Things to consider before you startup's engineering team

 "Everything is happening now, everything happens fast" is the motto of startups. It's a race to beat competitors, what's still interesting and getting users to care. For large companies, as well as startups outsourcing engineering teams  has become an increasingly popular method of doing things. But not so fast! Offshoring engineering teams could be a huge asset for startups however it also is also a source of entirely new challenges.

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This is a more effective way to say "you're going to need an efficient method of managing the development of software." Before you think about developing anything, you'll need a project management and software development tool that will work with you and your team. Jira, which is a management software and software development tool has been our "single point of truth." A single source of truth means that there is accountability. While you might cringe when you hear "The due date says here, but it's not completed", as an administrator is likely to be embarrassed.

Related to: 6 Things You Must to do in order to Manage Remote Workers Effectively

It's more difficult to coordinate the communication between project managers, owners and employees when they aren't working in the same place. Luckily messaging tools like Slack and hangouts, Skype, and Skype make it easy to communicate with your team in real-time no matter where you may be. Communication that is clear and timely are particularly important in startups, where there's always an ongoing race against time.

The key to efficient management of remote workers, is communication. Communication is key to successful remote employee management. It is important to check in with your remote employees regularly to see what they are up to and what they're performing.

1. Make sure that your team has a strong communication structure

2. Make sure to keep Remote Workers Active

3. Remote workers should be included in meaningful projects

4. Be always available

5. Set Clear Expectations for Remote Workers

6. Always investigate any issues

Expect a language barrier.

If you are thinking about outsourcing parts or all of your engineering staff to a different country, it is normal for a new language to be needed. Do you need to power up Duolingo due to this? You don't have to do it however it's a good idea to ensure that the person working in the office in another country is able to speak English as well as the language of their home country. Manager roles are essential for this individual. Without them, code could be lost in translation. I am working alongside a Ukrainian development team, as well as our U.S. engineers team. Do I have to be able to learn Ukrainian overnight? No, but I'm very grateful for the engineer team leader over there who translates (I believe) the majority of what I'm saying.

Related: How to Engage Offsite Workers into Your Culture

Trustworthiness is essential.

You can build your team offshore based on your needs and what you want. Either you want to build an autonomous team, or you can create an offshore additional development. If you want to build an autonomous team you must hire the correct person from the beginning, and then develop an organization of experienced engineers. You will need to trust this senior person. Look to hire a self-starter, who has the right instincts to make the right decisions. It is important to empower the engineers abroad, like you would if they were in the same office, to make things happen. Anyone who requires approval from you for any small changes will not be an effective use of their or your time, particularly when there is the time change.

It's not easy to keep employees engaged even when you're not in the same building. There are a variety of ways to keep your employees interested however, we've compiled three strategies we think is most important communicating and using gestures.

Communication can be accomplished through social media or video chat that are both cost effective and efficient in time. Gestures can be effective since they let people know that you value their work by making small gestures like a coffee cup or office decor. Storytelling is important because it builds connections between people by sharing memories or stories.

Related: When Software Development Should Be In-House

It isn't as cost-effective than you imagine.

It might seem like you can reduce costs by outsource your staff. However, there are additional expenses that add up. With Slack, you are able to post gifs on Slack and still not get the desired response. You could be leaning over to tell your engineer to stop playing bassnectar! It is also necessary to be able to face-to-face with one others if you wish for your team to work together. That means your team from abroad should meet up with the U.S. teams and your executive group should start earning airline miles. Without the chance to meet face-to–face at least one time, it's impossible to establish the intangible "vibe".

It's imperative for any company to take the process of developing software seriously. We'll explore the reasons why businesses need to have their own teams of software developers. When it is more practical outsourcing, we'll discuss when hybrid models work best.

Software development isn't an option that is merely considered by many businesses. It's an essential part of delivering customer value that has its own team and budget.

When you should outsource the development of software

There are many variables that can influence the decision of outsourcing software engineering work One factor that could be a potential opportunity is the expertise of your developers. If you have skilled developers on staff who can do this work, then it may be more cost-effective and efficient for your business to outsource the work.

If you're considering hiring an overseas team to help with the engineering of a startup, what you need to remember is that this team is merely your team at a different location. As as if they were employees of yours, treat them exactly the way you would. Schedule frequent visits to the other location or take them to HQ. With high-speed mobile access, real-time messaging and mobile applications, you can easily bridge cultural, language, and geographical distances. Integration is the most important thing to do!