[Software] How An Outsourced Development Team Can Improve The Value Of Your Software

[#Drennn.]

I am the founder and CEO of Apriorit, a software development company that provides engineering services globally to tech companies.

During software development, in-house teams tend to prioritize creating new features to support the product's evolution. However, such an approach may lead them into a trap of spending all the budget on supporting legacy code.

What can save them is finding the balance between a product's service value and functional value. One way to find this balance is by outsourcing software development to a team that understands the importance of the product's service value. In this article, I'll tell you how you can identify a software outsourcing company that will enhance your product's business value by improving its service value.

Why Does Service Value Matter?

The business value of software products is made up of two main parts:

• Functional value. This derives from the functionality of a software product that is most valued by end users. This type of business value is formed out of the product's usability, functionality, performance, security and reliability.

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• Service value. This defines the implementation of the product's functional value in the current conditions. It's all about which technologies are used, which specialists work on the project, how fast developers adjust to changes and whether they can ensure a stable development process.

The more a software product's functionality expands, the more code the software contains. That means you have to spend an increasing amount of time and money maintaining the continuously increasing volume of legacy code. Therefore, less budget remains for developing new features.

If your development team puts functional value first, then a time may come when you have to spend all of your budget on maintaining the existing code. Taking care of the product's service value instead can help you ensure ongoing functionality improvements and can make adding new features simpler and cheaper.

How To Improve Your Product's Value With Software Outsourcing

Your in-house development team may be tempted to postpone the implementation of the changes that provide the product's service value in order to satisfy end users' requests by delivering new functionality.

In contrast, it's easier for an outsourcing team to stay the course throughout the development process without being influenced by end users' requests. With the right approach toward the outsourcing team, you can even reduce your costs for delivering new features.

Сompanies that provide outsourcing development services should not only be intermediaries between contractors and end users. Look for companies that understand how important your product's business value is and will work to strengthen it from the beginning of the project.

An outsourced development team that functions this way can decrease the cost of delivering new features for your product by:

• Increasing software efficiency by developing only useful features.

• Removing unnecessary expenses by fixing defects, improving legacy code, reducing project downtime and so on.

By dealing with a company that cares about your product's service value, you can enhance your product's business value with the least resistance from your in-house team.

Looking For The Best Outsourcing Partner

How can you find an outsourcing partner that will treat your product as their own and take good care of its service value? Here are some distinguishing features of such companies:

• Well-implemented corporate culture. Pay attention to a company's corporate culture, as this factor alone plays a significant part in the success of your project. A mature corporate culture should consist of continuous learning and experience exchange. This will guarantee that your dedicated team can take advantage of new technologies, optimize development routines and continue to provide you with the required skills even if key specialists leave the team.

• Contact person for your project. In-team communication is a vital part of a product's service value. Look for a partner who provides a contact person who is always available to you. This ensures the development process is manageable and sustainable. It also makes all project-related communications transparent and fast.

• Full scope of engineering services. Freelance developers don't take as much responsibility for their clients' products as do companies that provide a full scope of engineering services. Consider partnering with a company that offers not only developers but also business analysts and project managers. The participation of such specialists significantly improves your product's service value. Also, they can give you a fresh perspective on your project and ensure efficient management of the project team and resources.

• Strong attention to service value. Pay attention to the way a company plans the development process. While working on new features, they should also take into account the product's service value and allocate some time for its improvement. A lack of attention to infrastructure, technology and development sustainability may harm the functional part of the product.

A competent outsourcing provider has its own mature development processes and follows its own best practices. This makes it able to reliably deliver new features, meet its clients' requirements and avoid budget overruns.

It's natural for an in-house development team to be eager to release and improve a product, thus focusing solely on its functionality. However, in order for the product to succeed in the long term, it's important to maintain the right balance between its service value and functional value. Partner with companies that treat service value as an integral part of the product. Only then can the deep involvement of outsourcing specialists result in a fruitful partnership and lead your product to success.