Having a developer in-house is convenient for project management reasons, however, it’s not always financially viable for a marketing department or agency. On top of financial viability, not one developer can handle the breadth of development needs your team may have. Outsourcing web development has become a common activity for smart agencies and can often help a team to uplevel their service capabilities.
With any outsourcing project, there are risks involved, and you don’t have time for your projects to go over the deadline or end up improperly developed. To help keep your web development projects stay on task, avoid the following mistakes when sourcing your outsourced web developer(s).
You compromise quality for the price
When you first start to source your outsource projects, you’ll collect various quotes with various ranges. You may get a fixed-price quote and an hourly rate with a projected timeline. Whatever you receive, undoubtedly, the price that will stand out will be the cheapest. You’ve probably heard this before, but do not compromise quality for price, get reviews, request portfolios, or lean towards developers who are experts/specialize in the type of development you need. There is no value in under-par work.
You always work with your favorite developer
Showing allegiance to one freelancer can have its ups, great working relationships, and downs; he/she is unfamiliar with this or that kind of build. As I mentioned above, there are so many technicalities to development, for one person to be in expert in all, it just isn’t possible. If your favorite freelancer isn’t experienced in the type of build you need, you shouldn’t feel guilty about looking elsewhere; they should advise you to do the same. Why pay for them to figure it out?
You are not focusing on working relationships
There is something to having a great working relationship: open communication, project management, and understanding of working styles. You need to be able to communicate with your developer, plain and simple, be really focused on your initial conversations, and start with a small project to test out the waters. You won’t regret asking the right questions and focusing on fostering a good working relationship.
You expect developers to have the same project management style as you
Your web developer may not have the same style as you do. They may work off a ticketing system, they may have other projects on the go, and they may not check in every day. You have to be okay with your developer not working at your pace or in the same style as you do. Be prepared to adapt.
You've chosen one person when you could have a team
Why work with one expert when you could work with a team of experts? Aside from having a resource of developers, they will also have more time for you and the capability to handle more projects.
With anyone you hire, you always do your due diligence, The same should be said with your outsourced web developers: weigh your options, think through thoroughly, and consider how each developer can work best for you.
