11 Useful Tips for Making the Most of Offshore Development

In recent years, COVID-19 has significantly changed business models, and demand for DX has grown. Amid this, many non-IT as well as IT companies want to digitalize in order to improve operations and expand their business. However, due to the IT talent shortage, building an in-house IT department is difficult and costly. As a result, more companies are outsourcing overseas, starting with Vietnam.

This time, Miichisoft, which has been doing offshore development for over 4 years, has put together 11 tips that we believe will help improve the efficiency of using offshore development. We hope you find them useful.

Offshore development: 11 useful tips

1. Choose the right offshore development company

• Is the security and political situation stable?
  Scale and track record (number of profiles, domains, case studies, etc.)
• Qualifications, certifications, etc.
• CEO's profile (for example, Miichisoft's leader, Mr. Cong, was selected as one of the Top 10 young leaders in the IT industry)
• Payment methods
• Feedback from customers

2. Always sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a contract that prevents trade secrets, manufacturing know-how, and customer information obtained through business dealings from being misused or leaked to third parties. It is important to sign an NDA with the offshore development company before sharing project details.

3. Prepare internally

When outsourcing to an offshore development company, your internal team needs to understand the reasons, expected results, and pros and cons of offshore development. For first-time customers, we recommend holding an internal kick-off meeting to boost team motivation.

4. Set clear goals

Without clear, achievable goals, productivity may decline and the project may drift from its original objectives. In the end, the project may get completed yet fail to meet expectations. It is therefore better for the project owner to clearly define tasks and share a common vision.
To set good goals, we recommend the SMART framework.

• Specific: Provide the offshore development company with accurate project information and descriptions.
• Measurable: Before implementing the project, you need to set quantifiable, measurable goals. Based on these goals, the offshore team's development quality can be evaluated.
• Achievable: The goal should be realistic and appropriate given your current resources.
• Relevant: Set goals that align with your business strategy and core values.
• Time-based: Set a deadline, such as within how many weeks the goal should be achieved.

5. Provide detailed project information

The clearer the information you give the development team, the more likely you are to get the product on budget, on schedule, and as expected. Some necessary tasks include the following.

• Describe the tasks
• Create a list of features, mark their priority, and highlight the most important ones
• Specify the platform on which the product will be developed (Web, iOS, Android, etc.)
• Clarify post-release support and maintenance

6. Communication is essential

Good feedback and accurate understanding are key when running a project. When communication is lacking, efficiency can decline. Conversely, improving communication alone can significantly accelerate the development process.

7. Set up regular meetings

The ideal way to communicate is to keep each other updated on activities and issues. The product owner or project manager needs to provide the team with relevant information and make sure it is documented in demo reports. Reflecting on what went well and what didn't, and finding solutions for the latter, is also essential for both parties.

8. Keep tools continuously updated

Platforms such as Trello, Slack, Zoom, and JIRA have become widely used through the adoption of offshore development. Using the right tools can improve productivity and streamline operations.

In addition, tools such as Skype, Join.Me, and WhatsApp can be used to communicate regularly with your offshore team in order to build collegial relationships and trust.

9. Ensure a smooth workflow

In addition to researching your partner company, it is better to share information about your own business with your offshore partner. This allows both parties to mutually understand organizational structure, work procedures, and the product.

By working closely with your offshore team and communicating your company's goals, concepts, and needs in detail from day one all the way through to product launch, you can ensure a smooth workflow.

10. Properly create and review meeting minutes

It is necessary to check whether decisions, issues, etc. have been recorded. Missing documentation can often lead to significant losses.

When project meeting minutes are accurate and well organized, leaders and team members can communicate effectively with each other. Also, having a record of past meeting minutes makes decisions, issues, and next actions clear, which helps work progress smoothly.

11. Stay in touch with your offshore development company even after release

Once all features have been implemented, the project moves into the maintenance phase, and the development team moves on to other projects. However, since there will still be a need to request bug fixes and additional features from the offshore development company, staying in touch remains an important point.

For offshore development, choose "Miichisoft"

As an offshore development company that has worked with Japanese companies for over 4 years, Miichisoft hopes that the above 11 points will be a useful reference for our customers.

The name Miichisoft is made up of two words: "Mirai Ichiban" (meaning to become the No.1 company providing customers in Vietnam with the most optimal software solution services in the future) and "Software." From new project ideas and implementation to maintenance, Miichisoft will be there to support you.

If you have any questions about offshore development, please feel free to contact Miichisoft.

Email: sales@miichisoft.com