The Most Cost-efficient Way to Hire Professional Developers For Your Project

So, you have finally got the long-awaited funding for your IT project. Now you have an idea, a budget, and a strong desire to spend that money as efficiently as possible. In this situation, literally, the first issue you will face is finding developers. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this choice, as these people will bring your idea to life. But where to find them? In this article, we will show you how and where to look for professional developers for your project, and what to consider while making your choice.

What options do you have?

Speaking about the most efficient money use, we won't consider hiring the in-house developers, as this is the most expensive way. Therefore you should look for developers elsewhere, choosing the best balance between price and quality. The most obvious solution here is to hire freelancers. And indeed, what could be easier than finding a specialist with a good rating and reviews, who at the same time will do the job for mere pennies? Right? Wrong!

We understand the temptation of hiring a cheap performer. And it may even work if you have a simple task, such as integrating the site on a website builder with an email service. But for full-fledged projects, this is a dead-end.
Think about it, if a performer is really good, why should he or she do cheap projects, instead of working for a good company and getting 4–5 times more? You run the risk of getting into a situation where your "qualified specialist" is actually a whole bunch of people with rather questionable skills. In this case, a much wiser would be to cooperate with an offshore company, but there are too many of them. How do you find your diamond in the pile of glass?

Where to find a contractor?

In a perfect world, people find developer companies by recommendation of business partners. You are extremely lucky if this option is relevant to you. However, the reality is that you'll most probably have to look for a vendor yourself. Rating resources like Clutch and Good firms are a great help in this endeavor. Look for a company with a higher rating and a lower price tag, and you're good to go.
Nevertheless, this approach entails certain risks. Doing business with an offshore company on your own, you may encounter many unforeseen issues, ranging from bureaucratic nuances up to the fact that it's difficult to manage an offshore team without much experience in this type of cooperation.

A great alternative, in this case, would be to work with a delivery company. Such firms are usually located in the customer's country while being constantly in touch with offshore development companies. By cooperating with such a company, you can get access to a huge pool of high-quality professionals and save a lot of time and effort.

How to choose a contractor for a project

If you want to hire an offshore development team, don't trust the first one you come across. Talk to several of them, ask about their experience and approximate estimate. Don't hesitate to ask questions i.e. what does the contractor see as the key challenges, how will they solve them?
Often developers that understand the task better have a lower estimate. They have a better understanding of how much time the task will take. And if the contractors haven't encountered a similar problem, they will take some extra time, therefore, increasing the price.
When you hire offshore staff you must understand what you want the contractor to do. The fulfillment of your wishes or the solution to specific business problems. Do you want performers who know how to write code and draw design? Or do you want developers that understand your industry and are willing to get involved in the product to solve problems? The answer to this question will determine what to look for when choosing developers.

When looking for offshore developers, the first thing to pay attention to is the technical and professional skills, as well as the soft skills of the vendor. Interview the developers in the same way as the in-house experts. Make sure they know how to document their code and understand the business logic behind it.

Once you've gathered a pool of potential partners, you need to talk to them. Speak to the contractor in your usual industry-specific language. Try to figure out how deeply the vendor understands the specifics of your business. They may not know all the ins and outs of the industry, but they should strive for that. An industry-specific focus is very important. If the contractor has a certain specialization, they understand the industry, business, and user needs more deeply.

After the offshore software company comes back with a commercial proposal, pay special attention to the project evaluation. Usually, the more detailed it is, the more professional the vendor.

Don't look only at the prices offered, but also try to compare estimates for specific tasks. Ask the vendor to tell you what is included in that task. Different agencies price the same task differently. For example, one vendor may plan unit testing while another one won't do it.

Checklist for choosing an offshore development company

• Start by defining what you really want
• Focus on demonstrable experience
• Prioritize long-term goals and strategy
• Evaluate cost-effectiveness not cost itself
• Examine portfolios in detail
• Hold personal interviews
• Sort your candidates
• Evaluate your offshore team as you would an employee
• Work with offshore teams that have specific experience
• Elaborate scope and timelines

Let's summarize. In order to use your budget as efficiently as possible, the best solution is to cooperate with an offshore development company. However, taking on this job yourself can take a huge amount of time, resources, and the result may be disappointing. That's why it makes sense to work with a development company that can help you build your dream team. And that is exactly what UNITEDCODE does. We are a U.S. delivery company bringing together software developers from Eastern Europe as a part of our unique UNITEDCODE delivery service. We carefully select professionals, as well as monitor their involvement in the project.

Contact us and get your dream team now.