5 Effective Tips To Manage Your Offshore Development Team

Updated October 6, 2023
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From significant cost reduction to seamless technical support from talent all around the world, having an offshore development team has its perks. However, working with developers that are not in the same office as yourself might be challenging, but to have a successful and profitable business, one must be willing to go an extra mile. Here we will be discussing five tips that can help you prepare yourself before you completely commit to managing offshore development teams, these tips include:

Share your company’s or product’s vision and mission

Before you start assigning the work to your team, you must give the run-down of the product and a full picture of the mission and vision behind the project. All developers need to understand the goal and where the product is heading.

Other than this, from the very beginning, set clear requirements and expectations with your team. It will prevent any confusion down the line. Setting priorities is a valuable skill. They also need to know all the work that is expected from them in the future. Periodically share product updates and release dates with your team, as this will also incur a sense of job security.

Efficient communication

When you are working with a team of developers on the same premises as them, it is easy to get the message across. You can walk around the room and share your thoughts with them. However, when working with a remote or offshore team, you have to exhaust every possible means to communicate to them efficiently.

Other than having weekly or monthly scrum calls with your offshore development team, you need to schedule one on one sessions with the team as well. This will help you ensure that your development team is getting the work timely or not.

Moreover, depending on the location of your company and the offshore development team, there is a chance that they might not be fluent in your language. Therefore, it becomes a necessity to simplify your communication. By avoiding cultural references and cultural jargon and by using general vocabulary, you bridge the language barrier.

Video call and meeting

The human element is crucial for team building. Daily scrum meetings and conversations over Slack are helpful, but video conferences help build human connections. Since it is essential to make sure that your development team is happy working on the project or developing an app, a video can help you see the emotions of your team. It is easier to get progress reports on the project face to face.

Video calls can also help your offshore development team to get to know other members of the team. You can use applications such as Skype and Zoom for streamlined and seamless meetings with your offshore development team. Advanced technology has made remote and offshore communication very easy.

Understand your people

Just as they are working on a development project offshore, you start keeping them at arm’s length. Do not encourage a culture of us vs. them. If you want to effectively manage your offshore team, you need to start treating them as a part of your team. You might also experience different time zones issues, so it is crucial to be patient with your team and coordinate on a time that suits you both.

Adequate time for training

Yes, developers have a good grip on code and have a good know-how of technology, but even they need some time to learn the technology and understand the product or software they will work on. Do not be one of those managers who do not give enough time to their offshore development team and then scrutinize them. Always remember that more training means an efficient and product development team.

If you are thinking about having an offshore development team, know that it comes with challenges. But that is the case with every team. It is a learning process, and you have to go through trial and error phases. A solid understanding of your project, a connection with your offshore development team, good prioritization skills, and a couple of above-mentioned tips can help you manage your offshore development team effectively.

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