Outsourcing Software Development? Get Off the Roller Coaster

Any major change or overhaul to the way you run your business can be disruptive, potentially resulting in many ups and downs. And let’s face it; the “downs” are just as likely as the “ups,” due to all the risk involved with trying something new. Outsourcing software development is one area where businesses may encounter a roller coaster-like experience. Does using a third-party custom software developer have to be such a bumpy ride? 

The Outsourcing Roller Coaster

Mid-market businesses face a particular challenge when it comes to managing software development. If you’ve been in this situation, you know how it typically unfolds: 

• Your company decides to overhaul a process or system to take advantage of digital transformation. 
• Leadership realizes they don’t have the necessary internal resources to develop the software or application. 
• A third-party developer is brought in. Both the business leaders and the development company approach development as a “project” with a set budget and a beginning, middle and end. 
• The investment in software development is limited to a certain length of time, which from an operational standpoint, does not allow for ongoing maintenance and support services.

Here’s where the roller coaster pulls into the station and your business climbs in. Along the ride of an agile approach to software development, you have to track two points on the timeline: cost and effort.

• Cost. Typically, you pay the third-party developer to develop software or a mobile app on a pay-as-you-go basis. The process continues until the project jerks to a stop at the end of the budgeted timeline.
• Effort. The software development company continually provides you with code and software updates on a pay-as-you-go basis until budgeted costs have been exhausted.

These two points on the timeline, cost and effort, have their ups and downs but tend to track in parallel. Unfortunately, just when you’re ready for the ride to be over at the end of the budgeted timeline, new issues come up. 

Maybe the custom software or application requires further enhancements over time. Perhaps it stops working when a certain operating system updates. Suddenly you’re sucked back into the “thrill” ride; being pummeled by new costs and thrown around by unexpected tech issues. It’s stomach-churning to have to reinvest in the third-party development company every time a major change to an application or software update is required after the budget has been exhausted. 

How do you get off this ride? Or better yet, how do you avoid ever getting on it?

Invest Wisely in Outsourcing Software Development

Forbes tells us the key advantages of outsourcing are:

• Cost reduction
• Proven workflows and processes
• Quick time to market
• Scalability
• Top talent

While all of these can indeed be advantages to outsourcing software development, who you trust to customize your software is also very important.

Research, research, research. The key to a wise investment is patience in making your selection. Think not only about your immediate needs, but what you will need long-term. How can you have software developed and guarantee that you maintain that software for as long as it needs to be maintained without having to re-create and restructure your budget?

The Future of Your Development Is in Our Sights

At Red Hawk, we’ve seen what the roller coaster does to businesses and it’s not pretty. We understand that your software development needs are ongoing. We treat your custom software as an asset, not a one-time project. The up-to-date care and maintenance of this asset (your software or applications) is crucial to business operations and digital transformation. We bundle our services, charging a fixed monthly fee over the term of the contract to provide you with the financial and operational stability you need to succeed. Our business is based on this pricing model to smooth out the ups and downs. 

We go the extra distance to handle the needs of our clients by taking a proactive approach to issues before they arise. We listen carefully to our clients’ needs and invest time and effort to become a true partner.Intrigued? Contact us for an initial consultation and a follow-up question-and-answer session so we can accurately estimate your costs. You’ll be surprised at how smooth the ride can be.