If you want to build some software for your startup, you can either outsource a team of developers or hire an in-house one. From this article, you’ll get to know how to get started.
Startups might need to develop custom software to help them meet their specific needs more efficiently. New apps, programs and systems should integrate seamlessly with the software that you already use. Plus, they should save your time, costs and efforts. From this article, you’ll get to know how to approach software development if your business is just getting started.
To Hire an In-House Team or to Outsource?
Both approaches have their respective pros and cons. If you opt for an in-house team, you should be able to benefit from the following aspects.
- You’ll need to spend less time and money on onboarding new specialists.
- Since all your team members know and share your corporate standards, it will be easier for them to collaborate.
- Compared to outsourced teams, in-house ones normally have quicker response times and higher engagement.
However, you should be ready to pay your in-house specialists fixed payrolls, health insurance and vacation days. Plus, you’ll need to organize ongoing training for them.
If you outsource a development team, you won’t need to pay them full-time salaries. They will take care of their accounting, taxes and other legal issues without your help. If you know precisely which skills you’re looking for, you should be able to quickly find teams that specialize in that particular sphere and assess their competencies.
Outsourcing software development for startup would be ideal if you are not planning to create new products continuously but need to release them as one-offs. An outsourced team will be able to start working on your project immediately, without any onboarding delays. You’ll be able to hire a skilled remote team regardless of your own location. Moreover, you might be able to cut down costs compared to hiring locally.
You won’t need to constantly monitor the performance of a remote software development team. They will send you reports in time intervals that you set. Meanwhile, your in-house staff will be able to concentrate on their everyday activities without any distractions.
Outsourced teams have all the necessary tools at their disposal. You won’t need to buy any software for them.
Finally, remote teams are perfect for scaling. Scaling their software development departments is one of the biggest challenges that startups face when they start to grow. When you collaborate with outsourced professionals, you just inform them about your new requirements. You won’t need to hire new specialists yourself and organize the work of a bigger team. This might save you a lot of time and money.
As for the shortcomings, outsourced teams might provide little maintenance once the project is complete. Make sure to discuss this aspect with them in advance and mention your arrangements in a written contract. Also, you might lack an established exit management plan. This is another thing that you should discuss before signing the contract. Miscommunication might also be a common problem. To avoid it, you should appoint only one person in charge of communications from your side. Your developers shouldn’t talk with a new person each time.
Pick the Optimal Programing Language
Many startup founders and managers who lack profound IT knowledge rely on the developers’ professionalism and let them choose the programming language. But that might be the wrong approach. The developer might try to convince the client that the language that they know best is ideal for the project. However, they might not tell you about the shortcomings of this language. You should learn a bit about all the potential options to make an impartial choice. Also, if you understand the basics of a programming language, it will be easier for you to communicate with the developers.
Here are the most famous programming languages.
- C. It’s the oldest language. It’s famous for its portability, which means it can be run on many different platforms. On the flipside, it doesn’t support object-oriented programming (that is, programming that contains both data and functions).
- Java. This is a particularly versatile language. Developers often use it to create video games and mobile applications. However, it tends to run a bit slow.
- JavaScript. It’s mainly used to create apps and video games. With its help, developers can add interactive elements to a site through a browser rather than a server.
- Python. This open-source language is remarkably easy to learn and can be used for very diverse development projects.
- Ruby. It’s considered one of the best programming languages for web applications. Ruby is flexible — but at the same time, very difficult to maintain at scale.
If you wish, you can choose any other language for your product. But the more exotic it is, the harder it will be for you to find new specialists in the future.
Create a Wireframe
A wireframe is a design blueprint of a software product. For instance, these are the following aspects that you should pay attention to when drafting the looks of your site.
- Intended users
- Business objectives
- Page layout
- Content organization
- Logo/message location
- Call-to-actions
A wireframe is not synonymous to a prototype. At this stage, you’re only planning your product. In case of the prototype, you already start building it.
Select the Right Development Methodology
To supervise the development of the software for your startup, you can stick either to the traditional or agile methodology. Both should help you to meet your budget and avoid delays.
The traditional methodology suggests that you should design a fixed plan for your software development process. The agile approach requires no initial planning. If the product requirements change, the team will be adjusting their workflow on the fly.
For startups, flexibility is one of top priorities. That’s why most of them opt for the agile methodology. Usually, it involves lower development costs and higher software quality. It enhances collaboration among distant teams and minimizes the time to the market.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article came in handy and now you better understand the specifics of software building for startups. Thanks to custom-built software, you should be able to quickly transform your unique ideas into competitive products.
