Choosing the Right Outsourcing Partner – is Outsourcing to Vietnam Right for You?

Right now, today, Vietnam is the top software development outsourcing destination in the world. In fact, this has been the case since 2016, when Cushman & Wakefield named Vietnam as the number one global destination for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). This is why companies from all over the world choose Vietnamese providers as their trusted partners, and why so many companies continue to invest in Vietnam. So, how you can select a winning development partner for your business? That’s the subject of today’s blog.

Do you really need to outsource?

Outsourcing software development is an excellent way to give your business a competitive edge. Turning development over to a team of experts means that your products and services will have capabilities and a level of professionalism that might otherwise be lacking, especially if your staff has limited IT experience and resources. In fact, it’s often more cost-effective to outsource some projects than to build and develop the kind of team you’d need to do it in-house.

What part of the work should I outsource?

As above, it’s a matter of knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Outsourcing projects that require skills your team just doesn’t have free them to do the jobs at which they excel. ROI is maximized because the right people are doing the right jobs. In other words, play to your strengths.

So why Vietnam?

In the previous blog post, “Vietnam: The Next Giant in Software Outsourcing Development?”, we talked about both internal and external factors that have made Vietnam the global leader in IT outsourcing. But choosing a vendor requires the same diligence no matter where you are in the world. Some things to consider:

1. Does the vendor have a proven record of success?

The best way to predict how successful a potential vendor will be with your project is to take a look at how successful they’ve been with other partners in the past. You’ll want to know how satisfied previous customers have been, and you can do this by asking the vendor to provide some customer reviews and comments. It’s also a good idea to ask for case studies of previous projects, especially those that are similar in size and scope to your own project.

2. How experienced are the vendor’s team members?

The product of any outsourcing project will become an integral part of your company’s process and image. A quality developer will directly affect your products and services not just today, but into the future as your app or website needs to be revised and updated. Checking the background of team members via CV will give you an overview of all developers who you’ll be working with.

3. Good communication is critical

Working with Vietnamese developers means you can eliminate some of the cultural roadblocks and language difficulties that can delay and complicate the relationship. Vietnamese professionals speak the international language of English and understand cultures from all over the world. Our experience at Adamo Software suggests the importance of arranging an interview with the whole team before getting started to make sure the development team fully understands and appreciates your product idea.

4. How will the development team test your product?

Testing is considered the final step—the quality check before launching an application or a website. This process is applied to ensure functionality with no bugs. Make sure that the vendor’s tester team has the necessary talent and experience to find any bugs and work with the development team to resolve them.

5. What is the vendor team’s development process?

By scheduling regular updates during the development process, you can keep yourself in the loop and learn about small problems before they become big ones. It’s a partnership and making sure you and the vendor are on the same page at all times strengthens the relationship. Deadlines are met when communication is open and the focus is on finding a solution, not someone to blame.

6. Does the vendor truly understand your requirements?

To make sure your project runs smoothly your outsourcing partner must completely understand the project requirements, specifically and holistically. Don’t move forward with any project until you’re sure the vendor knows what you want and how you want to achieve it. It’s like that old adage about the blind man describing an elephant based on which part of it he can feel. You want a partner that understands the details but also shares the same vision of the project as you. Then you can hammer out the details and proceed.

7. What about the cost?

Outsourcing helps you optimize your business; therefore, the cost is one of the key considerations in choosing a vendor. Carefully look at the numbers generated in the contract, and clarify all possible assumptions or simplifications. Make sure the contract includes information about pricing changes as contract conditions change.

8. What is the vendor’s security protocol?

To protect your privacy as well as your business information, you must query any potential provider for a description of how they protect their facility from external security risks. The details of this information should be written into the contract.

9. Are there protections for changes in business conditions?

Is the contract a win-win, proposed in a manner that protects both your company and the provider? Changes in business conditions are beyond either party’s control, and if one is harmed by these external forces, both parties suffer. Ensure that the contract makes such accommodations.

Conclusion

Outsourcing is often a perfect solution, but it can also present challenges. It’s up to you to mitigate this risk by carefully evaluating potential suppliers based on the criteria laid out in this post. Of course, we also hope that you’ll consider Adamo Software as your outsourcing partner. But even if you just want more information about this unique working relationship, feel free to contact us and one of our consultants can answer any questions you might have.

Ref: http://www.tc-systems.net/8-questions-to-ask-before-outsourcing/