That's a serious allegation there — that your offshore software developer might be scamming you, right? Despite being a relatively new concept, offshore software development has been on the rise for quite some time now. So, it's natural that people will have doubts (or even mysterious to some) about something so trendy yet new.
With the recent development of remote working and everything going virtual, more and more people are interested in offshore outsourcing. This growth in interest also brings forward lots of questions. So, we're back to our original concern. Sure, offshore software development is worth the money and time, but how to tell if you aren't being scammed?
Starting with a Brief Idea...
If you are unclear on the concept — offshore development means outsourcing your development tasks to a third-party remote team. This team of skilled professionals is called an offshore development team, typically based in a foreign country. That means all the expertise and work efficiency you need for your project minus the hassle of maintenance.
With offshore development, you'll be getting a dedicated software development service with expert assistance for a relatively cheaper rate. In the meantime, you/your team can focus on the marketing and other aspects of the software. On top of that, if you can take advantage of the time zone difference between you/your team and the offshore development team, you're in for a treat! You can speed up your development process utilising almost 18-20 hours a day for developing your project. So, It's quite clear why this concept is turning out to be more and more popular with time.
But there's a catch! To make the most out of offshore development, you need a firm understanding of the operation and strategise how you'll approach it. Now if you've already set foot on offshoring, you might still be in the dark on several aspects of this method of development.
Keeping these aspects in mind, we've put together six essential pointers on ways your offshore software developer might scam you. So, let's dive deep into the offshore software development affairs and how to tell if you're being scammed.
1.The Cheapshoring Conundrum
You must be familiar with this saying — "you get what you pay for". This saying is gospel when it comes to offshore development. You might encounter an offshore software development company offering you services for half the usual rate — or even less than that! Sounds intriguing, right? As long as they do their job, what's the harm if the cost is significantly less? Well, believe it or not; these situations often turn into what some people define as "cheapshoring."
Cheapshoring simply means when you're offered unbelievably cheap offshore software development services with poor quality in return. With cheapshoring, you'll fall victim to a series of unfortunate incidents in the process of development such as —
- You can be sure to get a team of inexperienced amateurs when cheap hourly rates attract you. Also, when we say team, it may as well be just individual developers with zero coordination among them.
- Cheapshoring is almost exclusively equal to a depreciated value for your money. Same goes for the skill levels of the developers as well as their up-to-date logistic support and programming language expertise. They will never be up to the mark.
- These offshoring teams with low rates often opt for multiple projects from different clients to maximise their revenue. As a result, your project doesn't get the attention and priority it deserves, which ultimately hampers the end product.
So, it's safe to say that low-cost is not always the solution you should consider. Instead, finding a balance between cost and quality of development is the way to go. Find the developer team that will meet all your requirements at an affordable and reasonable rate and deliver you a satisfactory service in return.
2.Miscalculating The Time and Cost
Along with the cheapshoring mentioned above, another recurrent issue with unprofessional offshoring teams is their underestimation of time and resources. When a development company promises you an unbelievably low estimated time to complete your project, take a step back. Before jumping on the bandwagon right away, consider a few things first.
The reasons behind an unusual time and cost estimation is usually inexperience of the development team. Expecting to grab the project at any cost, they offer a low rate and time to complete. But in reality, they fail miserably after a few days, which often results in —
- Failure to complete the project in due time. If you are on a strict deadline, the cost of this unprofessional underestimation is beyond limits.
- Drop in the quality of the product by rushing the development phase with faulty software engineering by the offshore software developers. That is the outcome of immense pressure and miscalculation.
- With the tight schedule, the offshore development team might not have taken debugging and improving UX into account. So, these might be out of the question which will affect the quality assurance phase.
The solution to this is quite easy. Before accepting terms with a remote team, assess the market to get an idea of ideal developer rates and an estimated time for your project. The best practice is to ask your friends, family, or any connection to get a proper estimation. Then you'll be ready to judge yourself if the rate and time you're offered are impractical or not.
Renowned companies with excellent customer reviews of their offshore software development services are the best solution here. That way, you won't run the risk of sacrificing the quality by getting distracted with scam offers. For example, Arrowsoft has many successful projects in its bag which were handed to the clients within the due deadline. To get an idea of these projects completed by the Arrowsoft team, have a look here: Arrowsoft Projects.
3.No Documentation, No Specification!
Documenting project specification and requirements is the first step towards the collaboration between you/your team and the remote team. Same goes for the whole offshore software development process. Without proper documentation, these are some of the outcomes you might have to face:
- The risk of failing to get what you expected in your product — the ultimate nightmare for your project! The lack of documentation will initiate a never-ending cycle of changes and edits, which will also cost you a great deal. So, you will have no choice other than accepting the faulty product as it is.
- You won't be able to switch to another company for offshore outsourcing without proper specifications. As a result, shifting to another company will require starting from scratch with a skyrocketing expenditure.
So, make sure your offshore team is onboard with documenting the specifications with a requirements analysis from the very beginning. These, along with definitive project roadmaps, will allow you to evaluate the required time and cost of your software development projects.
4.The Reluctance in Providing Code
Providing code with sufficient code documentation is a practice among professional offshore software developers. The lack of these or a poor job of documenting takes away your freedom to have total control on the code base of your project. Consequently, you also won't be able to switch to another team of developers. The new team will have a hard time to cope with the project without proper code documentation. It's evident why an offshore development team will go down this path — to trap a client for long-term. These usually happen when you/your team lacks technical knowledge.
The solution to this issue is merely the awareness of it. It never hurts to have a CTO or equivalent technical personnel beside you to supervise these situations if you are unable to do it personally. Make an agreement with the offshore company to provide fully documented codes before you start the venture together. It will ensure you don't get ripped off in the future.
This kind of malpractice only happens with unprofessional software companies with ill-minded business models. The best possible way to avoid these situations is to find a remote team that will have the best interest in your project in every step of development.
5.Binding You With Their Framework!
You're bound to stay if the core development of your project is done in the offshore developers' framework/CMS. If you're not aware of this issue beforehand, companies with scammy outsourcing models may trap you with this heinous act. The consequences of this stretch to —
- You can't change your offshore development provider right away as it would need you to start everything from the start.
- You won't be able to update, change or fix anything without the help of your initial offshore software developers. That means you're just trapped forever with them.
- Chances are, your software/product might just run appropriately in the offshore developers' environment. That will be problematic for you as your customers will face bugs and unwanted issues with your software.
These are just a few of the swarm of negative impacts it can have on your project if it's utterly dependent on the offshore team's CMS/framework. As this is not a surface-level issue to be noticed, you should be clear and aware regarding this before the development phase.
One simple and straightforward solution to this issue is to agree with the offshore development team to make the product open source. That way, you won't have to phase any licensing or environment-related issue in the future. Alternatively, you can gain exclusive access to the CMS/framework for your product with all intellectual property rights. Furthermore, it will help if the CMS of your offshore software developer has proper documentation for future use.
6.Lack of a Project Management Tool
Project management services are part and parcel for modern offshore development solutions. If you aren't getting a project management tool with the offshore services, it should be a dealbreaker for you. When picking the tool for your project, try to align the different requirements of the remote team with yours. That'll help you to select the best project management tool to meet your project needs.
Another thing to remember is never to use two different project management tools on two ends. That will make things complicated to keep track of the project. There should be one and only one tool for you and your offshore software developers.
Ending With The Ultimate Solution...
On a final note, the issues, as mentioned earlier, can make your life miserable when developing software offshore. You can run the risk of getting a lousy product sacrificing valuable time and assets only because you chose the wrong hand to shake. You can get scammed in the above ways and more just because you chose the wrong group of people to hand over the duties. You can follow the above rules and precautions to avoid these circumstances or…
You can just select the best guys for your offshore software development needs. Arrowsoft, for example, is a group of thriving individuals with a knack for taking new challenges. This offshore software development company is well-aware of the above issues and some! So, Arrowsoft is concerned that you don't feel like getting scammed or trapped with them in addition to the top-notch service.
The multitude of services from Arrowsoft includes custom software development with enterprise solutions, mobile app development, cloud-based SaaS development, among others. With a wide range of different sort of projects and satisfied clients, you can pick Arrowsoft for any of your offshore development needs. Learn more by visiting here:
Offshore software development is the go-to solution of tomorrow to get ahead in this fast-moving world. If you don't wish to be left behind on the offshore benefits, you should just keep your eyes and ears open. Nobody can scam you when you're aware and up-to-date with everything. Above all, make partners with your remote team instead of getting temporary helping hands. Make your offshore software development team a vital part of your operations. That is only possible when you can rely on that team with everything. So, choose wisely.