Have you ever thought that software engineering companies you outsource could cheat? You’ll be actually surprised about the ways remote developers can deceive you. However, there are lots of unique techniques that can help you identify if your remote worker is fair and reliable.
The main objective of outsourcing is to reduce costs. But quality must not be forgotten in the pursuit of low prices. Learn how not to get screwed while cooperating with remote teams of developers.
It’s quite difficult to detect frauds in cases when your partners reside in the country different than yours. However, we’ve got some smart tips and tricks that can be of great use for stakeholders.
A list of 10 tips and tricks to avoid cheating
First off, any successful partnership starts with good knowledge of best practices, tactics, and methodologies. To learn innovative and effective approaches to project management you may read different case studies that are available on the Internet. Read these stories to know what tactics and practices managers use to make their work effective and highly efficient. Below are some recommendations from our top managers for you to know how to distinguish unfair contractors from trusted companies.
1. Use social media
Let’s imagine a .Net developer John. John’s project manager introduces him to you as a senior developer with 6+ years of experience. You are so happy to meet John as now you have a reliable person for realizing back-end. Often outsource providers introduce pseudo-employees to their customers. If speaking about John, he might exist just on paper or be a different person with a different name.
So, is it possible to check if a given expert exists? Surely, it is. The best way to check your providers is to look for a social media page of John. You will definitely find a page on LinkedIn or Facebook if a person really exists. Below are the most popular websites that are widely used by major companies that outsource:
LinkedIn is probably the best professional network to search for new candidates for your job. It unites and connects professionals from all over the world. a perfect network that unites professionals all over the globe. Here anybody is able to view profiles of specialists and contact them. You may read about the core skills, projects, and education of different people as well as to check if the offered employee is available on the platform or not.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are much more personal pages but yet effective ways to find out more about your people.
2. Video chats
Video calls can help you define if you work with one and the same person. Conduct regular meetings via video calls. Face-to-face interviews allow seeing who you speak to. Live interaction is available via Skype, Viber, Hangouts, and other popular apps.
We recommend getting used to regular calls because it often happens that each time you call by phone you can have a talk with a different employee. The constant change of people can have a negative effect on the project outcomes.
3. Independent audit
Are you certain that programming is actually done by Seniors? Buyers hire Senior developers but in fact get Juniors who just started their career in IT. Due to the lack of senior specialists or in the pursuit of high pay large outsourcing companies can cheat in the way described above.To eliminate cheating order an independent audit. It will cost you $100–200 but you could save much more money that you might spend on re-engineering.
4. Monitor progress
Time tracking will make you sure that time is spent on particular tasks. Initially, you may agree on time tracking apps that you prefer to use, for example, Hubstaff or Time Doctor. Such applications show the entire workflow: how many hours are spent on accomplishing a particular assignment, what is done, and what is to be done. Some apps can take screenshots of your workers’ computers and provide lists of websites they visit during working hours.
5. Expert estimations
Every single IT project is unique as it requires the use of different technologies. Your new partners can recommend to you the technologies that are familiar to them but not suitable for completing your project. Conduct comprehensive research on the technology stack offered to you. If you are a beginner in information technology you will barely estimate best-match resources and technologies. Recruit an expert to do this for you. Professionals will give you a piece of advice as to what technologies are best for your project.
6. Never miss changes
If you see that a person who worked for you is not available or absent for a few days ask others what happened. It occurs that people quit the job or move to another project. You’d better find out all the details at the time you noticed the absence. If you have the contacts of your employee ask him/her in person. Check if possible the current occupation of this person on LinkedIn.
7. Ask about QA services
QA and testing are of great importance for high-quality performance. You must be sure a company provides real QA services. Ask test engineers to send you report documentation about the testing and bug fixing process. In case you are offered different types of testing ensure that the design documentation is clear and contains all the details about the testing workflow including the names of the apps that will be used for this process.
8. Reasonable number of personnel hours
If you are doubting the number of employees required for completing a project hire an audit specialist. They will determine if the number of people fits the needs of your project.
9. Check developers
Do you trust your developers? Are you absolutely certain about their skills and the time they spend? There are 3 key things to check: time spent, technologies used, and experience specified in the offer.
10. Online testing and interviews
Use online tests and interviewing to check the tech skills and competencies of your potential employees. You must be 100% sure that the people you hire possess the skills that match your project. You may recruit a professional adviser to interview your candidates. Besides, you may find a great number of online tests over the Internet.
Use these 10 tips and tricks to handle outsource services and reach your goals. Should you have any questions about outsourcing feel free to ask our team.
