Mistakes to Avoid When Outsourcing Mobile App Development
Unless you have been living under a rock, chances are you might be aware of the rising popularity of mobile apps. This is an overloaded digital world where mobile apps are found everywhere. Mobile app development is not a choice for businesses, instead it has become the need of the hour. Many businesses, be it small or large, are attempting their luck in the realm of mobile app development services. Yet, it is not a piece of cake for many.
You may have got a well-defined and fantastic mobile app idea dancing around in your mind, and you are all set to turn it into a reality. But, you are afraid of hefty costs and managing priorities. Don’t worry, you can always outsource app development. Well, before you dive headfirst into the outsourcing pool, let’s explore some common slip-ups you’ll want to sidestep to ensure a seamless journey.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Outsourcing Mobile App Development
- You Go for the Cheapest Outsourcing Partner Without Conducting Background Checks
Enterprises always want to save up money as they want to maximize their return on investment. For this reason, choosing the cheapest outsourcing partner is the foremost mistake that one can make. Once you come across an outsourcing company who promises to build your dream app for peanuts. You budge for it, thinking that you will end up with a stellar mobile app. However, remember that quality comes with a price. Going for the cheapest option might lead to subpar results, missed deadlines, and communication breakdowns. Instead, you should explore the website, compare the teams, social media pages, technical expertise, client reviews and previous work of potential development partners. Entrusting someone with your unique project vision is a big responsibility, so you should not skip background checks of your potential outsourcing partners. The bottom line is hire the right firm that seems compatible with your business goals and do not consider the price point only.
- You Neglect Effective Communication with your Outsourcing Team
No matter you’ve outsourced your brainchild, you should own your app. Period.
As an app owner, you should know ways to take out work and synchronize with your development team. You are not dealing with a black hole.
You should effectively communicate with your development partner regarding project updates and provide constructive feedback. A great product is delivered on time when there is clear and consistent communication with the development partners, which also promotes long-term relationships.
- You Underestimating the Importance of Testing
Your app is near completion and you’re excited to launch it. But, hold your horses – have you passed it through various stages of quality assurance?
Quality assurance is one significant step that you should not forget about. A quality assurance specialist ensures that your app runs on various OS, phones and devices and is free from bugs and glitches.
Rushing through the testing phase or skipping it altogether can leave bugs in your app, which in return, won’t provide smooth user experience.
- You Disregard Security Concerns for Your App
Although app security is a crucial concern, many outsourcing companies do a sloppy job in this regard. Neglecting security features can put your users’ data at risk and potentially land you in a serious legal mess. The situation can get worse if your application deals with users’ personal or financial data.
You should be firm from the ground up while selecting an outsourcing partner and make sure that the team follows industry’s best security practices. It is better to be safe than sorry later.
- You Fail to Set Clear Expectations from the Development Partner
The outsourcing team is not your in-house employees who might know your working pattern, communication style and project expectations. You should be crystal clear about your business vision, app objectives, and user preferences right from the start.
Ambiguity can lead to unwanted outcomes and disappointment which can ultimately jeopardize your app.
Explain every nitty-gritty detail; app’s features, design elements, budget, target audience and the timeline upfront. Don’t forget to document this into a project requirement document to avoid confusion.
Setting clear expectations from the start is always important. If you do it poorly, your project will fail and you will end up having nothing in hand.
P.S: Sometimes you are vivid in your expectations, but these are certainly unrealistic expectations. Be sure that you onboard your outsourcing partner and factor in their thoughts before setting expectations.
- You Don’t Think About the App Maintenance in the Long Run
Another common blunder app development companies make is not negotiating about the responsibility of app maintenance and updates.
Mobile app development services require updates, bug fixes and maintenance over time. Outsourcing shouldn’t be a one-and-done deal. You have to keep checking your application for regular updates.
If you don’t update them, they’ll not provide consistent user experience across all the platforms. Your users will be frustrated and will leave your app. You’ll be pushed away from the competition. This will lead to declining revenues as well as users.
- Your Project Manager Could be a Wrong Choice
Your outsourcing partner seems amazing and now you think that you can be hands-off.
Truth is: app development outsourcing cannot be completely left on the outsourcing team. You should hire a project manager to oversee the development team’s progress, issues related to timelines and steer the ship in his way.
If the project manager fails to part due diligence and active involvement, you could face missed deadlines, security setbacks and overall a low-quality app.
Conclusion
Mobile app development is an epically evolving field where millions of apps are introduced to the world everyday. Businesses find it strategically appealing to outsource app development. This also helps them save costs, drive expertise and innovation.
But they can fall prey to some pitfalls and their journey can become a dauntless one. Follow our guide and avoid these blunders to make the road much smoother. We don’t guarantee that you’ll be great at outsourcing if you manage to avoid these mistakes. But, you’ll learn along the way and only time will tell where you were right and where you were wrong!
