Risks in Outsourcing App Development & How to Eliminate them

Outsourcing app development projects can help you improve your company’s overall operational efficiency. While you streamline your business processes, your core team is left undisturbed to complete regular tasks and plan for future goals. Moreover, this will take the burden of app development off the shoulders of your in-house team.

However, many businesses out there want to get mobile apps for their businesses but cannot do so. Sometimes they lack the specific talent to complete the project, or businesses are afraid to take the risk due to a lack of knowledge about the process or hiring.

So, let’s clear the air and make you aware of outsourcing, the risks it entails, and how to avoid those risks for a fruitful engagement.

Common Problems Businesses Experience With Outsourcing

While outsourcing has numerous advantages, it’s necessary to consider all potential problems and take precautions to avoid them.

Here are some issues you could face if you outsource your app development project with a solution to overcome.

1. Time Zone Difference

Now that every business is looking for an agile software development solution, choosing an outsourcing partner that offers you faster time-to-market and immediate feedback allows faster scaling. It is because no one wants to suffer delays in their or client’s project in this competitive era.

However, if you outsource to an offshore company, you may have delays in collaboration and communication as a result of different time zones—

For example, you work in Boston and have outsourced your app development to a third party in India. With a 9-hour time difference between the two places, you’ll have to figure out the most convenient time to connect. It won’t always be the case. You might not be able to answer their email until the next day, or they could be unable to attend a meeting since they’ll be going to bed.

How to Overcome: The outsourcing team can complete the jobs late at night, and you can review the output results the next day. You will save time and avoid any delays in the project development process if you do it this way. When you hire dedicated mobile app developers, this means the dedicated team is always on their toes to work on the challenges. They manage Agile techniques like Scrum with two different time zones to solve project issues with seamless coordination & communication.

Quick Plug: Netsmartz offers end-to-end outsourcing development services that can help you build your team by finding the right specialists, augmenting your expertise, mitigating risks, and improving operational efficiency at a reduced cost. Furthermore, our teams are located across 8 global campuses – making the risk of time zone difference non-existent.

2. Cultural Differences

Because of the geographical distance between your organization and the offshore app development company, there may be cultural and regional differences in how they function. The way a business is run and how clients are served can differ.

There will almost certainly be a difference in taste between an app developer and the clients regarding color, visuals, and language. It is understandable given the wide range of people’s preferences worldwide.

When it comes to stating the truth and expressing “no,” cultural standards are much more crucial. Saying “no” is not culturally acceptable in several nations, particularly Asia. As a result, when you inquire about the status of a work, you are frequently given incomplete information. As a business owner, you think your app development task is done, but something unexpected happens.

How to Overcome: Your business entity can organize a training session and interaction with the outsourcing mobile app development company involved in your app’s actual business demands to reduce the impact of cultural diversities on the development project. Removing misperceptions caused by the many disparities among offshore app development professionals should be prioritized.

3. Poor Communication or Language Barrier

After overcoming the time zones and cultural barriers, you’ll need to deal with communication. Seamless communication between the staff, management, and the founder is the main focus of every business. As a result, it creates the groundwork for successful collaboration, as this is the most significant factor.

If you’re outsourcing, be clear in your communication — be particular and detailed about what you want— or you’ll end up with many re-dos later on. Frequently, what one person says and what the other hears are at odds. Consider how difficult it is to explain to someone whose first language is not English.

How to Overcome: Set up proper communication using platforms such as Slack, Jira, and many more, and make stand-up meetings (video) a regular practice to ensure clear communication between the teams to eliminate the Chinese whisper or any language barrier.

4. The Breach Of Confidential Data

Whether original or not, your app idea is your property, and you should safeguard it. Don’t expect your outsourcing partner to automatically provide you with a secure IP address, as some countries have no such rules or regulations.

While choosing to outsource mobile app development services, remember the inherent danger of unauthorized access or alteration of corporate information. As a result, guaranteeing data security is one of the most challenging tasks for companies that outsource mobile app development services.

How to Overcome: The first thing you should do is sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Ensure that all parties sign an NDA, which gives legal protection for your idea as well as the perception that your confidential information belongs solely to your organization. Additional security checks can be performed to ensure that your outsourced vendor conforms with necessary international security standards, including GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001, and industry-specific requirements.

To Wrap Up

Due to rising customer expectations, competitiveness, and digital change across many industries, more organizations are outsourcing their app development needs.

Non-tech companies, digital startups, and even big established tech brands might benefit from outsourcing app development to an offshore app development agency since it provides the following advantages:

• Cost savings
• Time-saving
• Focus on core competencies
• High-quality work delivered

Entities doing it for the first time, or even those who have done it before, frequently make mistakes that lead to project failures costing time or money. This blog post discusses the challenges that come with outsourcing app development projects & how to overcome them.

Do you have any queries about app development outsourcing or require assistance? For professional consultation, please get in touch with us.