Developing a mobile app is complex, so hiring the right app developers is imperative. You may already have an in-house development team, but if not, outsourcing is an excellent alternative with several benefits.
If you’re considering outsourcing a development team, this article is for you. Keep reading to discover how to outsource app development properly in 2022, and join the 68% of US businesses already doing so.
Table of Contents
What Is Outsourcing?
Mobile app development outsourcing is the practice of hiring a third party to build software for your business. Outsourcing is a widely used business strategy that saves in-house labor, time, and money. It is an effective way to create high-functioning applications without the need for an in-house development team.
What Can You Outsource?
Outsourcing covers a wide range of different mobile app development services. As well as full-cycle app development packages as offered by Idea Maker, this includes:
- Programming
- UI/UX Concept Design
- Tech Consulting
- Software Architecture Solutions
- Software Testing
Benefits of Outsourcing Development
You may already have an in-house development team or are considering employing one. Though this comes with the benefit of working with a team handpicked by your business, it also has some glaring problems solved by outsourcing a development team. So, what do you get with an outsourced development team that you don’t with in-house?
Enjoy Developer Expertise
Outsourcing a specialist development company means hiring industry experts with excellent knowledge of creating mobile apps. Your in-house team may be skilled workers, but they likely have several gaps in their mobile app development knowledge. Depending on the outsourcing model you choose, an outsourced development team can fill in the gaps or create entire apps themselves.
Access More Resources
When you outsource mobile app development agencies, you get access to their tech stack and versatile range of developer resources. Providing these resources to an in-house team can be costly and time-consuming when considering hardware installation. As a result, when outsourcing, you avoid the cost of updating your business’s hardware and development assets, as well as over-stretching your workforce.
Fast Development Time
Outsourcing a development company to build a mobile application leads to a much faster project completion time than with an in-house team. This is because an outsourced team can dedicate certain developers and resources to one project at a time, whereas an in-house team has to consider other operations and IT maintenance.
Short-Term Employment Commitment
To develop an app in-house, you’ll need to fully employ several software developers, each starting at a minimum of $62,379 a year. Using multiple developers over several years will be extremely costly. With an outsourced development team, you can hire them on a short-term, project-by-project basis, making outsourcing a cost-effective option.
Things to Consider Before Hiring
Before you outsource an app development company, there are several things you need to consider. These factors will help your choose the right outsourcing company for your project.
Offshore Vs. Onshore
When outsourcing, you’ll likely come across several offshore developers advertising low-cost development. Offshore developers often promise more than they can deliver, which you can learn more about in Idea Maker’s guide to the perils of offshore development.
When you outsource mobile app development, your best bet is to choose an onshore developer. Onshore developers are bound by local laws and regulations, are available to provide post-release support, and offer cost-effective solutions that don’t cut corners on quality.
Independent Vs. Development Company
You’ll need to decide whether you want to hire an independent freelance developer or an app development agency like Idea Maker. An independent mobile app developer is usually cheaper than an agency but at the cost of quality. This is because they have to be a jack-of-all-trades, unable to specialize their development process due to being only one person.
By contrast, outsourcing a development company means you get access to a pool of talented developers, each with specialist expertise. As a result, development time is not only faster but more focused and high-quality. You can learn more about the benefits of hiring a development company in the Idea Maker guide to finding the perfect app developer.
App Development Outsourcing Models
It’s essential to choose an outsourcing model, you and the development team will work to before taking outsourced app development services. This will affect how you work with the developers and the delivery of your mobile application.
Project-Based
The project-based outsourcing model involves handing off almost all aspects of app development to the outsourced team. According to your design specifications, the developers take responsibility for creating the app from start to finish. Though you’ll have regular communication with the developers, you will have little control over the development process.
The project-based model is advantageous if you’ve designed a mobile app that is unlikely to change; that way, the outsourced team can be left to manage the development process themselves. Project-based is a good choice if you have little time to organize a new project or group of people and have limited in-house development resources.
Staff Leasing
As the name suggests, staff leasing is where the outsourced development agency lends you a team of developers based on your needs and their skills. The specialized team reports to and is managed directly by you. This model can be costly, as the development costs are based on each team member’s salaries plus an additional administration fee.
The staff leasing outsourcing model is excellent if you require constant communication with the development team. As you’ll be working directly with the developers, any changes to your mobile app can be handled right away, making this the most adjustable model. However, in some instances, finding the right software development specialists can take some time, lengthening the project.
Time & Material
The time and material model is a flexible agreement that offers a pay-as-you-go type outsourcing deal. With this outsourcing model, development is paid for by billable hours based on the features delivered. You only pay for work completed at agreed-upon milestones throughout the development process.
As a result, the time and material model is best suited to a long-term project that may require future alterations. If choosing to employ this outsourcing model, you must be prepared to be involved with development at a managerial level. This is due to the regular communication and organization the development team will need to keep up with any desired changes.
Fixed-Price
With a fixed-price outsourcing model, developers work to a strict time frame to deliver your app by an agreed-upon deadline. This model demands finely planned app requirements that are unlikely to change throughout development. These robust requirements and time frames enable a fixed fee for the entire development project.
The fixed-price outsourcing model is excellent if you have a detailed plan for your app’s required features. However, if you do decide to make changes to your app, this would require a renegotiation of fees and a revaluation of the project’s scope, slowing the development process.
On the other hand, if you make no changes to your app, the fixed-price model is an excellent way to ensure your developers are accountable for their work. If the developers want to ensure the project is cost and resource-effective on their part, they will work hard to complete the project within the outlined timeframe.
What To Look For In A Developer
Now that you have a decent grasp of what outsourcing app development entails, you need to understand how a first-rate developer looks. You can learn more about what to look for when hiring a mobile app development company in Idea Maker’s helpful guide.
Portfolio
When looking to outsource a mobile app developer, it’s helpful to look at their portfolio of work. This will let you examine their expertise and see if they are appropriate for your needs. For example, if they have limited experience developing apps in your industry, they may not be the right developer for your project.
Researching a developer’s portfolio also allows you to investigate past customer testimonials. As a result, you can assess the quality of the developer’s work and their customer service abilities. If a developer has no testimonials listed, you’ll want to investigate them further through websites such as Clutch, which provides verified and trusted reviews.
Cost of Development
When choosing a mobile app developer, it’s crucial to ensure their package costs align with your budget; otherwise, you could run into financial trouble later on down the road. Some developers will have their hourly rates listed on their website, but it’s best to contact them for an exact quote.
Project costs may seem high in many cases, but you’re paying for quality. Any mobile app development company or developer that sells its services cheaply is probably not worth your time. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Do They Have Clearly Defined Procedures?
It’s essential to work with a firm that understands what they’re doing. It may sound obvious, but not all development companies have a well-defined process. At Idea Maker, we have a seven-step development procedure to ensure our development process is high-quality and transparent.
From the developers’ standpoint, having a well-defined procedure allows for improved project management. It means the development team can make a precise production plan and roadmap to completion without making obvious mistakes. This leads to a streamlined process that meets your expectations.
Post-Release Support Options
It’s critical to choose a firm that can support your application after it goes live, as all mobile apps eventually run into bugs. If no one is available to fix these errors, you’ll be left with a defective app and unhappy users. The chosen app development firm must be capable of offering post-release support.
Many app developers claim to offer post-launch support but fail to deliver on their promises. You can determine whether they genuinely provide post-release maintenance by examining their portfolio and downloading their live applications. This way, you can see if their apps are still working correctly after release.
Where to Find App Developers
Upwork
The Upwork review system is one of the most effective in the industry, enabling you to distinguish between high and low-quality developers easily. However, a large portion of Upworks’ talent is located overseas, which causes several major development problems. What’s more, Upwork has few people management tools, meaning you’ll need to be heavily involved with developer organization and scheduling.
TopTal
TopTal is home to some of the most technically sophisticated mobile app developers in the industry. Unfortunately, there have been several cases of developers abandoning projects due to poor customer service procedures. Fortunately, Idea Maker preserved one such project and brought it to a high-quality conclusion.
Go Direct
To discover a fantastic developer, your best bet is to search Google for ‘mobile app developers near me.’ This will show you the top-rated mobile app developers in your region and their contact information and web links. Idea Maker will almost certainly be among the top results if you live in Orange County, California.
Summary
After reading this article, you should have a clear understanding of the following:
- What outsourcing is
- What you can outsource
- The benefits of outsourcing mobile app development
- Things to consider before outsourcing
- Outsourcing models
- What to look for in an outsourced developer
- Where to find app developers
You’re now ready to outsource app development properly in 2022.
Outsource App Development with Idea Maker
Are you looking to outsource your app development project to a team of experienced developers? Look no further than Idea Maker. Here at Idea maker, we have a team of mobile app development specialists ready to make your vision a reality.
Schedule a free consultation with us today to learn more.
