Talking Code

When and How to Outsource Your Software Development

Episode Summary

Randy Rayess tells us when and how you should outsource development of your software, how to reduce your risk, and the way your team should think about feature prioritization.

Episode Notes

Randy Rayess tells us when and how you should outsource development of your software, how to reduce your risk, and the way your team should think about feature prioritization.

Here's what to listen for:

• 00:52 Why do companies outsource software development?
• 02:10 What’s the difference between companies that have technology as their core product and “tech-enabled” companies?
• 05:17 What should you look for in an outsourced development team?
• 08:03 Why are tools important to you?
• 09:19 Do you also look at hiring companies to see what tools they use?
• 11:13 Are there any particular tools that you recommend for remote teams?
• 14:52 What can I best do to prepare for my first meeting with a development shop?
• 17:21 How do I go from a high level overview to something I can hand over to developers?
• 20:13 What should people use to create mockups?
• 22:52 If you have user stories and flows, is that enough to get an estimate?
• 25:38 Is there a risk to the client of doing a fixed bid project?
• 28:45 As a client, what can I do to reduce my risk?
• 31:57 Should you focus on the critical path first?
• 36:36 When clients have bad experiences with outsourcing, where do things usually go wrong?
• 39:20 How do you address a problem that’s occurring with your outsourced team?