile app development company will also offer you a more professional approach and support.

There are also some disadvantages to hiring a mobile app development company. Communication barrier is one of the cons of hiring a mobile app development company. As you cannot interact directly with the team of developers, accessibility to the workflow is less. Rate of hiring mobile app development companies is higher if you are looking for developing a budget-friendly app.

A Freelance mobile app developer is a good option for startups. But hiring a freelance mobile app developer is not a good choice in the long run. The main disadvantage is he/she will have less exposure to new technologies and less expertise compared to app development companies. Also, a freelancer may not know all the aspects of mobile app development.

While hiring a dedicated app development team, one should look into the quality and commitment provided by the team.

Let’s take a closer look at each aspect of hiring a mobile app development company, freelance mobile developer and a dedicated app development team.

Hire mobile app development company

Mobile apps are now an unavoidable part of every business.

There are a lot of mobile app development companies that offer good services. But one should hire a mobile app development company, that is the best to succeed in the competition.

Before hiring a mobile app development company, you should have a thorough background check on the firm. This helps in knowing the track record of the app developer company.

Checking similar apps developed by the mobile app development company helps in knowing their expertise in the field and involvement in the project. This also helps in knowing the feedback and ratings from the users.

To hire mobile app developers, who are the best, you should emphasize on communication. Hire mobile app development company that briefs project updates on a daily or weekly basis. A good mobile app development company will arrange a project manager to communicate with the client on project updates.

Timely completion of the project is another important part of hiring mobile app developers. A right-minded mobile app development company respects project deadlines and will complete the project promptly.

To hire a mobile app development company offering the best work, a look into the data security norms will help you in choosing the right one. The mobile app development company should have strict laws on data security. Hiring app development companies without a single incident of a data breach is an added benefit.

The mobile app development company should have developers who are proficient in a variety of platforms such as Android and iOS. The firm should also have the best UI/UX team of designers. Choose the right one with unique creative skills.

Before hiring a mobile app development company, the client should have a detailed analysis of the commitment of the firm. You can contact past clients to get a detailed work review of the mobile app development company. Hiring a mobile app development company that supports the client in the entire process of planning and development including the launch of the mobile app is an admirable point to consider.

Hiring mobile app developers who give proper support and maintenance after the launch of the app is also an important part of this process.

Hire freelance mobile app developer

Hiring freelance mobile app developers is a tricky task.

There are many sites which offer help in hiring freelance mobile app developers. Top sites include DevTeam.Space, Upwork, Hired etc. Also, job portals like Jooble help you post vacancies for mobile app developers on their platforms and find the right talent.

Keep these points in mind before hiring freelance mobile app developers.

Request to present a portfolio of earlier works to know the skill level before hiring a freelancer.
There are people out there pretending to be a qualified mobile app developer, but in reality, he/she may be a fresher in the field. Only hire freelance mobile app developers after an initial screening.
Hire a freelance mobile app developer who is established rather than freshers. This will help you in securing fail-proof work.
Hire a freelance mobile app developer who is brilliant in mobile app planning, development and execution of ideas.
Hire a freelance mobile app developer who is trustworthy and works according to the needs of the client.
Hire mobile app developers who are flexible in their working hours.
Look out for good communication skills before hiring freelance mobile app developers.
Hire a freelance mobile app developer only after discussing the price and project deadlines. Some freelance mobile app developers work on different projects at the same time. This may increase the time for project completion.
Country of origin is another factor to look out for. Surveys suggest that some countries such as the USA and India have the highest number of android app developers in the year 2018. Rates also differ from one country to another while hiring a freelance mobile app developer.
Online interactions are another important part of hiring freelance mobile app developers. Identify the best freelancer available with the criteria set by you.
You can also choose between a group of freelancers or an individual according to the complexity of the project.
Conduct a thorough online and offline research before hiring a freelance mobile app developer to minimise risks such as data breach.

Hire dedicated mobile app development team

While hiring a dedicated mobile app development team, there is no need to set up a workspace as every necessary element is set up already. Give preferences to the dedicated app development team which has the most modern tech and innovations.

Hiring a dedicated mobile app development team who have the necessary skills to develop engaging digital solutions for the customers will help in getting positive feedback. The dedicated mobile app development team should consist of multi-talented individuals. The client should also have full control of the team.

Hire dedicated mobile app development team only if they have the proper infrastructure facilities which support uninterrupted internet, power supply and access to the latest technologies.

Hiring a dedicated mobile app development team can help in minimizing the risk involved in data security as you are in direct control of the team. Direct communication and involvement are other features of hiring dedicated app development teams. You should also make sure that strong encryption data protocols are followed before hiring a dedicated mobile app development team.

If you are looking for cost-cutting strategies while developing an app, you can definitely hire a dedicated mobile app development team. But you should ensure that it does not compromise the quality of the work and you have the resources and expertise to manage the team.
Hiring a dedicated mobile app development team will help you in getting a workforce that is better than hiring freelancers.
Consider experience and flexible hours of work while hiring from a different timezone.
Hiring a dedicated mobile app development team also helps you in analysing the skill set of each individual in the team. If anyone is not up to the mark, you can immediately have a replacement.
You can also hire a dedicated mobile app development team on an hourly/ weekly/ or monthly basis.

If you do not want to compromise on the quality of the product, you can hire a mobile app development company.

If you are just starting a business and need a mobile app for better reach, then hire a freelance mobile developer.

If you are looking for a minimum cost and best quality, hire a dedicated mobile app development team.

The next step of the hiring process involves finding the best place to hire a mobile app developer.

Let’s have a closer look.

The best place to hire mobile app developer

The best place to hire mobile app developers, of course, is through the internet. A thorough search on the internet helps you to hire a mobile app developer who is an expert in the field.

Search platforms such as google help in finding the best place to hire a mobile app developer. There are also B2B directories such as Clutch, AppFutura, TopDevelopers, GoodFirms which helps you to hire a mobile app developer.

Only hire mobile app developers from reliable sources such as mentioned above. Websites offering full details such as company profile, past work portfolio, reviews and ratings from past clients along with contact number and address is a reliable one.

Hire mobile app developer only and only if he/she understands and meets the requirements furnished by you. You can also search sites offering professional assistance which helps to hire mobile app developers from the best circle.

If you hire a mobile app developer using the internet, please double-check for reliability and quality.

You can opt for hiring an in-house development team or offshore development team for developing a mobile app.

Now, what is in-house mobile app development and offshore mobile app development?

Let’s have a closer look.

Developing a mobile app: in-house development team or offshore development team?

Hiring offshore mobile app developer

Offshore mobile app development in simple words is outsourcing mobile app development to other companies. Nearshore and onshore are terms associated with offshore mobile app development. It is based on the geographical location of the mobile app development company you are outsourcing with.

Nearshore mobile app developers are those from neighbouring countries. Onshore mobile app developers are the developers located in the same country as you.

Offshore mobile app developers are those from different countries mostly far away from your nation.

Hiring an offshore mobile app developer is one of the most feasible choices. The majority of the offshore mobile app development companies offer high-quality work at an affordable rate. Since they will be mostly from a different part of the world, they might have a different perspective in creating better solutions and add more value to the project you are planning.

Hiring an offshore mobile app developer helps you in cutting your cost as you do not need to hire mobile app developers including other staff and also do not need to spend on infrastructure.

Offshore mobile app developers have expertise in different areas of work so adding new elements to the project that was not discussed before is easy. There are also no problems when a staff resigns, as there will be a replacement.

Different nations have different economic structures. A good understanding of the currency differences helps you in developing a mobile app at the lowest cost. For example, if an American offshore mobile app developer can develop an app for around $100,000; a mobile app developer from India can develop the app for approximately $4000 which is due to the currency conversion rate and cost of living. Reduction in time and budget is the greatest advantage of hiring offshore mobile app developers.

There is a risk of piracy and copying codes in hiring an offshore mobile app developer. You should take extra care while hiring an offshore mobile app developer.

Hiring famous and established mobile app developers can help you in developing your perfect app and reducing risks. According to some surveys, India is one of the best countries to hire an offshore mobile app developer.

Now, what is an in-house developing team?

Hiring in-house development team

If you already have a team of developers who is part of your organisation, the team is called an in-house development team. There are many advantages and disadvantages while depending on in-house development teams.

You are in direct control of an in-house development team. There may be no language and cultural barrier as the employees have already adapted to the work culture of your organisation. You can have a deep involvement with the development of the project when you have an in-house development team.

You can communicate directly with the team and execute your ideas much more easily. The development process of the app is closely watched and evaluated by you. This helps in avoiding and rectifying errors as early as possible.

Sufficient training given to the team ensures that every member meets the requirements. There is also a very low risk of a data breach as you are directly involved in the project.

There are also some disadvantages of relying on an in-house development team for your app development.

The first one is the cost of creating an in-house development team. The cost of setting up a workspace and the necessary infrastructure is costlier compared to hiring an offshore development team.

To hire mobile app developers with the right talent, a lot of time and investment are needed. You would also want to pay allowances and bonuses on special occasions to the employees which will increase the cost of owning an in-house app development team.

Hiring staff and giving them necessary training will increase the time of mobile app development. Everyone in the team will not have the required expertise in the field. Training given to such employees will further increase the time of project completion or indirectly affect the cost.

According to the complexity of the app, the number of staff and infrastructure requirements may also increase. When a staff resigns, filling the position is a difficult task. This further increases the cost and time needed for completing the development of the app.

In the long run, hiring an in-house development team is a good choice. But if you want to consistently reduce costs and develop an app in a short time period, hiring an offshore development company is the best option.

How much does it cost to hire a mobile app developer?

Let’s assess this question in detail and find out how various steps of app development associates with the cost.

Every business is turning into developing mobile apps to widen their horizon. To plan, develop, and execute a perfect app, you should hire a mobile app developer who is a specialist in the field. The main thing to consider here is the cost to hire a mobile app developer.

There are mainly three factors that affect the cost of hiring a mobile app developer.

Mobile technology/platform
Location of the mobile app developer
App complexity

Mobile technology/platform

There are mainly three types of mobile applications.

This includes native, hybrid, and cross-platform mobile apps. To understand how much it costs to hire mobile app developers, let’s analyse these mobile apps in detail.

Courtesy: Clutch.co

The first one is the native mobile app. Developed for a particular platform, native apps maximise functionality and user experience. Developing native apps is more expensive than developing apps in the other two categories. Cross-platform apps are designed using JavaScript.

Cross-Platforms are useful for those looking for compatibility in various platforms. The cost of developing cross-platform mobile apps are less compared to native apps. Cross-platform apps offer limited functionality.

Native apps and cross-platform apps are combined with the help of CSS, HTML, or other web tech to develop hybrid apps. The main benefit of using hybrid apps is that it works on any platforms with slightly modified codes. The cost of developing a hybrid app is lower compared to native and cross-platform apps. As this is a new category of app, troubleshooting options are minimum compared to other categories.

If budget is not a problem and if you want to provide maximum user experience, go for native apps. Also use this category, if the app is having a complex structure.

To be compatible with various platforms and to gain a wide market, use cross-platform apps.

If yours is a startup company and is looking for a low budget app, hybrid apps will be your best bet.

Location of the mobile app developer

The next factor that determines the mobile app development cost is the location of the developer. Mobile app developers from the USA, Canada, Australia charge the highest rate. Whereas India, Ukraine, South East Asia charges the lowest rate to develop a mobile app.

Courtesy: Goodfirms.co

App complexity

Another factor that determines the mobile app development cost is the app complexity. To develop a complex app you need to hire a mobile app developer who has the required expertise in the field of work. The cost of hiring experienced mobile app developers is higher than that of hiring a fresher.

App design and security, user experience are other factors determining the cost of mobile app development. User experience defines the success of a mobile app. A good app design helps in providing good user experience. Thus a good amount of money spent on the design helps you to get positive feedback from users. As an important feature, a significant part of the budget goes into strengthening the security of the app.

App deployment, maintenance, and updates are other factors that determine the cost of developing an app.

Time is also a factor determining the cost of development of a mobile app. If you want to launch an app very soon, then you need to hire more staff along with the necessary infrastructure to speed up the process.

How much does it cost to hire a mobile app developer?

Based on GoodFirms survey, the average cost of hiring a mobile app developer is as follows:

Choosing a perfect mobile app development company helps in planning the perfect app. Hiring mobile app developers who have the experience and expertise in each and every stage of mobile app development helps you in establishing a successful mobile app.

AlignMinds Technologies is an award-winning app development company with a decade of success stories. We can help your businesses to get an edge in the competition and bring more glory and revenue through innovative solutions. Contact us now!