Hire app development team: What to expect in IT outsourcing
Businesses planning to remain competitive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape have come to see hiring an app development team as a strategic necessity. One main advantage of IT outsourcing is specialized skills, cost efficiency, and the ability to scale projects fast. With it, you can ensure any additional resources necessary to finish the project. That said, knowing how to get any type of work done outside your team can be daunting.
In this article, we’ll walk you through all the important things you need to know when you hire app development team. Everything from different hiring options and essential skills to the sources where you can hire app development team for your company.
If you are a startup, you might be building your first app. You may want to improve your digital presence if you are an established organization. In those cases, knowing these key elements is essential. This knowledge will help you make educated choices to achieve your goals throughout the project.
I. Why hire app development team?
ManpowerGroup’s recent data shows that 77% of employers can’t fill vacancies. Indeed, software development is one of many high-demand, low-supply industries. Millions of suitably qualified tech specialists are available from around the globe, but not enough to satisfy every software requirement.
To hire app development team members for a tech department and spend a lot of money every month is the choice of some product companies. This is a very good option for businesses that need a workforce to release updates and update new features.
Another way is that companies hire app development team experts from offshore or onshore firms to cut development costs.
However, from the perspective of creating an app, do you need to hire app development team professionals? The simple answer is…yes. In today’s world, having a digital presence is essential for any business aiming to engage with current customers and draw in new ones. More people are shopping, booking hotels, and ordering food using their smartphones and having a mobile, e-app or website. Therefore, if these options are not available, businesses can lose many valuable customers.
Apps and websites assist businesses in connecting with customers and displaying their service listing and contact information, among many more.
Although plenty of ready-made software solutions exist, some businesses are reluctant to hire app development team to build custom products. Hiring app developers can cost you a lot of money if your budget is tight. Nevertheless, out-of-the-box solutions still require some basic tech skills and competence.
On top of that, if you use pre-built software, you have no control. If the software owner turns it off, you’re going nowhere.
So, it would seem that a better choice would be to get a custom software solution developed by a trustworthy app development team. Hence, hiring the top app developers for the job gives you a solution suitable for your business.
II. Hire dedicated app development team: Hiring options to consider
When hiring app development team members, you have several flexible options: full-time or part-time employees or independent contractors. Costs can be affected by how these developers work (in the office or remotely) and where you’ll find them. As you would probably expect, each option to hire app development team comes with its own set of pros and cons. Therefore, it’s important that you fully understand these points before moving on to choosing the option for you.
Here are examples of the most common ways to hire app development team:
- Hire freelance developers
- Using in-house team
- Outsourcing software development companies
- Using staff augmentation
So, let’s explore each option to see how to hire app development team professionals for your needs.
1. Assemble an in-house team
This option is the complete opposite of hiring freelancers. You hire mobile or web app developers and then work together as a team in the same office. This setup makes it much easier to communicate with everyone under the same roof. If you pick this option, you can make the choices, have control and adjust whenever you need to.
However, don’t get too excited yet. App building with developers as an in-house team often comes with costs. You’ll have to rent and furnish an office, buy the hardware, and pay for licensed software. Additionally, when you employ an in-house app development team, you are responsible for covering salaries, sick leave, and vacation time.
And don’t forget the long and arduous process of hiring the right CTO, developers, and team members. These days, competing for tech talents against the big and fabulous benefits of big companies can be a real challenge.
Pros
- Complete control over your team
- Free from communication barriers
Cons
- Long, difficult hiring process
- Have to pay a high cost to hire mobile or web app developers
- Expertise is required in team management
2. Staff augmentation
Another way to answer ‘where can I hire app developer’ is staff augmentation services. It’s a great outsourcing model to seek a specialist in the technology needed for your project. When you need to hire people on your team to fill required positions, you can do it externally, and temporarily or permanently.
The model is perfect for companies that need to hire app developers with particular industry needs. It aids businesses in locating teammates who fit the bill. That is, someone who can match the project’s requirements as well as domain. This means companies don’t have to worry about growing or decreasing their team size. Also, the great news is staff augmentation services is a field full of providers.
If you have a programmer that’s skilled in some specific area, this will come in handy when building complex software using specialized technologies. Due to its nature, it’s perfect for developing complex applications that need a number of phone app developers for hire with various skill sets.
Choosing a staff augmentation service means hiring from an external vendor that provides developers via contract. The most important thing is to assess your current team and determine what specializations your project lacks. As the vendor offers these resources, there is no need to pay for costs related to hiring a full-time employee. This means if you hire app developers through staff augmentation, they’ll work on your project as needed.
Pros
- More efficient, faster development
- Knowledge that is project-specific
- Lower expenses
- Can opt for a trial cooperation
Cons
- Complex products will come with high costs
- Not the best for ongoing or full-time needs
- Reliance on the vendor
- Working remotely challenges the communication process
- Onboarding and management problems
3. Work with freelancers
In many cases, this is one of the first options that comes to mind when you want to hire app development team. It’s a choice chosen by so many companies because they can work with specialists worldwide. Also, this often tends to cost less than hiring in-house developers. As there are freelancers who are skilled in a variety of areas, you’ll surely be able to find someone that has just what you need.
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Diverse set of skills from developers
- Diverse platforms for hiring
Cons
- Possible communication difficulty due to language barriers
- Management difficulty
- Risk of abandoning the project
4. Hire a Mobile App Developer Company to Outsource Projects
Outsourcing the app development process to an IT company is one of the best ways to easily create an app. With this option, you get top-notch service at an affordable price. It saves you from hiring mobile app developers and renting an office and all that other stuff.
Why should you struggle to find an app developer you can work with these companies? Right? Most IT companies already have the people to build an app, the vendor handling team, and product delivery. This completely answers your question of how to hire an app developer.
For those on a budget, hiring a company overseas to develop your mobile app can be a wise decision as well. There are many outsourcing areas that fit your assets and needs.
However, if you hire app developers abroad, language barriers and time zone differences exist. These challenges may jeopardize communication. But experienced vendors usually have teams with a good level of English skills and can change their working hours to meet your needs.
Pros
- Cost-effective
- Ability to work with several tech vendors around the world.
- Have the freedom to find any tech expertise you need.
- No management on your part is required
- Quick projects start thanks to outsourced developers
Cons
- Possible language barriers and time zone differences.
Here are the top 10 resources to hire app development team from the best outsourcing companies:
- Clutch
- GoodFirms
- ITFirms
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- Upwork
- YouTeam
- Dice
III. Must-have skills that the dedicated app development team should have
1. Technical skills
Platform-specific skills
When you choose to hire app development team, it is the platform-specific skill that you need to succeed. Basically, what that means is that the developers must know the contents of the programming languages, frameworks, and tools they are working on. Things like Android or iOS. Some key platform-specific skills include:
- Android Development: To develop an app for Android, one needs to be good at Java or Kotlin. Developers must also know Android SDK, Android Studio, and Android platform architecture.
- iOS Development: If you are forming an app development team for iOS, you need to know programming languages like Swift or Objective C. You would need to know Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE), Xcode, iOS frameworks, and the company’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).
Device-specific skills
In order to develop apps that run smoothly on different devices and screen sizes, mobile developers need device-specific skills. When you hire app development team experts, these skills are essential:
- Responsive design: When you hire app development team, you should look for the ones who can build a responsive user interface. This would help your app to work well on whatever screen size and orientation it’s on. To get this right, developers need to know adaptive layouts, auto layout constraints, and scalable assets to make apps look good on any device.
- Fragmentation management: Because of the variety of Android devices, device fragmentation must be managed. That means developers will have to make sure the app works the same across various screen resolutions, aspect ratios, and hardware capabilities.
Domain-specific skills
Domain-specific skills are also important when it comes to building apps that are used for specific sectors. Therefore, when you hire app development team members, ensure they have the following domain-specific skills:
- User Experience (UX) design: In order to build an intuitive, user-friendly interface, developers need to know a lot about UX principles. It’s about doing user research, designing wireframes and prototypes, and incorporating user feedback to increase usability.
- Backend development: Many apps require that the server-side component be used to store data, authenticate users, and communicate with APIs. Backend technologies should be Node.js, Python, and PHP, and databases should be MySQL or MongoDB.
- Security and privacy: When developing apps, security and privacy are very important. Besides encryption techniques, data protection, and secure coding, developers should always prioritize protecting users’ privacy.
- Performance optimization: Developers should work hard to optimize app performance in order to ensure a smooth user experience. Included in this are things such as caching, lowering network requests, and reducing resource usage to make an app faster and more responsive.
2. Soft skills
Soft skills are not any less important than technical skills when you hire app development team.
Good communication skills are critical for app development since you keep working with your team. According to Microsoft, developers spend up to 70% of their time in a team. For that reason, the developers you pick have to be able to communicate their thoughts very well. Remember that communication is not only verbal but also written as well!
Another thing to notice when you hire app development team members is their personality. If you’re a startup with no employees yet, then finding the right people is crucial. They should be the ones to help you grow your business and work well together from start to finish. Ultimately, having the right mix of skills and great personality, or compatibility, will be the sweet spot that leads to a smooth and successful collaboration.
IV. Where to hire app development team
Finding the right app developers to work on your project when you’re looking to hire app development team is not a hard task. For example, 35% of startups rely on referrals, and 30% on professional platforms. Let’s dive into each option to help you choose how to hire app development team.
1. Online platforms
Online platforms present one of the easiest paths to hire an app development team. These platforms all have basic information about IT companies and freelance app engineers in the world, hence it is easier to hire engineers now. If you want to hire programmers for an app at an affordable price, you can browse the Clutch, GoodFirms, LinkedIn, or Glassdoor platforms. Earlier, these platforms can be divided into 3 categories based on the type of cooperation:
Where to hire mobile app developer for a full-time basis:
- Glassdoor
- Indeed
- Dice
Where to hire freelancers:
- Youteam
- Upwork
- Toptal
- Fiverr
Where to hire app developer vendor:
- Clutch
- GoodFirms
- IT Firms
- 99Firms
2. Ask for referrals
Referral is also another method you can use to hire app developers. Someone in your professional network is likely to know of a proven expert.
The problem, however, is that this method requires a very strong list of professional contacts. The stronger your industry connections, the better the odds of finding the best mobile app developers for your project.
3. Tech events
If you’re unable to locate referrals, attend specialized tech events to discover and recruit mobile app developers. Thousands of developers and industry experts meet for these events to network, share knowledge, and potentially do business together.
Tech events are about meeting developers, discussing your project, and building friendships, or professional relationships. While you won’t necessarily find the perfect talent for your project, these events are great for meeting industry contacts who could be helpful.
Here are some of the annual tech events to check out for when you want to hire app development team:
- Code Mobile: A UK conference for iOS and Android developers, by developers, for developers.
- DroidCon: A huge event based in Berlin and focused only on Android development.
- Appdevcon: A gathering in Amsterdam for developers specializing in iOS, Android, and cross-platform applications.”
- THAT Conference: A cozy event in Wisconsin Dells, WI, where the IT community shares their experiences.
- ÜberConf: A conference held in Denver featuring seasoned mobile developers and industry professionals.
V. Why you should choose Adamo’s dedicated app development team
Hiring app development team from Adamo Software is a strategic choice for your project. Our dedicated app development team has specific expertise that is meant for your particular needs. We focus on Agile methodologies, which ensure efficient project management and timely delivery of the projects. Our developers are up to date with all the modern technologies so they can create unique and quality applications.
By working with Adamo, you get to tap into a large talent pool without all the overhead costs of hiring an employee internally. We make sure that we communicate clearly and transparently all the way through the development process. We aim to meet your vision and are committed to our clients’ satisfaction and work closely with you to realize that.
Contact Adamo Software today to hire app development team and give the spark to your app development journey!