Exploring Different Ways to

Tackle Internal Software Projects

June 25, 2022

#TheSoftwareTaskForce #SoftwareDevelopment

 

Today, nearly every business uses some type of software. Commercial products account for most of the software used, but in many cases, businesses need software that is tailored to specific needs of the company. This requires some sort of custom software development and/or maintenance. Where do these companies turn to tackle projects like these? Let’s look at common options for maintaining and/or developing software and the challenges involved with each one:

 

Option 1: Leveraging In-house Developers

Some companies have access to software developers internally. This option can be viable as it is very cost effective and there is complete control over the SDLC. Current employees may also have a much better understanding of business needs. The challenge here is in availability. Many in-house developers have existing projects that they’re working on and may not have the time to focus on new ones. They also may not have the specialized skills needed. Hiring new staff for a one-time project puts an added strain on budgets and requires HR time and effort for onboarding and training programs.

 

Option 2: Contracting a Local Developer

Another option is to hire a company locally to work on-site with you through to completion. While this may be an effective method, it can become very expensive, and those expenses can continue over time with maintenance or updates. For some smaller companies or those with limited budgets, this may not be a viable option.

 

Option 3: Outsourcing an Overseas Developer

Enter international development services. Hiring overseas developers is popular because it significantly cuts costs. They are also very accessible due to aggressive marketing strategies and freelancing platforms such as UpWork. In most cases you hire an individual/team for a project, give them your own specifications and they code your project to those exact specifications. This option can work if there’s a heavy focus on coding itself, however, there are several potential problems going this route, one of them being communications.

 

Many outsourced developers abroad are from eastern European/southeast Asian countries. English may not always be a first language for them. Communicating ideas, questions and concerns may not be clear if there’s a slight language barrier between the client and customer. Also keep in mind any type of time difference you may have, this would either require you to work different hours to communicate with them, or them to alter their schedule to meet with you.

 

Another issue associated with outsourcing can be the skillset of the third party hired. Software developers (especially those outsourced) are generally very skilled at writing code, but you need to give them exact specifications for your software project. If their code meets those specifications, they will consider their job complete. Any follow-up changes will be considered a new project.

 

Full management of a project and agile reaction to new information is difficult without an on-site analyst that fully understands and monitors the project and user requirements. An individual coder, or group of coders abroad will not be able to do this.

 

Option 4: Hybrid Sourcing

As you can see, each of the options above has pros and cons. This is where The Software Task Force comes in. The Software Task Force, based in Western Massachusetts, combines the advantages of the above and minimizes the disadvantages using a new concept called “Hybrid Sourcing”.

 

Hybrid Sourcing uses a systems analyst (coined Software Commander) that works directly with you on-site/remotely, and when applicable leverages its own team of highly skilled offshore developers to reduce costs. When necessary for security compliance, the entire project can be limited to US-based developers. The Software Taskforce can work on new projects, upgrade existing systems, or supplement existing developers to complete nearly any type of software project.

 

Nexas America LLC (a 15-year leader in developing and implementing solutions for the Manufacturing Industry) created The Software Task Force after many requests by clients to solve specific software problems. Now, this team of skilled and tested talent is ready to help anyone solve software problems on an as-needed basis.