Software engineering in Agile methodology has become a standard for software houses, clients, and developers. In the Agile mindset, large projects are broken down into smaller parts so that developers can use their time efficiently to produce software, and clients can often preview the effects of their work. Agile style is also vital when cooperating with an outsourcing team. Iterative development allows you to more easily monitor the progress of developers working on the other side of the globe and more effectively use the workforce to complete outsourced tasks. When you have no development team members, an Agile outsourcing team is worth its weight in gold. Check out our article on the benefits and opportunities of working with an outsourcing workforce using Agile methodology.
The Agile Workforce – A New Necessity in IT
The IT marketplace is changing at a rapid pace. An idea that had a particular shape before the project started may change several times during the course. With Agile, there is space for comments, corrections, and returning to earlier stages of work if a concept has changed. Working according to an outdated waterfall style, you would have to throw the whole project in the trash, and saving time, money, and results would be impossible.
Another necessity of using the Agile model is the decreasing number of people working in waterfall models. The market requires young coders to be familiar with Agile methodologies, so you may soon have trouble finding people working in other ways. The sooner you are convinced to work in Agile, the fewer challenges your business will face later.
Understanding Outsourcing in the IT Industry
Workforce outsourcing is a common practice in software jobs. Finding a team based in a different region specializing in specific technologies is faster and cheaper than a long on-site recruitment process. You also save time on worker training and avoid the risk that some will choose another employer. In addition, the external team can be scaled down or up at any time, depending on the project’s needs.
Onshoring, Nearshoring, and Offshoring – What Are the Differences?
The concept of IT outsourcing has a slightly different meaning depending on how far away your programming team is from you. The most common type of workforce outsourcing is offshoring, where you work with a company from another continent. Employing programmers from developing countries is usually the most financially advantageous. If you want to learn more about the advantages associated with offshoring, follow our tips in this post.
Nearshoring is a form of IT outsourcing in which you choose a team working on the same continent as your company. In this case, the minor time differences allow for convenient collaboration and meetings, making the project easier to control.
The third term, onshoring, means working with an outsourcing company inside your country. It is a good option for businesses that don’t want to deal with language barriers. If you can’t find people in your area willing to work for you, you can hire a close-knit, experienced, and talented team from another city.
Key Benefits of Outsourcing for IT Agility
Cooperation with Agile teams outside your country has numerous benefits for your business, such as growing and expanding into other markets. First, outsourcing is cost-efficient due to developing regions’ different living standards and currency strengths. By considering working with an agile team from any part of the world, you have access to a global talent pool of specialists in the most popular technologies. If you want to do things differently than your competitors, you are not limited by trends in your country.
You can scale workforce outsourcing at will, paying slightly higher costs than expected at the beginning or making additional savings. Another advantage is the reduced amount of time and money spent on recruiting. All of this is in the hands of the outsourcing teams’ HR departments, and you are left to choose the best one with staff working in the technologies your company needs now.
Overcoming Challenges – Best Practices
If you have never tried an Agile outsourcing workforce plan, you may encounter challenges that will delay the start of the project. The most critical inconveniences include communication barriers and time zone differences. You don’t have to require all members of the Agile workforce to speak your language fluently. Before signing a contract, check that the team leader or other person supervising the offshore staff can communicate efficiently with your employees in one of the most common languages.
Taking into account the time difference between your country and the outsourced Agile workplace is also crucial to the success of your project. Best practices say that the time difference between countries should be no more than 6 hours so that it is possible to hold a remote meeting during the working hours of both companies. If you are developing several projects simultaneously, you can flexibly combine cooperation models, outsourcing some tasks to offshore agile employees and other to workers from your continent or country. If the cooperation is not satisfying, you can quickly change the terms or look for another outsourcing Agile organization.
Future Trends in Outsourcing and IT Workforce Agility
Today’s business landscape is almost limitless, and we can expect similar conditions shortly. The rapid development of AI is expanding the capabilities of existing products and services to make customers’ lives as easy as possible and solve even the most complex problems. How will implementing an Agile workforce help develop business in the future?
Flexible Workplaces
After the pandemic experience, most programmers prefer to work from home while prioritizing a diverse and flexible work environment so they don’t experience burnout too quickly. Working for outsourcing Agile business meets their needs and allows you to work with the top talents on the market without worrying that they will change jobs after finishing one project.
Easy Access to Recent Technologies
Talented programmers want to work on the latest technologies and apply Agile workforce planning. From now on, providing them with development opportunities will no longer be your concern, as workforce management companies will take care of it. Meanwhile, you and your in-house team will enjoy the benefits of an Agile workforce, much more experienced in the most popular technologies.
Unstable Global Situation
We live in times of several ongoing armed conflicts. However, despite the wars, life goes on, and businesses try to thrive as before. If you run a business in conflict-prone areas, using Agile outsourcing will allow you to prosper even if there will be significant organizational changes to business operations in your country.
Conclusion
Working in waterfall mode is becoming irrelevant. So is relying entirely on an in-house development team. Implementing Agile outsourcing squads to your business is an increasingly popular solution that brings many financial benefits and greatly accelerates software development. The expertise and experience of outsourced employees who constantly learn new skills by working with companies with a similar profile to yours is also invaluable.
Create an Agile workforce today by working with Scalo – a seasoned outsourcing partner. The extensive experience of our programmers will allow you to develop new custom ideas faster than your competitors, who still waste time and resources searching for the right people in their area. Choose Scalo and get ready for the future!