Hiring mobile application or software developers on freelance or in house has their own pros and cons. One doesn’t supersede the other in all the aspects as each hiring firm or client has its own requirements, project scope, budget, and timelines. This takes us to the big question that often bother individual clients or other parties interested to acquire a mobile app for their business.
How to find freelance app developers?
The benefits of hiring freelance app developers
Cost
Apparently, the labor cost overseas is quite cheaper. Why would you pay a hefty $150/hour when you can acquire the same output from a freelance developer employed from another country at a fraction of the cost? The cost saved can be used to create quality, more richly featured apps for your business.
Labor arbitrage is considered as the biggest benefit in freelance app developers for hire. If you are able to acquire more bang for the same app elsewhere, often entrepreneurs think that it’s not feasible to pay extra for someone local.
However, comparing the labor costs isn’t as simple as it seems. Entrepreneurs are also required to consider the extra time added when it comes to managing and facilitating an offshore project. Mostly, glaring costs result in a faulty reasoning of not counting opportunity costs and assuming that one hour of labor investment is the same everywhere.
Short term commitment
One of the most undervalued pros of outsourcing or hiring a freelance app developer is the art of luring an expert on project basis without promising long-term commitment and the costs associated. This is useful when project owners require an individual with a unique skillset, and might need someone with a completely new skillset in the future.
No office distractions
It might not seem much, but office distraction take a huge toll for developers. With typical chit chat and other commotion, developers rarely get their workday completed within the official hours, hence, have to work extended hours which affects the company’s productivity and overall culture.
The benefits of hiring full-time app developers
Buy in
Developers who are hired on full-time basis come with high opportunity costs working for you. Most importantly, they are completely consumed in your idea and thought process along with a mutual interest in the project outcome. In you are able to find the right fit, who knows that talent could play a vital role in your long-term plans too.
Relevance
App developers who are sitting right next to you are perfectly aware what exactly do you want and can change directions accordingly. Only a casual discussion will be enough to incorporate or experiment a new feature and not waiting for a scheduled meeting. Furthermore, they are also aware what challenges the business is facing in other aspects, hence, can provide some helpful advice in this regard.
Streamlined interests
For freelancers, success is defined by acquiring clients, completing deliverables, and working on multiple projects. Entrepreneurs have their definition of success of establishing businesses that innovate the industry and produce revenue streams. While freelancers, especially outsourced ones, will only take you to a certain limit.
The challenges of hiring freelance app developers
Quality
Quality control is one of the biggest concerns when outsourcing app development projects to freelance developers. How can project managers or business managers ensure that the code is perfectly written? How can the outsourced developers be gauged of their skillset and portfolio in the first place? Apparently, clients inquire the development portfolio of freelance developers to decide whether to proceed with them or not.
What’s the fix?
Industry experts suggest a couple of strategies to comprehend the quality risk: hire a local consultant and ask them to perform plenty of legwork, or ask the development company to do a test project which will guarantee their expertise.
Another option is to let the development company perform a technical overview of your project. Even a RFP form is a great tool to inquire the knowledge of the development firm. The idea is to ensure that the hired freelance developer will perfectly understand your custom project scope and requirements and cater the individual tasks accordingly.
If the client goes for the technical interview option, there are some common, yet important questions that you will ask from the developer.
Code collaboration
Collaboration is another challenge associated with freelance app developers for hire. Cultural issues are the major touchpoints businesses are required to consider given their project statement. Obviously, software or app development is a team game, and you can’t expect any outsourced developer to entirely understand your project scope and requirement because he is operating from a different context.
This is why experienced and smart app development companies worldwide inquire clients on the very specific requirements regarding their project.
What’s the fix?
Companies that use Scrum are often taken as the best outsourced choices. In other words, large, cross-distributed teams fulfil the same objectives as those of small, local personnel through Scrum.
Scrum allows the project to facilitate self-organization and displaying transparency in the entire work. It is important for everyone to land on the same page in terms of using the same frameworks and processes.
Logistical issues
Besides the freelance app developers cost, many new business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs fail to clearly understand the challenge of working with 100% remote developers situated in a different time zone. Developers need to be on board for crucial conference calls, even if it mandates them to get out of bed in the middle of the night.
What’s the fix?
As stated above, great app development companies are well-aware about the potential questions and issues that clients can raise, specifically those situated abroad. In the above case, you can hire a project manager who is local or working closely with the time zone of the development company.
Project managers tend to bridge the gap between the developers and clients and ensure that the non-technical needs are appropriately responded.
Imran Abdul Rauf is a Digital Marketing Strategist, employed at CMOLDS, and specializes in content marketing, email marketing campaigns, lead generation, and other aspects of digital marketing. A content enthusiast by the day, and hardcore gamer by night, Imran is also a regular guest contributor at some of the top tech and digital marketing platforms.
