To make the most of new opportunities coming their way, companies must brace for technological changes. Employing talented software developers can take their business to the next level. Software developers, therefore, play a pivotal role in modern-day business.
Experienced and skilled developers are much sought-after by startups and established companies. As a result, there is a lack of such developers across the globe. According to a Forbes report, there has been an acute shortage of skilled software professionals, and the global talent shortage may rise to 85.2 million by 2030.
The problem has also aggravated due to the way most companies hire developers. Finding top-quality software professionals locally is challenging as many companies compete to attract them.
Hiring remote developers is the best way to deal with this problem. Many companies have already taken steps toward building an offshore team. That said, doing so involves hiring and managing people from different parts of the globe, which is not easy.
However, the following few tips can help you build your dream engineering team. This article discusses how you can build an offshore team of software developers.
What is an offshore team?
An offshore team is a team of developers located in different parts of the world. They use networking software to work and communicate with one another. These members may come from diverse cultural backgrounds, but they work towards a common goal.
The concept of an offshore team is prevalent in the IT industry since software developers can work from anywhere using a stable internet connection. Many companies are building offshore software development teams since they can hire global talents at a significantly lower cost.
Developers in countries like India, Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, and Brazil are highly talented and charge much less than their U.S. counterparts.
6-step guide to building an offshore team
1. Define what you want to achieve
Before you start building a software development team, you must define what you need from them. It will help you find the right talent for your software project. Outline the goals you want to achieve through the offshore development team, how many people you need, and what their role will be in the project.
The more clarity you have, the better your chances of hiring the most qualified talent for your business. You will also have a clear roadmap to achieve your goal.
2. Hire the right developers
Once you know your requirements, the next step is to look for the right talent. In fact, the most challenging task is to build your offshore development team. Finding the best talent requires an investment of both time and money.
Moreover, it may be difficult to identify the right fit for your team from a diverse talent pool. However, hiring diverse developers helps you to create a strong team. Hiring developers involves the following steps:
- Sourcing developers
The first step is to build a pipeline of quality developers for your team. There are many talent outsourcing sites where you can look for developers. Make sure you choose the right one. As for developers, scan through their resumes to see if they have the skills needed for your project. Shortlist the candidate who appears to be the best fit for your team.
- Assess the developer’s technical skill
The next step is to assess the developers’ technical skills and interview them. This process takes a significant amount of time, but it’s essential to hire the right talent. This stage may involve arranging a coding test that helps you determine if the applicant has the right skill aligned with your project requirements.
- Interview the shortlisted candidates
Once you shortlist candidates with the right skills, it’s time to interview them. This step allows you to know more about the developer, the projects they have previously worked on, and the work culture they followed. You can assess their personality, mindset, and communication skills to determine if they will be the right fit for your organization.
Moreover, another thing you need to focus on is if the candidate is self-motivated and committed to completing their tasks since it’s impossible to monitor the daily tasks of an offshore employee.
3. Hire a manager with a proven track record of handling offshore team
Managing an offshore development team is not easy. You will have developers from around the globe working in different time zones. It can be challenging to manage them and get the work done. Hiring a skilled and experienced project manager is essential, especially in the beginning. These managers are well-equipped to handle offshore development teams.
4. Set the right expectations and share your product vision
Whether the team works from the office or home, setting the right expectations is crucial. Explain your software development team goals and what the organization wants to achieve through them. When the team knows what is expected of them, they can put their best efforts into achieving that.
Moreover, many leaders make the mistake of just assigning tasks and wanting the developers to complete them; however, they don’t share the larger vision. It’s not the right way to handle an offshore team, and the developers might feel alienated. Make them a part of the company’s vision and let them know how it will take you one step closer to achieving your goals.
5. Communicate effectively
Unlike a conventional office setup with frequent in-person meetings to track progress and address employee concerns, an offshore development team provides only the option of virtual communication. It is important to ensure that the team does not feel like they have been left in the dark anytime.
Communicate with them regularly to know how they are going about the business. Schedule a fixed time for group meetings when everyone can attend. Besides that, engage with every team member one on one frequently to understand if they are doing well on their projects. Use channels like slack, zoom, and skype for effective communication.
6. Trust your employees, and don’t micromanage
Talented and experienced software developers are highly professional and know how to do their tasks. No one likes when you micromanage them and intervene in their work. Once you build an offshore team and assign them tasks, you should not push them now and then to know how they are doing the job.
Inform them beforehand and set a timeline for when they have to update you about the progress. If you find it hard to get things done, you need to review if you have hired the right people.
Conclusion
Building and managing software development teams remotely is challenging and takes time. You have employees from different parts of the globe, and it requires time to understand one another and collaborate to work toward a common goal. As your offshore development team becomes stable, you can adjust team members according to the project requirement. Consider scaling up your offshore team if you find it beneficial for the business.
Author’s Bio: Subhasish Dutta
Subhasish is a science graduate but a passionate writer and wordsmith who writes website content, blogs, articles, and social media content on technologies, the equity market, traveling, and other domains. He has worked with Affnosys and FTI Technologies as a content writer.