The key to successful integration is to get a big picture of what the new software service provider can offer, and how it will help you improve your business. You need to focus on their experience level, expertise, and certifications.
The software development process starts with an analysis of your business processes and requirements. The provider will then create a project plan based on this analysis. The plan should include all the milestones and deliverables for each phase of the project. This helps both parties track progress toward completion so that there are no surprises along the way.
In this article, we will talk about some of the most common types of partnerships in the IT industry, as well as the advantages of successful partnerships between software development service providers and their clients.
Software Development Service Providers and Their Roles in the Projects
Software development service providers are considered contractors in a project. Their role depends on the type of partnership they have with their client:
- An in-house development team is usually applied when an organization has its development team and keeps business inside the company. This one is often more costly and time-consuming as creating a devoted team requires a lot of time and effort for an organization’s HR.
- A contractor is used when an organization needs someone to manage or develop a project and avoid creating an in-house team. This type is one of the most popular cooperation models as the third-party service provider is hired to build a product.
- A subcontractor usually provides specific parts of a larger project that cannot be completed by one developer alone.
Integration of software development service provider
Regardless of the cooperation type you choose; several things shall be kept in mind If you are looking for ways to integrate your new software service provider.
- 1. Plan the integration process.
- 2. Ensure that all the stakeholders are on board.
- 3. Keep the communication lines open.
- 4. Make sure that there is a clear vision of what you want to achieve with the integration process.
Let us get into more detail about these. Having an established onboarding algorithm for software development service providers is crucial at the pilot stages of the cooperation process. It helps you to define what set of tasks you want your partner to complete and outline all the liabilities and details before starting the project. Such an algorithm allows deciding how deeply the provider integrates into the processes of your company.
Depending on the project type, decision-makers shall always bear in mind two major components of partnership with service providers. These are project complexity and cooperation depth. The complexity axis shows how complex the task must be solved by software services (usually from simple to complex). On the depth axis, you can see how deeply a provider integrates into your processes (from shallow integration to deep integration).
As an example, let us consider an automated system for client management and data analytics. It allows tracking all client-related statistics in real-time and generates reports on demand. Such a system can be implemented by using various approaches. Simple automation of manual reports generation – this approach means that information about clients will be extracted from other systems used in your company (e.g., CRM) and then processed by another system (reporting system).
It does not require any changes to these systems or to add new functionality to them. This solution may also require some changes in policies and procedures related to reporting generation with or without deep integration with other systems. All these aspects depend on the business niche and solutions can be customized to meet all business needs.
What are the advantages of successful partnerships in the IT industry?
The right partner can help you save money, increase profits, and grow your business. Here are some of the most important benefits of working with a good partner:
- Share the load. Partnerships allow you to share the workload when handling several aspects of your business. This means that you do not have to hire as many employees or spend as much time learning new skills. Instead, you focus on creating high-quality software instead of spending time learning recent technologies or maintaining an existing codebase.
- Gain access to new markets. When you are a small company, partnering with another company can open new opportunities for growth by increasing exposure to new markets and customers who might not otherwise be interested in what you are selling.
- Reduce costs by leveraging resources and expertise. Each member of a partnership has its own set of skills and resources that can be used to benefit both parties’ bottom line; for example, one partner may have better marketing skills than another but less technical know-how, while another partner may excel at coding but lack salesmanship altogether — together they make up a powerful team.
As result, by partnering with the most suitable to your business software development service provider you can achieve many goals including better quality and more efficient outcomes, lower cost of production, improved service quality, higher profit margin, and customer satisfaction.
The modern world is becoming more flexible and focusing on core business tasks is vital to deliver a successful product. Partnering with a service provider does not necessarily mean that you are going to succeed. Making the right decision regarding a software development service provider requires a thorough analysis of their performance, the vast scope of provided services, skillset, and determination.
To gain maximum benefit for your business, your software development service provider shall be integrated into your organization and treated as part of the team. This leads to effective communication, devotion to the partnership, and top-notch products at the end of the journey.
Trust, reliability, and professionalism are three features that define successful cooperation. If you are looking for the right partner, contact us, and Agiliway experts will answer all your questions and help you make the right decision.
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