Software Development is certainly risky business, and more concerning is the selection of a developer. It is really easy to Outsource a Developer for your project but finding the right partner is not as trouble-free as it sounds. Because there is always a possibility that the developer will fail to meet the expectations and the result will not be exactly what the client is looking for.
Not meeting the deadlines, over budgeting and going beyond the limit, and developer going out of the business is the top main fears while Hiring Any Developer. But yes, there are few techniques and tactics which will help you in finding the right developer for your project.
Partnering with software development company:
Partnering with some Outsourcing Software Developing Company is a compulsion these days, especially for the small businesses. As every enterprise doesn’t have an in-house team of developers, so it is essential to go to the team with the experience to deliver your new piece of software to your business users.
Ensuring what is best for your business and what your company needs is very decisive and fundamental before selecting any company. You need to make a well-versed decision by keeping all the main objectives and requirements in mind while partnering up with any other company.
For example, you are looking forward to the stories of success like Skype or Slack, which originally developed by outsourcing companies. Whatever your reason is to hire an outsourcing company, you need to realize that the future of your enterprise will be in the hands of these developers, so selecting wisely is not an option here.
It has been many years that Agile software development has touched the stars and every enterprise is talking about them. This methodology or some consider it as a technique is widely accepted and many corporations are completely relying on it for their development.
What exactly is Agile?
In simple words, Agile is technique, introduced as the result of shortcomings in the Waterfall technique. The manifesto is composed of 4 main ideas subdivided into 12 principles. Some developers consider it a magic wand while others are totally against it, criticizing it for not having documentation.
Well, the comparison is on since the day of release, and according to project management statistics, 18% of developers are inclined towards the pure agile approach. While others are following the path of the hybrid approach, and things are not black and white when it comes to preferences of developers.
Because only 2% goes for pure waterfall and 46% of the developers are saying that hybrid works the best. So biding on any one of them is not going to help.
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before selecting anyone approach for your project because the project will be the reflection of the technique, you have selected.
Main questions for the selection of methodology:
After research, we have gathered a few of the main criteria which defines the success and the failure of the project based on the methodology:
- Stability and clarity of the product requirements
- Who will be the end users of this system?
- Limitations of the project in terms of budget and deadlines.
- Size of the project
- The contract you want to have with the developers
- The kind of project under discussion defines a lot.
These are the questions you need to ask yourself before selecting any methodology.
But you don’t have to be an international company with offices all around the world to take advantage of test-driven development methodology like agile.
Because the principles of agile are designed to take the weight off the shoulders of developers and help the team from spreading too thin, shorten the development cycles called “sprints” that assist in keeping the project on track, prevent burnouts and enable quicker.
Agile also plays an integral role in scheduling task, meeting with the team, testing and deployment, the entire procedure can lead smoothly with the productive outcome when the agile methodology is under progression.
Teams of every nature, like working from the same office, working remotely, collaborating from different parts of the world, regardless of the nature of collaborations, teams are finding agile an excellent framework.
What are the main benefits of agile software development methodology?
If you have worked with developers before, then you must know that working with an outsourced team is not as effortless and undemanding as it sounds. Because the whole team has to work in collaboration with your team and if things don’t start on the right side of the table, working together will not be a success.
And in the end, it’s your project which will be affected. So there are some straightforward and easy yet distinctive tactics being followed in agile methodology which makes the procedure go fluently and effortlessly.
- The style of agile to conduct synchronized team meetings
- Break up the workload and assigning to the members of the team or developers for a better quality of code and accountability
- Collaboration tool for code review and cross-team contribution
- Regular testing is a part of the procedure
- Deploying of massive and big things in small batches regularly
Agile is better at creating software:
Agile is not famous because of being the cool way of writing code, but there are major benefits. Like inexperience of Kelly Anderson, technical team lead of sonic innovations, If the cost of bugs is taken care of which is making the process downstream, there is certainly no way to compete with the approach of agile financially. And agile leads to higher quality.
While the author of lessons learned in software testing and testing computer software, Cem Kaner has expressed his inclination by saying, Agile will reduce the cost of late changes which will make it way easier on IT organizations.
Hence, the big names of the market are saying great things about agile methodology, that must mean that there is a spark in it. Agile focuses on the project, like features, processes to be used, value, and other main areas which makes the business to focus on its value ultimately.
Agile- more than processes:
Why and how agile has taken over so easily? The way of working and thinking has played the main role in catching the attention of the developers. Agile developer time Ottinger said, agile requires a certain release of control and change of values which makes the IT managers look at its values and learn about it.
According to Jeff Tucker, a software engineer at Milliman acre guidelines, agile is the idea that changes, because the people are always changing also. He explained it in a manner like, the main purpose of developing the software is to get rapid feedback and accommodate rapidly, so if you are doing anything which ends up in realizing that benefit, then you’re agile.
Agile is more inclined towards change as compare to development workflow:
The pervasive use of feedback and increased collaboration are the main factors that force business and IT organizations to be trustful with each other, and they assist in bringing visibility to the projects. Agile focuses on modifying the process according to the culture of the organization.
George Dinwiddie who is a consultant from iDIA computing suggested that the feedback should be generated as soon as possible because reducing the time between the decision being made and validated is being paid off in reduced waste.
Facts you should know before hiring an agile software developer:
Yes, agile methodology can be perfect for the development of your next software project but hiring agile software developers are completing different thing. And it is as serious as a selection of the methodology.
Consider geography:
Before searching for the partner to collaborate, search for the region. It will make the procedure simple and clear if you define the geography beforehand. As nowadays, there are tons of software outsourcing partners available in each corner of the world, including America, India, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Ukraine, all of these places are full of vendors.
Communication is the key to the success of the project so going for the region with similar time zones and language is the key. Other factors may also be taken into consideration like cultural compatibility, low inflation rates, political stability, and geographical proximity.
Quality and price discussion:
Ever heard the saying; you can not have your cake and eat it, too? It applies to the process of software development. You have to choose from two options for price first vendor or quality first vendor. These are two main categories of developers, and it is always your call to decide which is more important for you.
Price first vendors are more inclined towards the fixing of bugs timely and transactional. These vendors are not working on long term relationships. Their main priority is to find the resources and quickly deploy the end product for their clients with little supervision and then move forward.
However, quality first vendors are not an easy task, as they are expensive and completely inclined towards the end product. So their services are time taking as well. And they are also very much specific for the project they are associated with as they have a better choice for all complex or mission-critical projects.
As they are focused on long term relationship, they definitely reject the fixed price concept and just focuses on the time and material model. They also offer proper supervision to ensure the proper delivery and execution along with the significant effort for the resource training of the team.
Putting candidates to the test:
Every software outsourcing vendor has its unique strength and traits, but there are certain core needs you need your developer to have. And to make sure of it, you have to ask questions during your initial conversation to make things clear at the very start. And that way you will be able to know your potential partner in good methodological, cultural and philosophical way, and then you can decide if he fits your company or not.
Asking him questions regarding his set of beliefs, work schedule, compatibilities, methodologies, cultural approach, business development, and other main perspectives will be helpful in selection.
Visiting the partner:
To accurately determine and examine the person behind the veil it is beneficial to visit the developer. It will depend on the region you have selected to have the vendor from, for sure. But personal visit clear things more than the skype video call.
However, if you are planning on visiting the partner, the visit should not be longer than two days because two days are enough to get a good sense of location, commitment, physical infrastructure, professionalism and motivation level of the team. You might not want to overburden the team with the visit either.
Decide and then communicate:
After the signature of MSA and SOWs, your job is not over. There are many other main elements you need to focus on. Your vender must be facing the pressure to make the team, so you have to be understanding. One, the team, is finalized, you have to go through the procedure like any other software development process.
Two additional months for ramp up, supplementary investment for learning and adequately understanding. On the other hand, short sprints can help in accelerating the training and provide a better idea of putting the code in production.
In the meantime, you can work on the communication strategy to raise the red flag with your partner during the procedure. Because communication can be difficult when you are working with a remote team.
Characteristics of agile software developers:
The facts you should know before Hiring a Software Developer:
- They have the ability of functioning without any sort of outside help. As the team is equipped with sufficient skills. This way time is saved along with the exposure for developers to expand their expertise.
- The biggest fear during an important project is dropping off an important member of the team. But it is not the case for the agile developers as they are trained t be cooperative, collaborative and deliver on time. So you don’t have to be worried about members leaving.
- Cohesive nature is like the main hint for agile team recognition as they emphasize collaboration, so they are constantly learning from one another. This way they share their skill set and learn others in return and they have complete training of working relationships as well.
- The responsibilities and tasks are divided into team members and groups are assigned at the start. Like project manager, scrum master, coding members, and stakeholders. This way everybody knows what exactly is expected of them and deadlines are also being taken care of really closely.
About Agile Software Developer:
Once you have made your mind clear and you have learned enough about the agile software developers, you need to ask yourself a few main questions. And answers of those will help you in finding the best agile software developer who will help in turning your idea into ultimate reality.
- Information about company, team and the reason to hire the particular team
- Portolfio and focusing on the nature of the projects covered already
- Does the team willing to take the project, do they have the capacity for one more project
- The compatibility of a team of developers with your team is very much important and how that will be a plus for the procedure.
- How much the developers will be expecting from the team for the process.
- What are the process and software designing procedure of your expected partner
- What will be the procedure and techniques for communication
- Project details which can count as a failure from the team members should be seen to find out their techniques and tactics
- Reference for the team is a key point, even if you like the team and develop an inclination towards, it should be constantly considered to look into references before starting the project
- What will be the strategy for post-implementation requirements?
Conclusion:
Once you have cleared your mind and find all the answers you need before hiring the agile software developers, it will be the time to find the team which suits your enterprise. Agile software developers are trained to deliver on time and more inclined towards the quality of the end product. So you will be getting the best.