Hiring a Dedicated Software Development Team -10 Key Factors to Consider

Brilliant business ideas cross to mind when you least expect them. Although each successful company starts with a visionary plan for the future, the tricky part in the digital age we live in is to find reliable technical partners to help you realise it. Outsourcing is a preferred strategy for software project development as it comes with many perks such as cost efficiency, cultural diversity and shorter time-to-market (TTM). However, hiring a dedicated team brings things to the next level.

Working in Dreamix– a bespoke software development company with experience in major sectors such as healthcare, banking and transportation, I’m confident that innovative software is a huge driver of success. Dedicated software development teams play a central role in that journey as they accompany you along the road. Even when it starts to get bumpy, they’re a call away, ready to tackle technical issues and put out fires while they’re still small.

Here are 10 key factors to consider when hiring a dedicated team:

1. Measure Your Project’s Scope

One of the leading reasons for you to hire dedicated developers is that you immediately receive professional expertise and don’t need to go through trial and errors until you find what’s working. The dedicated team is a model that benefits certain projects, so it is essential to consider your project’s scope. In a nutshell, your project will benefit from this approach if it: a) still lacks clear business requirements and need tech expertise, b) early-stage startup project with chances to scale or c) complex long-term project requiring constant technical supervision and maintenance.

2. Ask for Methodologies They Use

It is important that software developers get things done. However, an equally crucial aspect is how they set work in motion, aka what methodologies and frameworks they follow to achieve the project’s objectives and shorten your TTM. You might have heard that Agile software development companies are trending right now, and this is backed up by evidence. A recent State of Agile 2024 report reveals that ⅔ of all respondents consider adjusting to changing priorities (70%), increased visibility (70%) and collaboration between business and technology (66%) as the strongest advantages of Agile practices.

3. Inspect the Team Dynamics

You should have a clear idea of what a dedicated software development team is before hiring one. Primary, as the name already suggests, such a team consists of dedicated software developers, who are only committed to your project. Besides, such teams are distinguished by a higher degree of responsiveness than others working on different projects simultaneously. When interviewing potential developers, make sure you explore their internal team dynamics by observing the interactions, suggesting practical tasks that require various angles.

4. Look at the Team Cohesion

Group interviews don’t only save you time and money but allow you to easily take a sneak peek and estimate their internal team dynamic. Say you want to explore how cohesive your prospective dedicated team is. According to scientific research, team cohesion is vital for overall team performance and effectiveness. So, it’s better to test it before a real-life scenario that put your software project at risk. Although dedicated software development teams work on long-term projects and spend a lot of time together, asking about whether and how they make decisions together or if they’re friends outside of the office will put things into perspective.

5. Team’s Geographical Location

Let’s face it – Covid 19 continues to change the business landscape, and remote or hybrid teams are the new normal. Keeping that in mind, it is necessary to consider the geographical location of your future team. If you are prepared to hire fully remote outsourced teams to develop your software project, investigate the tech hubs around the world, the common pricing models (e.g. fixed-price, time and materials and milestone-based) and the economic stability. Don’t forget that cultural values matter a lot and will influence the whole partnership. In this care, a nearshore outsourcing vendor might be the best option – e.g. to hire an Eastern European team if you are located in Western Europe.

6. Try Role-Playing Activities

During the hiring process, there might be a moment when you want just one final reassuring proof that this dedicated software development team will actually get the job done within the promised time. To do so, you can prepare easy practical exercises that stimulate them to work together towards a common goal. For example, you can be curious about how they’ll approach an upset customer, how they would handle a crisis situation or the simple way they go about decision making. Also, let them imagine they have scarce disposable resources, e.g. a month before a major release or a severe budget cut and hear their suggestions on how to organise the team.

7. Research Available Testimonials

If your prospective outsourcing vendors are serious about their credibility, they probably have some available testimonials from previous customers. Try to find these and listen to what other companies have to say about dedicated developers you consider for your next project. Could they deliver on the promises and meet deadlines? What was the work experience like? Were there any project issues, and how did they manage to overcome them? These are all relevant points to consider before signing a contract with a dedicated team, so the more info you have, the better.

8. Explore Their Values

We relate to those that share our values way more than we could ever resonate with people with opposite interests. It’s human nature to bond and stick to what feels familiar with what’s inside of you. This is also a viable strategy in a business context, so be smart and get to know your future dedicated team. The developers can have an utterly impressive technical skillset, but if they don’t have similar values to yours, it’s probably better to look further.

9. Set Realistic Expectations and Goals

As human beings, we sometimes tend to oversimplify things. This is a coping strategy for us to make sense of what is happening around us without being overwhelmed by it. That’s why it is crucial to set realistic goals and expectations about your outsourced team. The developer can only fit so much billable work hours in a day, so instead of pushing their limits, it is more reasonable to assess the current business needs and prioritise accordingly.

9. Keep You Focus on Your Core Business

What is the leading reason to outsource a software development project? Leaving the obvious cost reduction aside, another major motivator is that by hiring a dedicated software development team, you naturally free up time for marketing, investor meetings and any other business development activities, while your software is taken care of by expert developers, devoted to tackling even the most stubborn tech problems.