Offshore Software Development

Outsourced software development is not really too different from in-sourcing, except that the challenges can be magnified by physical distance. Essentially, it is a matter of the need to balance a triangle of people, technology and process.

A key ingredient for successful project execution is solid development and management processes. These reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt by codifying strategy and providing transparency to the company outsourcing the software development at every stage.

Redwood uses an offshore firm that has accreditation of its processes against the industry standard, the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model (or CMMi). This qualification is an essential for any provider of outsourced software development services. CMMi is the global gold standard of software engineering processes and its adoption typically yields great improvements in any outsourcer’s ability to execute and deliver quality projects, on time and on budget.

The guidelines for successful project execution can be summarized as the 3Rs:

• Requirements
• Risk Management
• Reporting

Requirements analysis involves gathering and agreeing with you the aim of the work and the outcomes of the project at the outset. Everyone involved in the project must have a clear understanding on what is being done and how it is being done, to ensure its success.

Risk management is about understanding and acknowledging what might go wrong before it happens. Like other types of engineering, software engineering has risks, but taking the time to assess their likelihood, impact and mitigation strategies minimizes surprises.

The risk may be owned by the outsource provider in a fixed price engagement, shared between outsourcer and client in a time and materials project or shouldered entirely by the client in a seat outsource or captive team arrangement. Of course, each level of risk has an associated price that you will pay for the service. Redwood will guide your organization based on your tolerance for risk to select the correct approach for you.

Undoubtedly, the most important factor in a remote development scenario is effective reporting and communications between the outsource team and the client team. The single greatest difference that clients note with outsourcing over internal development is the sense that they are disconnected from the team.

Redwood has developed proven project execution techniques to manage offshore teams as though they were in the same building, using the spectrum of communications tools. Email, messaging, video and VOIP telephony mean that a remote team can be almost completely integrated into the onsite team. We also recommend that when needed the client’s in house team integrate with the offshore team at key delivery points. The fact that our partner is located in Bali, Island of the Gods is an added plus for your staff.