Smarter Software Outsourcing

Once you understand the process of getting the best value for money from an augmented team, what’s not to like? You are able to fill in the crucial ‘missing pieces’ in your core team while maximizing productivity and getting projects off the ground—and in a cost-effective manner, at that. But while it’s true that the right outsourcing partner is an invaluable asset to your business, approaching the extended team model with misaligned expectations and rushing into it unprepared can introduce substantial risks of failures, additional costs, and loss of time.

So, what can you do? Well, I don’t have a foolproof recipe for success to share with you, I’m afraid. But I can tell you the 9 greatest mistakes I’ve seen in over 20 years in the outsourcing industry. The kind of mistakes you want to stay away from when you engage with an offshore partner.

[00:00] Intro
[2:01] Thinking a fixed-price project is the safest move
[6:24] Thinking that the requirements can be built on the fly with no clear roadmap
[8:18] Building your site on a proprietary framework, CMS, or platform that is developed & owned by your software provider
[11:04] Not having access to your source code on a regular basis
[12:02] Looking for an outsourcing vendor that will blindly execute software development
[14:51] Believing that doubling the team size will double the output in a linear fashion
[17:05] Treating the outsourced resources as a different team separate from your company
[18:35] Confusing price with value
[20:40] A Startup special: Thinking that there is such a thing as a free lunch. Work for equity deals

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

With the rise of the global remote workforce and the resulting talent wars, employee poaching is a growing threat — especially in the technology world, where a lot of professionals say they’re continuously on the lookout for better career opportunities.

So how do you keep your developers happy and make sure they are productive? Here are 7 ways to help you do that.

[00:00] Intro
[1:43] Have clear and attainable goals and milestones
[2:32] Clearly define roles and responsibilities
[3:59] Give them the right tools
[5:16] Provide mentorship, training, and continuous education
[7:00] Encourage open communication and feedback
[8:23] Keep non-coding tasks minimal
[9:46] Get them into the flow

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

Explore the hidden costs in project success and why fixed price locks you into something you can't change and will live with until your next project.

[0:00] Intro to Fixed Price Projects: Why disappointment is inevitable
[2:26] Tell us about your experience running fixed-cost projects. But first, could you describe what a fixed cost project is?
[7:20] What kind of expectations did the clients have, and do you think some of them could have been run differently and more efficiently without that fixed constraint?
[25:42] Do you feel there is still a place for fixed price projects in the industry?
[30:08] Can you tell us why, even if the project is deemed a success, it still always disappoints?

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

In this episode, we want to shed light on the risk of delegating project estimation by way of quotations or free appraisals. And discovering if a lack of commitment to detail will come at a cost versus paying to uncover the detail.

[0:00] Intro to project estimation: free appraisals, are they ever really free?
[2:09] What are the key reasons you think “free appraisals” are so appealing to customers?
[5:31] Are there any particular type of projects or companies that are drawn to free appraisals?
[10:36] What are the hidden costs to clients attached to free estimations?
[16:01] If a “Free Appraisal” isn’t practical due to the sheer scale of a client’s requirements, what do you suggest to help them move forward?

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

Risks appear as technical roadblocks and costs during the life cycle of the project. Predictable billing puts clients in control of their spend.

[0:00] Intro to Open ended contracts: How wielding predictability can mitigate risk?
[2:33] What is an “open-ended contract”?
[29:17] Open-ended contract as a client
[43:54] Who are “open-ended” contracts best suited to?
[45:39] Don’t “time billing” arrangements cause a conflict of interest?
[47:59] What happens if a team resource is underperforming?
[52:38] Is this level of control for the client diminishing the responsibility of the provider?
[54:55] How can clients “wield” or use the predictability of this approach to their advantage?
[58:22] Does Arcanys offer any unique options as part of their OEC?

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

We know outsourcing software development can greatly decrease costs. But we also know that lower rates don’t always translate to an overall better deal, and that’s the very challenge of outsourcing. So where does the notion of Value for Money fit in all this?

[0:00] Intro to “Custom Software Development Outsourcing: What Does Value for Money Mean?”
[1:43] Common reasons for outsourcing
[1:48] Outsourcing cuts development costs and increases flexibility
[3:07] To access real talent or skills that you can't always find locally
[3:46] To Avoid turnovers
[4:33] To avoid hiring hassles and fees
[5:50] Patterns used in software development outsourcing
[5:54] Fixed price contract
[7:13] Time and materials or dedicated team contract
[8:17] What is the value for money in software development outsourcing?
[8:42] Economic. Find more competitive rates
[10.20] Effective. Get things done
[13:03] Efficient. Maximize your return on investment
[15:37] The cost of bad code quality
[16:06] The cost of missed deadlines
[16:34] The cost of a high attrition rate

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

Assessing outsourcing firms should always include efforts to appreciate their culture and values, including elements that aren’t immediately visible online (or even perceivable over the phone). This podcast episode helps you approach these aspects more efficiently and avoid building an opinion exclusively on what you see on the surface.

[0:00] Intro to “Picking an Outsourcing Provider: Company Culture as a Make-Or-Break Factor (And How to Assess)”
[1:18] Check their Website and social media
[2:36] Pay them a visit
[3:25] Talk to their employees
[4:21] Ask about the benefits and perks
[5:15] See how they align with their core values and yours



Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

Partnering with an outsourcing firm in the Philippines to bring in more experts to your software project team can make sense in many ways… Provided that you do it right. Here’s a list of high-level points you’ll want to check to stack all the odds in your favor and build a successful partnership for the long haul. How many items can you tick off?

[0:00] Intro to “Outsourcing Checklist: 7 Essential points for building long-term remote teams in the Philippines”
[2:10] Figure out your real reasons for outsourcing
[3:06] Know why the Philippines is a top outsourcing destination
[5:48] Learn how to pick the right provider
[6:26] Envision your ideal but realistic team
[7:25] Have a rock-solid recruitment process
[8:19] Recognize your team’s value and potential
[8:58] Make sure you are aligned on culture and values

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.

As a software project owner, what behaviors can you adopt to boost your offshore team’s motivation and grow trust among them? What unsuspected practices can typically destroy their performance? We’ve asked a bunch of developers from Arcanys to deliver the 4 truths you’ll want to be aware of if you expect your relationship with your distributed team to thrive and your project to succeed.

[0:00] Intro to “4 Things Your Remote Software Development Team Wishes You Knew”
[0:54] Treating your remote software development team differently than your core team is the worst idea
[2:39] Performance and output are the result of both our efforts
[6:40] Software engineers are not just coders, they are also advisors

Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.