Will my business reach the point where I would need to extend the software development team?
Yes! Imagine this. You are an aspiring entrepreneur with a brilliant business venture. You managed to convince investors to get onboard with your brilliant business venture. You employ software engineers to create and build a custom software solution to complement your business operations.
Eventually, the volume of development of the software solution increases, in tandem with the growth of your business. This leads you to the dilemma of wanting to extend the software development team, but is the business in a better position to outsource the job to a dedicated development team, or engage with freelance dedicated software engineers, or seek an outsourcing alternative, i.e. hiring an in-house dedicated development team.
Within this article, we will cover the options of extending your software development team together with the advantages and disadvantages, and help you find which option you should go when growing your business.
METHODOLOGY OF EXTEND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
There are three methods to extend the software development team: –
- In-house recruiting of dedicated software developers
- Outsourcing of dedicated software teams
- Hiring freelance dedicated software developers
In-house recruiting of dedicated software developers
In-house recruiting is the most straightforward way to add the desired skill set to the current internal team without creating too much of a hurdle while keeping strategic capabilities entirely in-house. This works well if a large development team extension is not required.
In-house recruiting allows effective and efficient communication within the team. The effectiveness of communication within the team would strengthen as in-house recruits are physically based at the same office as the other colleagues. This creates a cohesive team atmosphere.
On top of that, in-house recruiting of dedicated software developers allows for team leaders to manage their daily activities and control the work process to proactively respond to certain issues that may arise from time to time. Training can be easily made available within the company, giving the management visibility of the recruits’ development within the company.
It is crucial for companies to know the skills of the software developers needed for the project prior to recruiting the in-house dedicated software developer.
Outsourcing of dedicated software development team
Companies that wish to outsource dedicated software development teams ought to first, understand the purpose of the project. Outsourcing dedicated software development is a good way to engage additional R&D skills to explore new avenues and create additional necessary solution development that the company has limited capacity to do in-house.
In this instance, outsourcing bespoke software development to the extended team will allow for faster implementation and a smoother time-to-market by removing the burden of additional time and money spent assembling the team and researching technologies.
Companies will be able to capitalize on the ‘management free’ issues when outsourcing for the dedicated software development team. All issues about the working routine and core team organization, such as wages, payments, and so on, are taken care of by the outsourcing firm.
Upon the completion of the given project, based on the contract conditions, the company can choose to retain the outsourced dedicated software development team to support the maintenance of the said project, or the company may simply terminate after the project is completed.
Hiring freelance dedicated software developers
The pandemic had shifted the workforce, from “work from office” to “work from home”. This practice saw an increase in hiring freelance dedicated software developers, making it common today. Businesses all around the globe, realize the benefits of using remote working independent software engineers as part of their development teams. Although the favorable remote working routine is the most appealing aspect of the model, there are additional advantages that the firm obtains when recruiting freelancers to supplement its development staff.
Companies are able to enjoy cost-saving by hiring freelancers from a plethora of talents across the globe. The hiring of freelance dedicated software developers allows the company to hire the individual that fits the job criteria, whilst taking advantage of the cheaper exchange rate, particularly from the region of Southeast Asia.
However, if cost is not the main concern of hire, hiring a freelance dedicated software development team is not recommended as there are more disadvantages from this method of hire. Amongst them, barriers to team management and communication, low supervision, potential security issues, and the risks of the hire abandoning the project without prior notice.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE METHODS USED TO EXTEND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
In-house recruiting of dedicated software developers
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
| Cohesive team atmosphere | High costs in talent acquisition, maintenance, and retention |
| Effective Communication within a team | Lengthy hiring process |
| Conducive administration and management | Complication in termination |
| Tedious training modules |
Outsourcing of dedicated software teams
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
| High-quality talent acquisition | A barrier of entry in terms of communication |
| Low cost for acquiring talent | DIfference in management |
| Easy collaboration with the existing software development team | |
| Eliminates the need for training modules | |
| Access to a plethora of talents globally |
Hiring freelance dedicated software developers
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
| Low cost for acquiring talent | A barrier of entry in terms of communication |
| Low expenditure for office equipment | RIsk in data security |
| Access to a plethora of talents globally | Low supervision |
| Easy termination | RIsk in contract abandonment |
CONCLUSION
When choosing the right tool to use, envision the objective of the project and the types of hires that are best suited for you and your company.
A good software development company may essentially take away all of your worries and work in a professional manner to complete a project with the highest level of accuracy and quality. With a wide range of talents, and, in order to meet your business objectives, tech businesses are able to locate the greatest software developers at a fair price.
