The Challenges of Offshore Mobile App Development

The mobile application landscape is experiencing a phenomenal growth. This tremendous development has led to the emergence of numerous mobile apps in the market. Every other organization has launched a mobile app to ensure that they leave no stone unturned to bridge the gap with the customer base.

Such being the current scenario, is it that easy to own a mobile app? It is high time organizations reassess the real need and value a mobile app adds to its core business.

The development of a mobile app involves a series of evaluative processes. Also, there is lot of funds and technical expertise to be dedicated to this task. It is evidently not possible for an organization to come up with a mobile app overnight.

Amongst the numerous considerations for a mobile app development is to seek offshore development assistance. We might have come across “outsourcing” but offshoring is a slightly different methodology wherein the company outsources the development tasks to a concern of foreign origin in a different geography.

Read also: Top Reasons Why eCommerce Stores Should Invest In Mobile App Development

Why are projects given away to offshore companies?

The primary reason to obtain technical assistance offshore is to reduce the budget of the mobile app development. Local service providers may have stringent regulations to be adhered and may not compromise on the total budget. When organizations go for offshore service providers, the total cost of the project weighs less on the budget.

The next thing which might strike your mind would be why aren’t all mobile app development projects dealt in offshore locations? Well, let us drill down the intricacies…

Though offshore development may seem far more cost effective, it actually comes along with its own bunch of challenges. They are:

· Communication gap:

The key to the success of every offshore development project is filling up the communication gap. When teams work from remote locations, it is pivotal that they communicate at regular intervals of time to clarify aspects and obtain the right guidance from the in-house team. The team on-shore should be able to align the objectives of the project with that of the organizational goals to achieve the ultimate result. The possibility of such a communication gap is high when it comes to an offshore development.

· Appropriate planning:

The company should ensure that they have a strong in-house team to have a hold on the project. The entire set up including the in-house and offshore team should be able to have an open discussion about the purpose of the project. Every progressive initiative should be clearly monitored and checked for bottlenecks. All this is possible only if the offshore team is cooperative. If not, it could bring the entire development scenario to a rattling halt.

· Security concerns:

Every other geographical location is governed by the rules of their land. So you will need to be careful when you share business critical information with offshore developers. There is always a risk that the laws of your land may not be applicable to them, putting your business information under utmost risk. Getting a non-disclosure or suitable agreements may help in such cases.

· Working in different time zones:

Though this concern can be worked upon, it still includes a good deal of pre-planning. When the offshore developers are at work in different time zones, your in-house team may have to work out of their comfort zone to catch up with them. This sure could be a tiring task.

· Lack of complete control:

At times, the best thing is to get matters sorted over the coffee table. Well, this may take a total miss when it comes to offshore development. You may have to collaborate with people you haven’t ever seen. You will never know their work culture, their style of work, the technical nuances they stick on to and so on. Offshore development demands for aggressive cooperation from your end on all these aspects.

So is offshore development out of scope?

The success of any offshore development project depends on the organization which seeks help. With the interference of high-end tools and technologies, companies can still keep an eye on every proceeding of the mobile development project and emerge successfully.

Final thoughts:

Systematic planning, methodological approach and a clear vision of the requirements are the key elements which will undoubtedly contribute towards reaping maximum benefits of every development cycle, let alone an offshore development phase.