IT Outsourcing: 10 Questions You Always Wanted to Ask a Software Company

IT outsourcing is becoming extremely popular. It is a reliable strategy for entrepreneurs who want to develop a high-quality product. Even though teaming up with a professional, external company brings many benefits, it brings a lot of questions too. Today, we’re focusing on frequently asked questions when it comes to IT outsourcing, answering the ten most common ones. 

This comprehensive FAQ could also provide inspiration and help you communicate with your potential partner. Read on to learn more!

IT Outsourcing: A Fast-Growing Trend

Outsourcing of IT services has become a reality for many businesses. There are many reasons why companies contract external technological partners, including a lack of time and experience in implementing IT projects. Naturally, a cooperation based on outsourcing presents the opportunity to use the partner’s expertise to build a high-quality product. So what are the benefits driving the dynamic growth of outsourcing? Check them out:

1. A solid team with expertise and experience. Your software development partner has the in-depth expertise to develop a product that meets your business needs and goals.
2. Efficiency. As experienced specialists take care of the workflow, you will see the results of your project clearly. You will know when to expect the effects and how to control them. The results are delivered in regular iterations, allowing you to easily follow the progress of the project.
3. Lower costs. If, for example, a company from the US teams up with a development partner in Poland, the cooperation will be very cost-effective. Outsourcing IT services to Polish companies also works well for other foreign companies because you can save money. 

Of course, outsourcing may also involve some risks – you can check what risks we are talking about and learn how to prevent them in one of our articles. Continue reading to learn the ten most common questions about IT outsourcing.

IT Outsourcing: Questions About the Team and Prices

1. How do you recruit specialists to work on the project?

This important question gives you an idea of who will be delivering your project. People have always been the key value at our company, and we make sure to keep our partnerships pleasant and effective. We want to team up with people who have the appropriate experience (depending on the given position) and the appropriate soft skills. Our team constantly develops our skills by participating in training sessions and workshops. We follow our values and create a unique workplace culture with a nice vibe where all feedback is more than welcome.

At Studio Software, we conduct multi-stage recruitment to properly select talent for the team. It consists of three steps:

1. A phone screening, where we check the candidate’s expectations and English-language skills
2. A technical interview, where we verify the candidate’s technical skills more precisely and prepare a task for them to complete
3. A meeting and conversation with the CEO

Our recruitment process helps us comprehensively verify candidates’ experience and team-fit.

2. How do you deal with the rotation of people in projects?

This question comes up very often when we start an initial talk with a potential partner. It won’t come as a surprise to learn that your partner should have a proper workflow set up in case of such situations. We prepare the appropriate project documentation so that new employees have easy and legible access to key information. Code documentation is another key to success because it allows people to quickly discover the most important technical issues.

If there is only one person involved in the project, we always share the project knowledge with more people so that they can help in case of rotation. This process ensures that the project is under constant control and the takeover goes smoothly.

3. What will be the cost of my product?

There is no straightforward answer to this question because it all depends. Many factors affect the price, and it is almost impossible to specify the cost in detail. It all depends on the type of product you want to build, the scope of functionality, the technologies, and other elements.

If you want to explore this topic, check out our article where we present the seven main factors that affect the cost of a given software.

IT Outsourcing: Questions About General Cooperation

4. How do you deal with partners in different time zones?

We have wide experience working in different time zones. When working with companies from the US, where there is a time difference of approximately eight hours, the partnership runs very smoothly because the working time overlaps by at least two hours.

Many of our partners appreciate this model—when they are asleep, we are working, and we meet at the end of our working day. Then we get straight to the details and discuss current activities, including the daily task updates.

5. How does remote collaboration work?

A well-developed model for remote cooperation is key in today’s world. It is very important to choose the right tools that will ensure the flow of information and facilitate ongoing communication.

Because we have been working in this way for such a long time, we have developed the appropriate methods to provide maximum benefits for our clients. Communication is especially important to us—we use Google Hangouts daily for regular meetings, and we create a dedicated Slack channel to keep you up to date.

In turn, tools such as Jira allow you to keep track of current tasks. Of course, our partners get access to them to track the progress of the project.

6. What is the client’s role in the project, and how much time is needed from the client?

Many clients ask how much time they have to invest in our cooperation. From our experience, the more client involvement, the better and more efficiently the project runs. Why does it work this way? Thanks to ongoing communication, we can easily identify the client’s needs and adjust our work appropriately. The client is constantly informed about the work progress, which allows us to efficiently provide feedback. We can also quickly respond to emerging questions.

It is extremely important for the client to have a decision-making contact person who will regularly participate in meetings (we meet daily and organize two-week sprints). The ideal model assumes the presence of a person with some IT experience.

7. How do you care for data security?

Security is crucial to us—that’s why only the developers involved in the project have access to the code. We also take care of dedicated backup solutions to save data on external data clouds. We always follow all standard security procedures and encryption when working.

In the case of remote work, we always use a VPN, and only some people have access to the production servers, where they can make changes.

IT Outsourcing: Questions About How It All Starts and Finish

8. How long does it take to start a project?

Depending on the technology and team size, it usually takes four to eight weeks to start a project. After the first four weeks, we start the conceptual work and assign a project manager. Development usually starts after four to eight weeks.

9. What are the first steps of a cooperation?

The first step includes deeply understanding the client’s business needs by analyzing the materials, including documentation. Depending on the client’s needs, we organize Event Storming workshops. Then we select a perfectly tailored team that has the necessary competencies to implement the project. Finally, we plan the work with the product owner, and then we are ready to start the project as soon as possible.

10. How can I terminate the contract?

Ending the cooperation is easy. The required notice period is one to three months depending on project size and team. We send the client all documentation and the rights to the code, which enables further project development in the future.

Final Thoughts

We have listed some of the most frequently asked questions in the context of IT outsourcing. Of course, the topic is wide, and everyone probably has more questions in mind. If you want to learn more, please contact us. We would be happy to answer any further questions.