The Better Outsourcing Option
Business owners nowadays find themselves in a tough spot when it comes to outsourcing software development. The dilemma is whether to hire a freelancer or a software development team. The difficulty that comes next is determining the factors that will help you best decide which would suit your project better.
The choice depends on a number of factors. To evaluate these factors, we need to gain an understanding of the work of a freelancer and that of a software development team. We need to further learn about the major similarities and differences between the two approaches. We also need to look at each of their pros and cons, compare the two and finally arrive at a decision.
Let us start by looking at each of the approaches in detail.
Hiring a Freelancer
Freelancers are self-employed developers. They are usually hired on an individual project basis – they develop the project and get paid. As coding is becoming a much-in-demand skill with every passing day, there are a lot of developers getting into freelancing: from newbie software developers to highly experienced programmers. Although it is still fairly difficult to find someone that will fulfill all your project expectations.
Another major factor that comes into play is the cost of hiring. While it is considered cheaper to hire a freelancer, it might not always be the case. The total cost the company will have to pay may not always be low. Freelancers do not provide support after the delivery of the end product. Hence, companies have to hire other professionals for the rest of the tasks such as resolving the bugs, software maintenance, and so on.
A point to note is that it would be difficult to find a freelancer that is good at multiple technical skills. Each developer has his own niche – a skill he is better at than others. This often makes them take more time on the implementation of tasks that are new to them. An increase in the time taken directly affects the costs that the company has to bear.
Freelancers, in most cases, are flexible with their time and usually dedicate about 8 to 9 hours. Again, there are different cases to look at here. Some freelancers work a 9 to 5 job along with freelancing. There are many who work on multiple projects at a time. While there are some who are habituated to juggling multiple projects or jobs at the same time and are still able to manage it efficiently, most find it difficult to do so. This results in them missing the project deadlines or in the worst case, abandoning the project.
Another major factor that comes into play is cost of hiring. While it is considered cheaper to hire a freelancer, it might not always be the case. Whether the total cost the company will have to pay will not always be low. Freelancers do not provide support after the delivery of the end product. Hence, companies have to hire other professionals for the rest of the roles like resolving the bugs, software maintenance and so on.
Another point to note is that Freelancers are usually not experts of specific skills and this sometimes leads to them taking up more time on implementation of tasks that are new to them. Increase in the time taken directly affects the costs that the company has to bear.
Freelancers, in most cases, are flexible with their time and usually dedicate about 8 to 9 hours. But again, there are different cases to look at here. Some freelancers work a 9 to 5 job along with freelancing. There are many who work on multiple projects at a time. While there are some who are habituated to juggling between multiple projects or jobs at the same time and are able to manage it efficiently, most find it difficult to do so and this often leads to them missing the project deadlines or in the worst case, abandoning the project.
Hiring a Software Development Team
A professional software development team’s advantage lies in building a well-developed and highly secure product. A strong point about this approach is that the team consists of members with expertise in specific technical skills that complement the skills of other team members. This works well in favor of the project because each team member mainly works on the aspect of the project that he specializes in. When a software development team is hired, they guarantee you the output in the given time frame.
A software development team will provide end-to-end services for the product. They handle all the phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SLDC), starting from the project requirements and going till the maintenance phase of the product. The team consists of individuals who are experts in different areas of development. It consists of skilled designers, web developers, testers, technical managers, project managers, and so on. Each of them handles the different phases of the project based on their skill set for a smooth process. They also ensure quality output is delivered in a timely manner.
One of the biggest reasons for an inclination towards software development teams is because they provide post-delivery support for the product. Maintenance of the product is a crucial phase of the Software Development Life Cycle. The team maintains the product so that the quality of the product is consistent throughout and resolves the bugs and issues if there are any in a timely manner.
There are improvements incorporated in the product based on the feedback and there is constant work on the performance of the product.
One of the biggest reasons for an inclination towards software development teams is because they support the product after the product has been delivered. Maintenance of the product is a crucial phase of Software Development Life Cycle. The team maintains the product so that the quality of the product is consistent throughout. There are improvements made in the product by scaling the product as and when required, adding new functionalities and resolving the issues that occur.
Deciding factors
Now that we have discussed the major points of both categories, the next step is to understand the factors that need to be considered to make a decision between the two.
Cost
Cost is almost always the main deciding factor. But, which among the two is actually the more expensive option? The answer is it depends. A freelancer is definitely cheaper to hire. But, most of the time, there is a higher return of investment when you hire a software development team. The risk factor also increases tenfold when it comes to freelancers.
Time
Cost is almost always the main deciding factor. But, which among the two is actually the more expensive option? The answer is it depends. A freelancer is definitely cheaper to hire. But, most of the time, there is a higher return of investment when you hire a software development team. The risk factor also increases tenfold when it comes to freelancers.
Size and Scalability
Freelancers might be convenient when it comes to minor projects. The projects that do not have a direct dependence on your main product. But, if you want to build a professional product – something that has guaranteed quality and further support for scalability and maintenance, you should definitely choose a software development team.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Software development teams spend significant time, resources, and efforts on quality assurance throughout the entire development process. Testing is conducted in each phase of development by the quality assurance team to make sure that the product quality is high and consistent. This mitigates as well as prevents a lot of issues that can potentially convert into bigger problems at later stages.
Product Maintenance
Lastly, strong emphasis needs to be given to Product Maintenance. A freelancer’s work is done as soon as the end product is submitted. Product maintenance is not a part of a freelancer’s role while the Software Development Team completely handles the maintenance. For a product to have a good performance and to easily scale without any errors and issues, maintenance is extremely important. They strive to bring more and more improvements to the product by constantly taking in feedback, working on them, and delivering the results within the promised deadlines.
We hope this article helped you better understand the two approaches and gave you a better idea about which out of the two options will better suit your project.
Need help in building the product that meets all your unique needs? We at Cybertrom will help you boost your business growth. Our development team adheres to the procedures of the Software Development Life Cycle for end-to-end product development. By utilizing our optimized and easily adaptable processes, we create products that have strong reliability, solid security, and seamless scalability. We prioritize the quality of the software in the development phases and ensure its consistency also during the maintenance phases. All in all, we deliver a powerful user experience and an unparalleled client experience!
Want to work at Cybertrom? You can go ahead and apply from here.
