The 3 Must-Dos of Offshoring Software Development

As the global demand for cutting-edge technology grows, so does the need for the highly skilled developers who can build it. But with barriers like budget constraints and an increasingly limited supply of locally based software engineers, more and more businesses are looking beyond their shores for help. In the software industry, offshoring development remains a popular trend that has grown into a multibillion dollar industry.

Still, the concept of offshoring talent for the first time can be scary and overwhelming, but when you know how to approach, recruit and manage quality talent, offshoring can become a valuable part of your business. Here are a few of the top insights I’ve generated from managing many teams and hundreds of engineers in India over the past 18 years: 

Tip 1: Make Hiring Senior-Level Developers a Priority

The biggest offshoring mistake companies make is staffing talent without the right level of experience to hit the ground running. As a general rule of thumb, in offshoring software development, it’s best to go with engineers who have at least seven years of experience. Why does having senior-level developers matter? A few things: 

• They enjoy being an engineer: at 13.2 percent, the software industry had one of the highest turnover rates of any industry in 2017. Building software is hard, tedious work; burnout definitely plays a factor in the ever-draining U.S. talent pool. An engineer with at least seven years’ experience has demonstrated commitment to the trade.
• They’re likely better developers: a developer with a track record of steady employment with consistent growth over the years is usually better equipped to handle an extensive project than someone who switches employers every few months.
• They prefer developing over management: engineers with at least seven years of experience who are still developing and coding are usually doing so by choice. Rather than taking on the more administrative role of managing and leading a team, they prefer to stick with hands-on, problem-solving tasks. 

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