Dedicated development teams: an enhanced alternative that’s offered by the best software outsourcing companies in Sri Lanka

Software outsourcing has long since gained popularity, with the rise of remote work and cloud computing. Now, businesses and agencies alike are asking questions that help teams deliver efficiency and excellence together.

One such question revolves around software outsourcing engagement models. Dedicated development teams is one such model that is extensively being considered for its level of commitment and versatility towards businesses that adopt it, via their outsourcing partners.

So in this article, we delve into:

• What dedicated software development teams are,
• How they compare against traditional shared service models, and,
• How you can set up your own team, with strategic guidance from your software outsourcing partner.

What is a dedicated development team?

A dedicated development team in software outsourcing refers to a group of architects, designers, developers, and testers that are sourced by a software outsourcing partner, to exclusively serve one specific client.

This means that dedicated teams aren’t shared resources that can be moved from one client’s project to another (or work on multiple clients’ projects simultaneously) in a manner that’s conducive to the traditional shared model.

Dedicated development team vs shared development team: what’s the difference?

Dedicated development teams aren’t shared among multiple clients

The exclusivity factor is the most conspicuous characteristic of a dedicated software development team – and the top reason why it is chosen by businesses who demand top-level confidentiality, and also prefer to maintain con-compete agreements in some cases.

Dedicated team members can be supplied with exclusive contracts and NDAs that can bind them to the obligations of the project. This is something that would be harder to do with shared team members, as these resources will often either be moving from one client’s project to another, or (as is most often the case) be working across multiple clients’ projects at the same time.

Dedicated development teams enable the fullest focus of all team members

With a dedicated development team, business leaders have an offshore team which, while requiring less administrative responsibilities, delivers the level of attention and commitment akin to in-house teams. As a result, dedicated development teams may cost more than a traditional shared engagement model, but companies also receive added value, through an all-hands-on-deck approach.

Dedicated development teams often source domain-specific subject matter experts

To build a dedicated development team, software outsourcing companies typically conduct candidate sourcing programs to exclusively hire for their client who needs it. Product owners and other executives on the company’s side will be able to get involved in the recruitment process, by conducting candidate interviews and providing their feedback. All other administrative tasks are handled by the software outsourcing partner, such as background checks, contract management, and post-hire training.

As a result, software outsourcing companies focus on candidates who have expertise that is specific to the client’s industry, region(s) of operation, and even compliance obligations. In turn, dedicated development teams don’t just end up being a set of resources that are solely reserved for a client – they end up being a team of specialists who are already primed to offer leverage to a business’s software development needs, thanks to their niche expertise.

Again, this is something shared teams may not always be able to accommodate, as team members can be from various backgrounds that are unrelated to a business’s specialties.

Dedicated development teams are often a requisite for meeting compliance objectives

For many businesses that need to meet compliance objectives, a dedicated team can end up being a must. Companies don’t have the liberty to choose here, as maintaining strict confidentiality and non disclosure is essential for regulatory purposes. The stakes are high for training and retention too; with new hires requiring comprehensive training in order to understand compliance requirements and legal formalities, companies prefer to retain their dedicated team members via their IT outsourcing partner, for as long as they can.

A shared model may be able to accommodate some compliance related functions, but NDAs could be hard to retain due to team members’ constant movement between projects (including any that belong to direct competitors). But for highly regulated industries, or pretty much any business that needs strict confidentiality, a shared model will likely fall short.

How to hire a dedicated development team for your business, in partnership with top software companies in Sri Lanka

If you are already partnered with a software outsourcing company in Sri Lanka, this step-by-step mini guide can help you navigate the specifics of building your own dedicated development team.

In case you do not have a software outsourcing partner in Sri Lanka or you are partnered with one elsewhere, the below steps will still be useful. In fact, this list shall help your teams evaluate prospective and existing partners alike, to determine whether they are bound to be reliable going forward.

1. Assess your own business and its digital posture first: This is important, as it enables both sides to understand the total scope of work involved. Also identify which KPIs matter, and how these can be measured.
2. Build detailed job descriptions for your ideal team members: While job descriptions and candidate profiling are tasks that are done during the initial assessment stage, it deserves its own highlight, especially when building a dedicated software development team.
3. Review CVs, and get involved in the interview process: Your software outsourcing partner will do all the heavy lifting for sourcing the right candidates and onboarding them. However, it is imperative that business leaders interview candidates themselves, and determine who would be the best fit for a dedicated development team (that is likely offshore, too).
4. Hire and train: Once your outsourcing partner concludes with paperwork and onboarding, a training process is needed to transfer any knowledge, be it specific to your business domain, your region(s) of operation, or your compliance obligations.
5. Keep an eye on day-to-day operations: Even though a clear delegation and offloading of duties is the prime reason for many businesses to adopt software outsourcing, it is highly recommended to supervise teams on a daily basis. This helps steer operations in the right direction, while any problems receive prompt attention.
6. Evaluate performance, both collectively and individually: By this point, a reporting system for mapping and evaluating your software’s KPIs should be established. Also periodically assess the performance of each individual team member, to determine their overall rate and quality of contributions to the team, and towards other software KPIs at large.

In conclusion…

Dedicated development teams, albeit requiring larger upfront financial and contractual commitments, offer complete focus from team members, advanced expertise, and heightened confidentiality. It is a worthy option for businesses that are highly regulated and have austere compliance obligations, or for any endeavour that requires undivided attention from an outsourced team.

To build a dedicated software development team, it is imperative to first have a solid partnership with a software outsourcing or IT consulting services company that you trust. Enlist their expertise to assess the digital posture of your business and hire the right resources, later followed by periodic performance evaluations that paint a picture of how effective your team is at meeting expected goals and timelines.

As opposed to a conventionally shared model, dedicated development teams can essentially be considered as an extension of your business team in many cases – since team members are contracted to only serve your business’s software development needs.