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Are you dedicated to effectively managing your offshore development team?

Since software projects are more time-consuming and high-priced, most companies look for offshore teams. An offshore team can assist you in achieving your organizational goals more effectively and at a low cost, regardless of whether you have a startup or an established company.

However, hiring an offshore development team and managing it efficiently is a challenging task. You must do more than walk around your office and check your onsite team’s progress. When managing an offshore team efficiently, you need some tools and strategies.

This article will discuss what an offshore team is and its benefits. Moreover, we will highlight some tools and strategies that can be used to improve our progress.

What is an Offshore Development Team?

An offshore team is a group of skillful professionals that operates remotely in another country to complete your project. It is essential to manage offshore teams effectively to ensure high-quality standards. Some basic strategies for managing offshore teams are careful planning, strong communication, and strategic coordination.

Benefits of an Offshore Team

Recruiting an offshore developer’s team is the perfect solution to your organizational challenges like market uncertainty, inflation, etc. It is also gaining popularity due to the benefits for the organization, its onshore team, and offshore employees.

Here are some of the benefits of an offshore team:

• Cost Effective
• Access to Experts
• Increased Productivity
• Tax-free Income
• Time Zone Advantage
• Focus On Core Business

Challenges Faced Due to Offshore Team

As mentioned earlier, recruiting an offshore team has its own set of benefits and some challenges to overcome for the company. Here’s a list of some obstacles that you may experience while managing an offshore team:

• Cultural and Language Barrier
• Data Security
• Time Zone Difference
• Communication Gap
• Lack of Transparency and Control
• Lack of Expertise
• Project Management
• Geographical Distances

Strategies for Effective Management of Offshore Development Team

Now let’s discuss some strategies that are practiced worldwide to overcome the challenges mentioned above for effective management of an offshore team:

Clear Communication:

Prioritizing clear and consistent communication is the paramount strategy for effective management. The top leadership, as well as the onsite team of the company, should be very clear about your goals at the first meeting with your offshore team for a positive and productive work environment. Various communication channels can be used to connect with your offshore team, such as emails, text messages, and audio and video conference calls.

Embracing Cultural Diversity:

When your company decides to hire an offshore development team, you should be mentally prepared for the cultural differences and diversity faced by your company. Here, the key to success is creating a work environment in which these differences are accepted and celebrated by all parties involved in the project, i.e., top leadership, onshore team, and offshore team. It can be done by creating cultural awareness programs at the very start of your contract. Giving your offshore team a sense of affiliation and connection is vital for high-standard productivity.

Clear Vision About Scope of the Project:

Before hiring an offshore development team, you should be very clear about the goals and objectives related to the project. You should be clear about the outline and aim of your project. Is it a one-time project, or do you want to hire this team on a contract basis for a longer time as a part of your organization?

No Micromanagement:

Your offshore employees will go the extra mile when they know you trust and value them. Avoid managing every detail of their work so that they can be self-sufficient in longer terms. It will result in better productivity and performance of your offshore team.

Agile Methodology:

It is a framework for managing a development team that divides the project into segments for high-end results. It results in continuous participation and development. In this methodology, your team will follow the planning, executing, and evaluating flowcharts.

Appreciation:

To work in a healthy and productive environment, you should appreciate and acknowledge the efforts and participation of your offshore team. This strategy will keep their morale high, leading to more hard work and, ultimately, better productivity.

Tools for Effective Management of an Offshore Team

The following tools are used worldwide by companies for better management:

• Slack: It is a platform used by the entire company to communicate with their offshore team. Slack is a cloud-based online app that has replaced email for better, faster, and more organized communication. Unlike WhatsApp, it supports unlimited participants in video calls.
• Zoom: Companies can hold online meetings through an invite link through Zoom. It also allows screen sharing through desktops and mobiles.
• Microsoft Teams: It is a messaging app in which files and documents are all available in one place and for everyone. It makes working together in a team easier due to better communication and cooperation.
• Trello: It is a management tool used worldwide by different companies. Through Trello, you can plan and supervise your work in a productive and organized way. It consists of different boards, lists, and cards to help you plan and execute your ideas.

Wrapping It Up

Recruiting an offshore development team is a challenging task for a company. Still, managing it well results in high-standard productivity with cost savings when using an international talent pool. When a company’s top leadership practices the strategies mentioned above in its planning and execution, it will eventually result in achieving its ambitious goals.