Having a dedicated development team can be a game-changer for any eCommerce company, big or small. After all, offshore has continuously proved itself a superior technology outsourcing solution during the past few years. If you are unfamiliar with the terms, don’t worry. Click on our article to dip your first toe into this spectacular area of the industry.
With all the love and the hype, it’s obvious how beneficial having an offshore development team by your side is. Time-saving and cost-efficient are only two among several ways offshore can help your business grow speedily. However, just like any other method, it can be quite challenging to work with your offshore partners. That is why we’re here today: to offer you 6 perfect supportive tools to help you with all offshore-related problems. Without further ado, let’s get into them!
Obstacles to working with your offshore dedicated development team
Table of Contents
Here we have compiled some of the most common problems eCommerce businesses usually encounter while using offshore outsourcing. No matter how much you prepare, or how professional your dedicated development team is, these tumbles are bound to come up. It’s your mission to detect them as early as possible so that you can work on the solutions. Scroll down to check out our list – it will help out a lot.
Performance control
Whatever happens during a project doesn’t matter as much as the results that come out of it. This is why you should always keep track of the outcomes in every step so you can control the overall quality better. The reality, however, can be quite challenging if you are working with an offshore partner.
No matter how much you trust the dedicated development team, certain questions will still pop up during the working process. For example, how are you sure that the results you receive are real and not fabricated? How can you know that the time and the tasks are being organized accordingly to your needs instead of theirs? Are they using your money and resources right? If you are not a professional, these doubts are going to be even more severe.
Lack of communicating
You can not accomplish anything without proper communication. This is why we need bonding activities and colleagues. But with an offshore team so far away – sometimes an ocean from you, even – communicating is no easy task. Most of the time you’ll only hand out tasks and receives finished work back via supportive tools, as well as use online platforms to talk and update each other on how everything’s progressing. These are all highly helpful, but is it enough? The answer, unfortunately, can be a resounding “no” if you are not careful.
Differences
The geographical distance can lead to further complications. Cultural and time differences are two vivid examples.
It can be incredibly tough to maintain quick and effective communication with such difficulties. Say, if you have an emergency problem that needs to be addressed, waiting several hours to several days to get feedback from your offshore partner will be infuriating. Another huge obstacle is the cultural gap – which can lead to miscommunication, conflicts, and frustration beyond your expectations.
Low-quality results
Imagine receiving some poor coding and having no way to fix it immediately. Annoying, right? This is, sadly, an entire possibility with offshore outsourcing. There can be many situations that can lead to this, but it all comes down to the distance – mentally and physically – between the parties involved. Without a doubt, low-quality results might be devastating to any project – requiring debugging efforts, wasting resources, and causing a hostile working atmosphere.
Learn more about offshore’s ups and downs at: https://bsscommerce.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-offshore-development-services/
Top 6 Best Offshore Supportive Tools
We hope you are not discouraged by the above section, because the best part of this article is coming right up. Next, BSS Commerce is going to introduce to you 6 of the most amazing supportive tools for offshore activities. With these tools under your belt, working with your dedicated development team is simply a breeze.
Monday
We probably all hate Monday, but this Monday is lovable. It is a Work Operating System (commonly known as WorkOS) that can skyrocket the working speed of your team like no other. To do this, Monday adopts the AI technology to take care of the tasks, and optimize them to get the best results possible.
Intuitive, powerful, yet simple to use, Monday is the tool you need to run your projects with confidence. Using this handy tool, one can define the workflow, adhere to the ever-changing requirements, collaboratively connect with team members, and beyond. There’s no more manual, boring behind-the-scenes work needed, so everyone can focus 100% on the project.
One of the most loved functions of Monday is its option for users to build their different applications based on their tempo. From the tiniest details to the big picture of the whole project, Monday can modify automatically so it can adapt to what you need. To do this, all you need is to feed the AI basic information such as operational requirements, human resources, current status, goals, etc., and your dedicated development team is good to go.
Monday is also incredibly helpful when it comes to communication. With Monday, you no longer have to struggle with daily email threads and out-of-nowhere meetings – online and offline. Amazing supportive tools like this allow you to centralize every piece of information in the same space, discuss across groups and individuals, integrate platforms, etc. Therefore, you can work simultaneously on different tasks, through different platforms, with different people without the usual hassle of moving around. Without a doubt, Monday is one of the most superior supportive tools for you and your dedicated development team.
Slack
Well-loved by 12 million global users (including Antarctica!), Slack deserves the second position in this list of ours. It is a real-time chat application. Its biggest strength is the ability to smooth out immediate communication for users, without any delays. You can talk in different ways on Slack: in a room, in certain spaces, under topics, etc. – and everything can be recorded to keep track of later.
If you are an email hater, this platform is for you. According to Slack, it enables current users to cut down 23% of meeting time and 32% of email. It’s obvious how helpful this is – you no longer have to wait an indefinite amount of time for a confirmation or a solution to come through, like when you use other non-real-time supportive tools. Solve your problems, clarify your needs and polish your details how you want, when you want.
Another great thing about Slack is the integration option. You can combine Slack with other services such as GitHub, Google Drive, Calamari, etc. Working cross-platforms has never been so quick and seamless. And an even bigger Good news: All of these functions come at no cost!
Your dedicated development team will surely love using Slack. Many developers have given positive feedback to this tool, claiming that it is “the backbone of the team and project” and that Slack “makes communication transparent.” With all that said, don’t hesitate to start using Slack to organize project-related topics as soon as possible.
GitHub
If you are an offshore worker, there’s no way you haven’t heard of GitHub before. This popular platform was even voted as the most well-known collaborative tool via a survey of Stack Overflow Developers in 2020. 2 years have gone by since then, and GitHub is living up to this title more than ever.
GitHub is, essentially, a code-sharing service. Members of a dedicated development team can evolve the codebase, track the code changes, manage the process and follow the workflow all through this platform. Include the clients in this, and you’ve got absolute transparency, which can be monitored by not just the team but also by other departments. Needless to say, GitHub helps you maintain the quality very effectively.
GitHub is one of the most convenient supportive tools for developers. This tool allows a remote team to work well together at the same time without affecting others’ coding by providing management and issue tracking. GitHub can also be integrated with almost everything, so you can cross-check and move data from here to there with one simple click. Code conflicts and bugs are greatly reduced thanks to this.
With such wonderful abilities, GitHub is worth every cent you are going to spend on it. The free plan is available, of course, but it is limited. Our advice is to use the paid options, with the starting price of $4 per month.
Vietnam, the best option for offshore technology development: https://bsscommerce.com/blog/hire-offshore-developers-in-vietnam/
Asana
Another application commonly used among the tech development community is Asana. A task management service with a minimal theme and clean interface, Asana makes users fall in love with its high adaptability as well as its handy features.
The best thing about Asana is that it reduces the possible chaos of an offshore team. No matter what the project is about, everything boils down to the maneuver of tasks – which one is done, which one is not, which one needs to be fixed, etc. Asana helps you manage that situation effectively. The platform lets users assign tasks, report the current status and map out a simple plan so the whole team can easily follow.
Asana is also applicable to areas outside of tech development, which is incredibly helpful for the developers to work with other departments within the same company. That explains why Asana is widely loved by big brands with big operating systems such as Amazon, Google, Deloitte, etc.
Trello
If you are a fan of visual task management just like Asana, you’ll love Trello. This energetic and graphic tool brings you the comfort of having all the work organized readily for your team. Doesn’t matter if it’s a brand new project or a work-in-progress, Trello’s appearance will adapt and improve what you do to the max.
The main concept of Trello is its board-card system. Every detail – members, teams, tasks, etc. – is listed using boards and cards. Thanks to the vibrant color codes, they are all super easy and fun to organize. You can do pretty much all you want using Trello’s digital space: invite people to join a certain list, choose the privacy level, create a beautiful background for your team, and so on. 
Trello is also great for communication and task-tracking, as it allows users within a team or project to follow each other’s process closely. You and your partners can always put information together here, and make sure everyone can get collab smoothly instead of keeping to themselves and causing unnecessary mistakes.
Simple, user-friendly, yet complex and handy, Trello is a lovely tool to use while working with an offshore dedicated development team. No wonder why it’s being used widely by companies all around the world, including BSS Commerce.
InVision
In the last section of the list, we’d like to introduce an application that is designed specifically for the visualization part of a development project – InVision.
As the name suggests, InVision provides prototypes, exclusively for technology designers. More and more designers are using InVision to create mockups and visualize their ideas so that developers can follow them easily. InVision also allows designers to share these works quickly with their teams. Now designers can realize all of their concepts, and build great relationships with partners and clients alike.
But that is not the only groundbreaking feature from InVision. LiveShare is the most celebrated function of this tool. It allows users to create a private space and invite guests into this space to present their ideas or designs. An offshore tech designer certainly needs to communicate with their team this way. They’ll be able to walk everyone through, make sure the team is all on the same page, and solve problems right when they pop up.
Fun fact: LiveShare has its plugin on Photoshop, LiveShare PS, designers can bring their team into their world with just one click. Lengthy video exports, little faults that take too much time to fix, and irritating processes are all in the past. Get InVision, and give your dedicated development team the top inside-vision!
Offshore outsourcing is the future. Click to find out why: https://bsscommerce.com/blog/offshore-onshore-ecommerce/
Expert Tips To Work Well With Offshore Teams
While the supportive tools we have shown you so far are amazing, using them is simply not enough. Offshore outsourcing is all about human connections and works ethics, which is why you need to maintain certain rules. Bag these neat tips from our experts to make sure your project goes on without a hitch.
Find the right dedicated development team
The best way to guarantee success is to set off your project right. It’s very important to find a dedicated development team, who’s willing to adapt to your vision and orientations. At BSS Commerce, that is not simply a choice but a philosophy: We prioritize our customers before anything else.
Working with BSS Commerce, you’ll get to experience the usage of top offshore supportive tools. As a result, both our team and you, as our client, can work together seamlessly. All of the mentioned tools – and more – will be provided by us if required; everything you need to do is sit back and watch the entire process yourself.
Furthermore, BSS Commerce highly appreciates open communication and creativity. While working offshore with us, you can always give us ideas or request us to implement certain management policies, and we will try our best to make that happen for you.
Professional, passionate, open-minded, and transparent – what else can you ask for in an offshore partner? BSS Commerce’s got it all.
Plan in details
A good plan will get you a long way in a technology development project. Our advice is to break the long process into smaller parts. This way you can imagine the scope and distribute the tasks better.
Another thing you should do is create a product roadmap. Based on it, you will be able to draw up a clear timeline, as well as avoid missing other important variables. Remember to use our suggested tools above to do this, and give your dedicated development team access so they will all be ready when you need them.
Constant communication
Communication is key, communication is key, communication is key – we feel like repeating it time and time again. Without proper and regular information exchange, negative side effects will show themselves, and you might realize too late to fix them all.
One obvious problem would be the lack of quality and working speed. Another thing is that, without your attention and encouragement, it can be very disheartening to your offshore team. This is why you should make efforts to maintain daily talks, meetings, or updates regarding the current process.
Most supportive tools for offshore outsourcing, like the ones we recommended above, now offer chatting functions. Don’t hesitate to utilize them, and keep your team at the same pace. Make sure to give necessary feedback, solutions, and reinforcement, and your project will go on without a hitch.
Don’t micromanage
We understand your concern and your need to check on the project often. We commend that, actually, but too much of that would be not ideal either.
For the tech developers, it can be very pressuring to have someone constantly peeking through their shoulders and telling them what to do. This behavior can also lead to conflict, which will slow the whole project down and form a hostile environment at the same time. We suggest you meet with your team daily, or weekly, and focus on the main goals only. Trust your dedicated development team a little more will greatly improve your relationship with them, and ensure better final results.
Need more awesome eCommerce advice? Get right to: https://bsscommerce.com/blog/work-effectively-with-an-offshore-team/
To conclude
During the past few years, offshore outsourcing has steadily become an important section of the technology and eCommerce world. To utilize its full potential, you need to know how to cooperate well with the team you choose. We hope that after finishing this article, you’ve already got yourself some ideas in the form of these amazing supportive tools.
If you need any further help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us: https://bsscommerce.com/contact
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