5 Communication Mistakes Hurting Your Software Development Outsourcing Relationship
Outsourcing software development offers you massive competitive gains, cost savings, staffing flexibility and enhanced productivity, to name a few. However, there is a catch. All this boils down to a significant yet underestimated factor: effective communication. Communication mistakes are quite prevalent in outsourcing.
Some of the common mistakes that can hamper your relationship with your outsourcing partner are mentioned below:
Mistake 1 : Micromanaging
Since your business is like your baby, you are quite protective and giving up the control of how things are done can be difficult for you. So, you might become overly prescriptive in explaining to your outsourcing partner how they should perform your work.
The Damage
- Since you have narrowed down the definition of what’s acceptable to you, your outsourcing partners spend more time on adhering to your guidelines. Thus, their productivity and the product’s quality suffer.
- You shut your doors to creative add-ons and valuable perspectives that might have improved your product and business.
- This can also plant the feelings of being mistrusted and undervalued in your outsourced workers, damaging your partnership.
The Solution
- You probably hired your outsourcing partner because they are professionals and have an excellent track record. So, it would help if you trusted that they would deliver up to your expectations.
- It would be best if you defined WHAT you expect from them, and not HOW it should happen.
Mistake 2 : Lack of Role Clarity
Say you’ve hired an outsourced professional for a position. Unfortunately, you don’t clearly define their role and responsibilities. You also don’t establish proper metrics and business objectives.
The Damage
- Since you’ve not allocated responsibilities clearly, it can lead to undone duties or multiple people doing exactly the same work.
- Since you’ve not defined proper metrics or milestones by which you judge the professional’s success, you can’t ensure accountability. In this way, you risk hindering progress.
The Solution
- Make sure that all the responsibilities are appropriately documented and the milestones clearly established.
- Clarify who the professional will report to and in what level of detail.
- Help them understand the product or the business goals and recognize the interplay between their role and initiatives.
Mistake 3 :
Suppose an issue emerges, but you are not willing to disclose its details. Maybe it was your fault, or perhaps it wasn’t, but you think it would be unwise to get others involved. So, you conceal the facts and don’t tell your outsourcing partner about it.
The Damage
- The “small” problem that you have underestimated might magnify into a huge unanticipated issue.
- It’s possible that your outsourcing partner might come up with and effectively execute a solution.
- The outsourced developers are likely to get help from their shared knowledge base that is the entire developer network and acquire the best possible solutions.
The Solution
- Be optimally transparent with your outsourcing partner about all problems and issues. They are devoted to help you understand potential ramifications and discover actionable solutions.
- Afterwards, it would help if you spared time to discuss the problem, the impact and the solutions with your outsourcer. Not only will this help you foster a healthier relationship but also to identify opportunities for future improvements.
Mistake 4 : Shallow Working Relationship
Probably you hired your outsourcing provider to perform minimal tasks or a single, focused service. So, you share the details that you think are relevant to perform the limited-scope work.
The Damage
- Your outsourcing workers will perform better if they understand the bigger picture of goals, priorities and strategic objectives.
- By compromising the strength of the relationship with your outsourcing partner, you might miss the opportunities for innovation. Remember that these outsourced professionals are a conduit to a wider organization equipped with technical expertise and innovative ideas.
The Solution
- Share your history, culture, vision and priorities and explain all planned initiatives.
- Explain the overlapping responsibilities or potential conflicts and also highlight how their role contributes to the business’s vision.
- Involve outsourced workers in all relevant activities and meeting.
- Establish common goals and discuss ways to achieve business objectives faster.
Mistake 5: Too Many Assumptions
Since you and your outsourced development partner have been the part of the tech world for years, you might use shorthand while discussing several topics, skipping details that they probably know already. Your discussions lack clarity and detail because you are making a lot of assumptions about what your team does and does not know.
The Damage
- Since your outsourced team wants to know what you exactly want, everyone’s time is wasted in trying to guess what you meant.
- Too many assumptions can result in miscommunications, inefficiencies and missed opportunities to improve the product.
- Reduced quality and efficiency will hinder your progress in time.
The Solution
- Co-develop a system and format that ensures regular sharing of details and project status. Spare some extra time after live sessions for questions and confirmations.
- Build protocols relative to time-zone shifts and ensure apt overlap of work schedules.
- Holding face-to-face meetings will reduce the scope of misunderstandings.
- Choose tools that are flexible and tailored to your needs.
- Identify the necessary improvements in the communication quality and hold the team accountable for them.
- Develop an atmosphere that encourages more communication.
Conclusion
Ultimately, effective communication is a shared responsibility of massive importance. Robust communication strategies are essential to outsourcing success. If you or your outsourcing team are not involved in effective communication, it’s time to construct ways to do better. Communication mistakes shouldn’t keep you from optimally realizing the potential of your software development outsourcing partnership.
