With rising labour costs and a relative scarcity of high quality .Net developers in the US, nearshore software outsourcing is becoming an increasingly popular option for businesses throughout the country. Combining the economic advantages of outsourcing whilst being situated within a short journey from your base in the US, nearshore development provides the happy medium between the ability to stay in regular communication with a development team and a cost-effective, efficient workforce. Provided you are able to set up a nearshore team that runs smoothly and efficiently, your company can experience substantial gains, both in the cost and performance of running a .Net development team.
But the reason many are unwilling to consider this option stems from often unfounded fears regarding their ability to manage it from a distance and the ability to communicate business needs across cultural and linguistic barriers. None of this, however, should be a barrier to your business entering this area, provided you stick to the following general guidelines when forming and managing your nearshore dedicated development team. After all, the .Net coding language was designed to be a universal language transcending all linguistic and national barriers.
Become acquainted with your team leader
It is vital to know your team leader as he or she will be your mediator with the rest of the team. If you know that you can trust your team leader to understand and carry out your instructions, as well as to act in an ethical and responsible manner, you can be reasonably certain that they will ensure the entire .Net development team works efficiently as well.
Become aware of any linguistic or cultural barriers that might exist
This might be as simple as understanding which language or languages are spoken in the region and the level of English comprehension, or making a conscious effort to communicate clearly and repeating yourself when necessary. But it is also important to understand any cultural differences that might affect business practices; observing correct etiquette will ensure a better relationship with your team.
Combine written and verbal forms of communication
In order to ensure that misunderstanding and confusion is kept to a minimum, it is highly advisable to combine both written and verbal forms of communication when interfacing with your team. In this way, any misunderstanding that might arise from one form of communication is likely to be cleared up by reference to the other and your team is likely to advance more smoothly and rapidly towards their goals
Visit your team
Finally, one of the big advantages of nearshore outsourcing as opposed to traditional offshore practices is that your .Net development team will be located within a relatively short journey from your place of business. Make sure to take advantage of this and to regularly visit your .Net coders in their home country. This allows you to clear up any communication problems that might persist on the spot, as well as to observe how your developers function as a team. You can also liaise with your team leaders and your visit will ensure your team feels connected to your business as a whole.
Looking to build a nearshore dedicated development team, we would welcome the opportunity to help, contact us now!
