The formula for successful offshore development

The increased costs associated with development combined

with improved communications tools have led to a situation
where offshore development is an option most firms and start
up founders are considering at present. However, as soon as
the word outsourcing is heard there is a sense of trepidation
or fear along with the thoughts of the risks associated with it.
I must say that these fears are well grounded, there are a
number of risks associated with offshore development teams
and I’m writing this article as a simple guide to mitigate many
of the risks associated with outsourcing your production.

I would say that the first step for a successful offshore

development project is to understand the key risks associated
with using offshore development teams. I believe the very
first step to understanding these risks is to establish the fact
that these developers and teams come from a different
cultural paradigm from the one you grew up in. They've also
had an education, which may have placed emphasis on
different aspects. And you must also realize that an offshore
development project is also a cross border transaction, which
means that they might be working according to a different
legal framework to you. I didn't write these to discourage you
from hiring outsourcing teams but to provide an insight into
certain risks associated with offshore development teams.

The biggest risk you face is the risk of your idea being stolen
or worse someone taking your money and then going ahead
and replicating your project as if it is there own idea. There
are a number of ways to minimize this risk. The first approach
would be to do an extensive research on the firm, which you
are, obtaining services from. This includes looking into their
past track records, referrals and also if possible it's best to ask
a local friend of yours about the credibility of the firm. The
chances are that they would possess knowledge of the local
culture, which you do not. And that they will be able to assess
the credibility of the firm from a fresh perspective. Secondly,
you must inquire into the Intellectual property rights and what
kind of framework they follow and also about the local laws,
which they have locally. The process of going through these
questions will provide an insight into how much of an
emphasis they place on intellectual rights.

Issues related to project management is another common

complaint in relation to offshore development teams. The
issue i believe is greatly a cultural issue more so than
anything else. There is a common belief that it is somehow
acceptable to take more time than you, which you asked for
initially. This creates anxiety for the client about not being
able to obtain their deliverables on time.