Let’s be honest, not all software development projects have a good chance of success; regardless where the project is sourced. If you are new to offshore outsourcing or software development project management in general, I suggest small, non-critical projects to start. Try a logo design or adding a contact form to your website. The money is well spent in gaining the experience.
As a small business owner, I’ve had best success with web development projects with a deadline less than 5 weeks. The overall project might be much longer than 5 weeks, but the project is segmented with tighter deadlines. In other words, portions of the same project are broken into separate mini-projects. Shorter projects are easier to define and this is critical in offshore software development. Put as much as possible up front in defining the project.
Project Definition
It is possible to start building a house with a blueprint only 80% complete. Yes, it’s possible to finish the 20% design and expectations in the middle of the project, but the chances of success are minimized. Right!? I’m not in the house building business, but I make the analogy to software development because more often than not, software development projects start when the blueprint is 80% complete.
Put the most upfront work as possible to create the blueprint. Reference other sites if possible. It will make choosing the service provider and managing the project much easier.
Here are examples to illustrate project definition on a outsource marketplace like Elance, RentACoder, oDesk, Outsource Marketpace Reviews, etc.:
Horrible:
“Simple E-Commerce Project�? – This project should be simple for a PHP guru. A quick update to my shopping cart is all I need. (Not only is this non-descriptive, it is disrespectful to any programmer. Yet, a quick look at open projects on RentACoder, oDesk, etc. will show numerous projects described this way. Do not attempt to negotiate price by telling someone the project is simple. Focus on defining the project.)
Much Better:
“E-commerce catalog update�? – E-commerce project using osCommerce. Requires a new product attribute added to the admin tool and displayed to the shopping public.
Best:
“E-commerce catalog update�? – I have an existing website using osCommerce version 2.0. Requires a new product attribute added to the admin tool and displayed to the shopping public. I’ll provide all current code/ backup of database or remote access to the server. This update is exactly like the custom product attribute called “edge color�? found on http://www.ecommercesite.com/example/product1.
Milestones
Most outsource marketplaces offer some kind of project deadline functionality. Obviously, a successful project involves both production and delivery. Delivery needs to be on time. In addition to one overall project deadline, I’ve found it beneficial to augment the project deadline with various milestones for the project. (If you can’t think of milestones, ask the bidders to offer milestones; which further demonstrates their communication abilities as well.) By establishing milestones, you create an early warning system to notify you of potential problems. An example of a milestone: “on or before day 6 of the project start date, I need to review the checkout page�?
Conclusion
One critical factor in realizing savings in offshore software development is the project definition. Project definition depends on you and your team. Do not expect to determine areas of the project during the construction phase. Rather, break the overall project into portions. Significant cost savings can be achieved with offshore developers when a project is well defined.
Related posts:
- Using Open Source in Offshore Software Development
- Know the Importance of Processes While Outsourcing Your Projects
- Open Source and Offshore Development
- Tools to Help Manage Offshore Software Development
- Offshore Software Development Dynamics
There are no comments yet