Common Mistakes To Avoid While Outsourcing the Mobile App Development

Of late, mobile app development has become the preferred choice of the enterprise companies and business entrepreneurs. One of the obvious reasons for this transitional change is that mobile apps are offering a much wider platform and better scope to connect with the large community of target audiences with ease. In addition, it also provides a viable opportunity for a good business exposure where you can create a brand value for the products.

However, the success story of any business enterprise depends fundamentally on the kind of outsourcing one is opting for. So, when you are outsourcing a mobile app development project, you are actually hiring the services of professional app development team who would build your app with the expectation that your ideas would transform into life.

If you are a newcomer and availing the services of the app development agency for the first time, you must know about the common mistakes while outsourcing mobile app development. It literally determines the success and failure of an app. Moreover, it also helps to set up long-term relationships with the app development firm and team.

1. Inadequate Research

So, when you are outsourcing the mobile app development project, the first thing step is finding a highly reliable app development company to cater the needs. Well, this requires some adequate and extensive research.

But one of the common mistakes that entrepreneurs and most probably the startups commit in the beginning is failing to gather substantial and necessary information about the app development firm.

Don’t create an impression during the first interaction with the professionals. You must communicate with each other at least for twice or thrice before deriving any conclusion on whether the agency is suitable for hiring or not.

Failing to check the company background, the area of expertise and work portfolio is one of the major flaws that you should avoid committing. It is also important to go through the reviews and testimonials of earlier clients.

2. Compromising with the Quality of Work

Often budget is said to be one of the most vital factors when outsourcing the project by hiring a company. In most of the cases, the small business owners or even the startups do not have a large budget and then run tight in financial affairs. So, they find problems in choosing the appropriate app development agency.

Maybe you are having a tight budget but it does not mean that you will be ready to sacrifice the quality of cost element. There will be a few companies that would entice you by sending low-cost quotations but there is no assurance of the quality of work offered.

Therefore, be very cautious and cross-check the information meticulously. Don’t fall into the trap because the story might be totally different from what you are actually expecting.

It is highly recommended to choose an app development firm with an exceptional track record even if the price is higher than a company, which has a poor profile. You can always talk to the app development team and inform about your tight budget estimate. They would find a probable solution to it.

3. Taking Important Decisions in a Hurry

Outsourcing the mobile app development is one of the most crucial decisions that will have a long-lasting impact on your business operation. It requires time and patience when taking vital decisions related to the selection of the development team, deciding what budget estimate you want to spend on the project, how you would approach and explain your app ideas to the team and coordinate with them including others.

It is very important to analyze each and every aspect of the project. For instance, if the app development team has sent you the estimate or quotation of the project, do not jump into it immediately.

Do compare it with the others before taking a final call. You have to also take into account, what added benefits and facilities the company is offering. For instance, if it is providing post-release support, what is the charge of various features and functionalities of the app? What is the price per hour?

4. The Communication Barrier with Team

The importance of effective communication cannot be denied whether it is hiring the services of an app development company or explaining your ideas to the outsourcing team. The app developers or the designers should be able to clearly understand what the client expects the app to look like.

However, the problem arises when there is a lack of communication between the two sides. The development team takes their own decisions without consulting or taking approval of the client. It can be vice versa where the client is not interested in keeping constant touch with the team or viewing the progress.

If there is a difference in the language or culture, you can begin with little interaction such as that on emails, Skype, phone call or video chat. But it is important to keep in touch at regular intervals and meet in person at times to communicate more efficiently.

5. Hurdles Related to Selection of Different Time Zones

The app development industry is a global marketplace where the clients are free to choose any app development agency of their choice. It may be that a client based in the USA has selected a company in Australia, which has a different time zone.

Therefore, he may have to face issues like delay in solving the problems and answering the queries because of the huge time difference between the two countries. He may not find them online always and has to wait for maybe an entire day. It also creates a setback to your planned schedules and extends the deadline of the project.

Thus, if you want to exclude this problem from your list, then better choose a company or an outsourcing team that falls within the same time zone as yours. But if you have to choose the different time zone, please make sure that the firm is flexible to manage real-time communication.

6. Not Clear About the Requirements

Well, this is a basic common mistake that most the business owner tends to commit. He lacks the clarity of thoughts as far as app requirement is concerned. The result is that he is unable to explain evidently what he expects out from the app development team.

Do not be under the misconception that the development team will read your mind and design the app accordingly. At times, you may find that you have incorporated unnecessary features and functionalities that app doesn’t require. It is not possible to retreat back.

You have to agree on a few basic points with the app development team that includes terms and conditions related to payment, project deadline, the inclusion of features and functions into the app, developing the backend if needed, designing the UI and UX elements and the quality assurance testing etc.

The client basically deals with the project manager who provides information about the latest development status and defines metrics.

7. Development Team not Following Latest Trends

While outsourcing the project, if you find that the app development team is not following the latest mobile development or design trends prevailing currently, it will be a major setback for the project and you have to suffer the loses.

You expect that each member working on the project is highly experienced and has comprehensive knowledge of the latest technologies. Therefore, it becomes more than important to keep a check on the project and also upgrade some knowledge on it. So, the advice would be to ask the company regarding its methodology and then go ahead with the project.

8. Losing the Ownership of Source Code

Well, this is a very tricky clause or aspect in the process of mobile app development. It is very important for the app owner to owe the source code and it has to be necessarily included in the agreement with the company.

9. Not Testing the App Appropriately

The testing of the app is one of the most important phases of building the app. And if your app development does not test the app appropriately, all the efforts may go futile as your app may not function optimally. Make sure they are using an Agile or Lean framework for carrying out the testing process.

So, if they are not taking the testing of app seriously, you have to ask them to do the necessary task.

10. Not Getting the Post-Launch Support

If you think that the job of app development agency is over once your app gets published, you are wrong. In fact, a wide range of apps suffers because there is no such planning related to after-release support.

Have you thought about MVP? A Minimum Viable Product plan is very essential and focus should be on enhancing LTV- the customer’s lifetime value, apart from improving the app efficiency.

Conclusion

The outsourcing of the app development project is often a tricky task for the business owner. And if he is a starter and building the app for the first time, he may be to be more careful. He may commit the common mistakes in outsourcing the project, which can even hamper his future business prospects. You should choose the app development company thoroughly and never show haste in taking vital decisions reacted to project.