Tips on evaluating Nearshore Software Outsourcing Partners from Mexico and Beyond
It is directly related to how you handle the evaluation process that you will be able to create and sustain a healthy working relationship with your nearshore development team or outsourcing partner from Mexico or beyond nearshore, like central and South America.
A nearshore development partner is an excellent choice for any company that needs some help developing software, whether a small, large, or medium company; however, if you do not interview your prospective partner properly, you cannot expect great results. When interviewing a new outsourcing partner, it is crucial to consider a few things to ensure you get the best possible outcome from a heavy project like software development. There are many options to choose from when it comes to outsourcing partners.
Ensure the engineer has the right level of expertise. A third party must outsource this vital task to understand and clarify what the engineer will be responsible for. You must understand their future role in the software development project, their part, and what they will do.
Ensure that the engineer's role is defined clearly, avoiding gaps or ambiguities. In addition, the technologies involved in the process will also need to be evaluated. Identify what parts and technologies the engineer excel at; even better, find out what technologies the engineer has experience with. It would help if you always try to gather as much information about their intellectual capacity as possible. The project you want to work on needs to be detailed; every software development project carries its characteristics and challenges, which are unique from one another, so it is crucial to understand what you, as the client, want to accomplish. The nearshore or outsourcing provider must clearly define the projects they will handle as a company and the project leader.
The main goal of discussing and describing the project isn't only about both parties agreeing on the terms and conditions the project will be carrying on but also ensuring it matches the working culture of your outsourcing provider.
The idea is to make sure the nearshore development partner you're about to work with can and can adapt to the necessities of the project based on the working culture you're proposing. The outsourcing partner can successfully meet realistic expectations if you're looking for an efficient engineering team that can work on tight schedules and is available during working hours.
Consider the team's qualities before you begin working together.
There are one critical thing companies don't seem to take into consideration when interviewing their nearshore engineers, and that's keeping their personal qualities in mind. This question is more focused on knowing how they work and how they do it. It means considering whether they're a fast developer, a slow one, more of a methodic engineer, or a completely independent one. Again, this question aims to ensure that the nearshore engineer will be helpful and that you, as a company, will feel comfortable working with them.
Try out different scenarios to see how well they know what to do.
When developing software, some problems or incidents will likely occur. This is normal, and you as a company are probably aware of it by now. So, to ensure the engineer or outsourcing partner will do well under these circumstances, ask them questions about difficult/stressful situations you've been in and how they would handle them. This is a smart way of testing their knowledge and, even more important, making sure they are solution-oriented and can deal with common development problems efficiently and quickly.
Please take a look at how they operate. Discuss with the outsourcing partner how the project will be managed in general and more detail. Please don't be vague or leave room for expectations during this part of the interview since it could have repercussions down the road. If you want to know whether they understand what they are doing as engineers and nearshore developers, ask them short but specific questions.
It should at least contain a couple of times the words "Scrum," "Communication channels," "Agile," and "Technologies." Compared to a regular interview, nearshore/outsourcing interviews require you to ask all possible questions. Remember, it is best to get these factors out of the way as soon as possible and start a working relationship with the right foot.
