If you have landed on this page, you are probably in search of building a software product and you are in a dilemma to choose either an in-house software developer or outsource software development services.
As a business owner, you would want your product to be built faster with high quality and low costs. But there are some questions that might be running in your mind. Having an in-house software development team is worth your development project? Or should you choose to outsource? Isn’t it too risky to outsource?
Have you found your answers to the above questions? Well, here we are elaborating on the solutions to choose the right team: in-house developers vs a software outsourcing company.
What’s In-House Development?
In-house development means developing software by your own team of developers who are employed by you and dedicatedly work for you. You assemble experienced people who have a comprehensive understanding of business requirements and corporate culture.
Having an in-house team, doing everything on your own without having any help from an external team. The term also encompasses using other resources developed within your company. The way in-house development works is fairly simple, though the success or failure of its implementation really depends on you.
Pros of In-House Development
Here are several advantages to in-house development that will provide you with the reasons to choose this option:
Full Control Over The Project
Since you own the team of developers, you have all the power and visibility on the project over the day-to-day progress, know what your developers are working on, and can react promptly if some hurdles are in the way.
You can train your team from the ground up, making sure they know exactly what tools and technologies to use to develop software. Since developers are the part of your team, they know the needs and can adapt to them as they move from task to task much faster than any external specialist will.
Smooth Communication
Since your in-house developers work at your premises, interacting with them face to face is seamless than in the case of outsourcing. If you have updates or changes, you can easily communicate with them and implement the changes to the project faster and eliminate any mistakes caused by miscommunication almost completely.
Increased Agility
As per the client feedback or your suggestion, an in-house team of software developers can quickly change the features of projects. They can simply add new ones and closely access their technical background. Internal teams also deal with bugs and errors faster.
Cons of In-House Development
There are several disadvantages, too:
High Cost
When we compare the cost with outsourcing, in-house development costs you a bit high. It requires many funds to be invested in the initial stages, especially in small and large-scale projects. The final price is made of expenses that stretch over a period of time, for example, office rent, taxes, software, hardware, overhead costs, training, sick days, benefits, and more.
Limited Expertise
It’s an obvious thing that you can get each expert and skilled person in your team. Still, you may need additional competencies as the project unfolds. For example, if a client wants to develop a project in Ruby on Rails or IoT, for that you need to have experienced developers who have a great experience in that field.
You will need to hire a specific candidate, and thus, run the hiring again.
High Staff Turnover
Software developers are aware that their skills are in demand and tend to change their workplace quite often due to getting much better offers and opportunities. Hence, finding a new developer for your project can seriously impact your speed and slow down your app development process significantly.
What’s Outsourcing Software Development?
Outsourcing software development means allowing some other company to work for your project or products to build. Such companies are usually advanced software development companies that have technocrats and support organizations operating across many different industries.
Outsourcing is a really good and relevant choice for startups without established development and for non-IT enterprises going in for digital transformation. Also, outsourcing helps product companies to speed up time-to-market and scale business by increasing development output.
Pros of Outsourcing Software Development
Top Talent
Software development companies have top-notch developers and specialists, offering their outsourcing partners access to unique talent and expertise. Even developers have worked with various skills and tools, thus, they are capable of handling any software development project.
Moreover, working together as a team with various people will surely help to nurture the ideas and let it grow on the road to success. With their internal communication, they can explore their ideas and solutions with each other, which is a massive added value that doesn’t even land on your bill.
Reduced Costs
If you outsource, you don’t have to worry about the project or premises, or equipment. By outsourcing the development of your project, you avoid worrying about unnecessary things and paying all the costs that come with recruiting and maintaining employees.
Easy Scalability
To achieve good results with an in-house development team is not feasible or possible, as hiring new developers or team members takes a lot of time, and firing them could ruin your team's morale and reputation.
Every project is specific and needs a team composed according to the specific requirements. By outsourcing, you can scale up the team of professionals specialized exactly for that specific project.
Cons of Outsourcing Software Development
Low-quality Code and Documentation
Sometimes companies decide to switch one development for another or keep on working on their product internally. If one team fails to develop appropriate code and documentation, then it will be transferred to another team and that will lead to problematic situations.
Limited Control Over The Project
Since you're handing over the critical project to your outsourcing company, it may be risky because you have limited control over the development team. Still, don’t forget that such teams follow project management standards that enable frequent communication.
Security Threat
There are certain risks - security threats and confidentiality when you outsource your project. Although, it depends on the specific developer or development company. This issue can be neglected if we choose the right and trusted partner. Be sure that you agree on the way of reporting, acknowledgment, and meeting schedules, which are comfortable for both parties.
Conclusion
We really hope that as you reach the end, you could find the answers to your software development project and business needs.
Choosing between the in-house development team and an outsourcing software development company is not easy because both solutions come with their unique advantages. However, by carefully assessing their drawbacks and considering the business needs, we are confident that you will make the right decision.
Why Outsource Your Software Development to The One Technologies?
Having more than a decade of experience, The One Technologies is delivering software development solutions across different industries. We follow the Scrum framework and other industry standards that make us an excellent partner for building your app.
Are you looking for an experienced outsourcing software consulting company? Get in touch with us; we know how to build an app that supports your business goals.
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