When to Change Outsourced Software Development Teams

As we grow and mature we outgrow things. You may notice that your favorite clothing no longer fits you the way it once did. You might even notice that you’ve outgrown some friends. There are signs when we outgrow something. In our friendships some friends grow and change with us, while others take different paths and we find that we no longer have anything in common. When this happens, we seek friends with whom we have more in common – that are growing with us.

The same thing is true in business operations. Your team and the tools they use should grow with your business operations. So, what are the signs that it’s time to change your outsourced software development team? The one-size-fits-all software that seemed like a good thing when they created it no longer fits your business operations. More importantly, their work is just not up to par.

Overwhelmed by the Business’ Growth
When you originally brought the outsourced software development team on board you had 2 servers and one application – now you have 8 servers and a dozen applications. The team is overwhelmed not only by the growth of your company, but by the growth of their other clients. Your business operations have outgrown the team. It’s time to change teams. Continuing to use the same team is much like placing a Band-Aid on a cut that needs 20 stitches. When the value you’ve been getting goes down it is time to listen to your gut and start looking at alternatives to your current developers.

Slow Response Times
You have SLA agreements, but lately it seems like they aren’t worth the paper they are written on. The team has been slow to respond on more than a few occasions making you feel like the lone survivor on a desert island waiting to be rescued.

Poor Quality Work
When they finally do arrive the quality of their work is poor. Your team should be able to think outside the box and innovate. For example, the purchasing division of your company is getting ready to launch a new module to track RFP’s and the deadline is next week. You discover that one of your programmers is playing around with perfecting the color scheme instead of ensuring that the infrastructure from backend to frontend is complete. Sure, it needs to look good but more importantly it needs to be functionally correct and reliable on the launch date. No sense in having a “pretty” app that doesn’t work.

Missed Deadlines
You have deadlines to meet making time management critical. The outsourced software development team is consistently missing deadlines. This is often a symptom of lack of scalability in the development team. It is beginning to affect your bottom line and your company’s reputation.

Too Busy to Talk to You
Scheduling a meeting with your outsourced software development team becomes difficult and, on some occasions, impossible. You begin to wonder where their priorities are. Your business is clearly not one of them. When a development team gets overwhelmed they start moving from one emergency to another and only the client who screams the loudest gets serviced.

Your Approach to Business Changes Over Time
Just as your business changes so do your needs and approach to business. You need a software development team that provides you with the ability to scale your business resources over time. When your team ceases to change and grow with you it is time to change. Outsourcing should allow you to focus on running your business. When your attention must be on whether your outsourced software development team is starting a project on time and meeting deadlines it is time for a change. An effective outsourced software development team will ensure that your company is profitable and that you remain competitive.

The Solution
When you see the signs that indicate it is time to end one business relationship and begin a new one, bring in a new team. A new outsourced software development team can come in and begin a software takeover project to get your business operations back on track. The days of one-size-fits-all software are gone. You need a team that will build custom software to meet your business needs and have the scalability to meet your schedule.