An offshore software development team is a group of software developers and IT professionals who work outside their client’s home country. Companies usually hire offshore teams to work on specific projects, tasks, or ongoing support and maintenance activities.
An offshore team works exclusively for one client. Because they don’t work for multiple clients at the same time, they can focus their attention and commit to one client’s needs. On top of that, their client gains all the usual benefits associated with hiring offshore software development teams.
Offshore teams are often engaged in long-term projects. They become an extension of your in-house team and work closely with you to meet project goals and objectives. If that sounds like something you could benefit from, here’s what you need to know about hiring an offshore team.
Why consider an offshore software dev team?
There are many reasons to choose an offshore development team. Here are some of the main reasons to take this approach to software development:
How do you set up an offshore software dev team?
At Proshore, we take a 3-phase approach to setting up your offshore team. Here’s how it works:
Book a discovery call with Jeroen, our Co-Founder
Spend 15 minutes with our Co-Founder and outsourcing expert, sharing about your business and goals.
Get a customized plan that addresses your challenges
Jeroen and the team analyse your challenges to come up with a customized plan and proposal based on what you need.
Meet your new team
Your plan covers setting up team roles and tasks. Babish, our CTO, assembles the best team available from our talent pool and shares it with you for approval.
2-month trial period
Test your team’s output during a 60-day trial period. Not happy with someone? We work with you to replace them at no extra cost.
Expand or scale down
Add new talent to your team or scale down based on your goals and roadmap. No recruiting, hiring or HR paperwork.
Best practices for collaborating with an offshore software development team
For a number of reasons – including different time zones, language barriers, and cultural differences – collaborating with an offshore team can be challenging.
Here’s a table of best practices and advice for getting collaboration right:
The challenges of working with offshore software development teams
There are challenges with any type of offshore software development. These also apply to hiring offshore software development teams.
Here are some common issues to consider:
1. Communication barriers due to time zones and language differences.
2. A lack of face-to-face interaction hinders relationships and trust.
3. Misconceptions arising from different work cultures and expectations.
4. Quality Assurance difficulties lead to inconsistencies in coding quality.
5. Concerns about data security, intellectual property protection, and compliance.
6. Limited visibility of offshore team activities and progress.
7. Integration challenges in merging offshore and onshore teams effectively.
8. Turnover of developers in offshore locations, impacting project continuity.
9. Risks of misalignment in goals and expectations.
10. Legal and compliance issues – and possible disputes – around contracts.
The good news is that by hiring an offshore software development team from Proshore – a trusted and experienced provider of ready-to-code tech talent based in the Netherlands and Nepal – you can avoid these pitfalls and overcome potential issues.
