How to Outsource Mobile App Development in 5 Easy Steps [An Ultimate Guide]

Do you have a mobile app idea? Are you planning to outsource your mobile app development?

Then remember the choice of your outsourcing partner can either make or break your project.

As an experienced mobile app development company, we understand the complexities and challenges of this decision. Above all, outsourcing is not merely a business transaction but a trust-driven collaboration.

So choosing your outsourcing partner directly impacts the success of your mobile app. To help you, we have written a detailed process of how to outsource mobile app development.

Let’s directly dive into the process. This five steps process provides you with proper knowledge on outsourcing your app development.

5 Steps to Outsource Mobile App Development

According to Deloitte, the global shared services and outsourcing survey state that cost reduction is a primary objective of outsourcing services. As you check the report, you learn how outsourcing is playing an important role from cutting costs to becoming a most reliable option for business partners.

In such a case, choosing the right app development outsourcing company becomes a really important step. This is the reason we have written a dedicated guide on mobile development outsourcing. Let’s learn about the first step in the mobile app development outsourcing process which is defining your project scope.

1. Define the Scope of Your Mobile App Project

   Before you start outsourcing app development, you need to be clear about the purpose of your mobile application. So, the entire direction of your app development process becomes more clear. Here are the points that you need to follow to determine the scope of your app.

   • Specify the objective and target audience of your mobile app accurately. Whether you want to build a mobile app for selling products, providing a service, or information sharing. Deciding upon your mobile app objective helps you to create a complete roadmap to outsource app development effectively.
   • After deciding on an objective, you need to determine the features and functionalities of your mobile application.
   • Based on the objective of your mobile app, further, decide the features/functionalities you want to include. Considering features from sign-in options to the integration of third-party services within your application.
   • Now, determine the platform (iOS, Android, or cross-platform) and whether you want a native, hybrid, or web app.
   • Determine the budget for your mobile application considering the requirements, scope, and post-launch development costs like maintenance, updates, and marketing.

   To get in detail insights regarding costs, check our dedicated guide on mobile application development costs. By going through this post, you can effectively budget your mobile application.

   As you decide the objective, features, platform, and budget for your mobile app development, next understand the difference between types of outsourcing.

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2. Choose Between Onshore, Offshore, and Nearshore Outsourcing

   Before diving into the decision-making process, it’s crucial to understand the differences between onshore, offshore, and nearshore outsourcing. While opting for outsourcing project development, you need to be clear about all the types of outsourcing. As you see, there are three types of outsourcing which are onshore, offshore, and nearshore so you can choose a particular one as per your requirements.

   Outsourcing Model	Description	Best For
   Onshore	Partnering with a company or team located within your own country.	Projects requiring clear communication and understanding of local market criteria. When budget isn’t the primary concern.
   Offshore	Partnering with a company or team in a distant country which is usually on another continent.	Projects where cost savings are important. You are involved in the core activities of your business growth.
   Nearshore	Partnering with a company or team in a neighbouring country or one that’s relatively close in terms of time zones.	Projects seeking a balance between cost, quality, and ease of collaboration.

   Your next step would be finding either an offshore mobile app development partner or a nearshore outsourcing team. This is a crucial step which helps you to bring your idea to reality.

3. Select the Potential Mobile App Development Partners

   Research and find the best app development companies for your project which fit your budget. While looking for the best companies consider the following criteria.

   • To find the best outsourcing app development agencies, look for companies or development firms with a good track record in developing similar apps.
   • Examine the previous clients’ projects to check and learn the quality of work and relevance to your project.
   • Find if the companies have experience in the industry for which you need to build apps or with similar apps.
   • For finding reliable mobile app outsourcing companies or potential candidates, check the platforms like Upwork, Clutch, and GoodFirms.

   These are the reputed platforms where companies list their company profile and showcase their expertise, location, rating, and experience. Let’s learn a little bit more about these reputed platforms and why we are mentioning them in this blog post.

   • Upwork: A prominent global freelancing platform that helps businesses or individuals to hire expert mobile app developers around the world. Due to the strict review and ratings process and a vast pool of global talent, Upwork becomes a reliable choice for hiring offshore mobile app developers for your project development.
   • Clutch: With more than 1500 business categories, Clutch is one of the top directories to search, find, and decide on business service providers. On this platform, individuals and businesses can read verified reviews from other business leaders to make informed decisions. On Clutch, there are 903 mobile app development agencies in Canada and 4994 application development companies in the USA to choose from. Depending on your requirements, choose the most reliable app development outsourcing company.

   Further, you need to assess the various criteria to select an app development team.

4. Evaluate and Select an App Development Partner

   Evaluating and selecting the right app development partner is a critical step in ensuring the success of your project.

   Choosing the right partner helps you to bring your vision to life, while the wrong one can lead to delays, increased costs, and a product that doesn’t meet your expectations.

   While choosing your mobile development outsourcing company, consider the following criteria to evaluate and shortlist your partner.

   • Evaluate the technical expertise of the company and ensure the mobile app developers are well-versed in the latest technologies to create your app as per your expectations.
   • Ensure the agency has an effective communication process and ensure they engage in the communication and are open to interacting with the clients.
   • Learn and assess the project development methodologies to make sure the successful execution of your project.
   • Understand the pricing structure which is within your budget and get detailed quotes for your mobile app project based on preferences (fixed-price, hourly-based, or milestone-based).
   • Ensure you’re comfortable with the communication channels and frequency proposed by the developer or agency.
   • In the final stage, initiate discussions with the finalists and choose a particular vendor that best aligns with your requirements, budget, and requirements

   Or you can choose Space-O Technologies as your outsourcing mobile app development partner. Being a leading mobile app development company in Canada, we have experience developing over 300 custom mobile and web-based software solutions.

   So far, we have worked from startups to Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Also, we are well-equipped with technical expertise in Swift, Objective-C, Java, Kotlin, Flutter, and React Native. From developing mobile to software solutions, we have delivered applications for our clients in different industries like logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and fintech.

5. Start the Development Process

   As you choose your mobile app development partner, now you need to organize a kickoff meeting with the development team to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the scope, objectives, and deliverables of your project.

   Determine the communication tools like Trello, Slack, Jira, or email for regular check-in intervals like daily or weekly reviews to make sure the work is in alignment.

   Further, during the entire project development process of your mobile app, you need to be involved to ensure the development aligns with your expectations.

Why Should You Outsource Mobile App Development?

Here are the five core reasons why you should outsource mobile application development.

1. Get Cost-efficient Mobile App Development

   Building an in-house development team includes salaries, employee benefits, software licenses, and infrastructure overheads. When outsourcing, businesses bypass these costs, tapping into an already established infrastructure and team.

   Mobile app projects require a combination of skills, including UI/UX designers, developers, and QA testers. Outsourcing companies provide access to this combination of skills without incurring long-term commitments.

   Reliable outsourcing companies are equipped with the necessary tools, software, and licenses specific to mobile app development which results in eliminating additional costs.

   The rapid evolution of mobile technologies necessitates frequent upskilling. Outsourcing firms maintain their team’s proficiency, bypassing training costs and ensuring top-tier development standards.

2. Hiring Experienced Mobile App Developers for Your Project

   Outsourcing grants access to a pool of specialists adept in diverse areas of mobile app development.

   Mobile apps can range from straightforward tools to complex solutions using technologies like AR or IoT. Outsourcing partners, having a wide array of specialists, can handle this spectrum of complexity.

   With the mobile tech landscape constantly evolving, outsourcing ensures hiring mobile app developers who are experts and in tune with the latest trends, techniques, and best practices.

3. Save Your Mobile App Development Time

   A dedicated external mobile app development team can navigate development stages faster, from design to deployment, given their focused expertise.

   Outsourcing often allows for parallel processes: while one segment of the team focuses on design. Another team can work on backend structures, and project manager facilities handling the overall development process and enabling quicker market entry.

4. Achieve Flexibility and Scalability During Your App Development

   Outsourcing offers the agility to adapt team size based on the project’s phase, allowing for scaling up during intensive development stages and scaling down during quieter periods.

   Should there be a need to integrate a feature, platform, or technology, outsourcing partners can swiftly divert, integrating the required expertise without the need for fresh recruitment.

5. Mitigates Risks of Your Mobile App Development

   Established outsourcing entities have fine-tuned their methodologies over a ton of projects, leading to a reduction in project-related uncertainties.

   In today’s digital landscape, data privacy and cybersecurity are important as well as expensive. Outsourcing firms stay up-to-date with security standards and protocols, ensuring the developed app stands robust against potential threats and complies with data protection regulations.

   Application development outsourcing companies have different types of models to choose from according to your requirements. Check the next section to learn about each model.

3 Types of Outsourcing Models to Choose

In the following table, you learn about the types of outsourcing models.

As you have understood the three types of outsourcing models, now let’s learn about the challenges you could face while outsourcing mobile application development. In the next section, you learn about the core challenges associated with outsourcing.

What are the Challenges Associated With App Development Outsourcing?

While outsourcing offers multiple benefits, it’s also essential to be aware of the potential pitfalls. Here, we learn the three primary challenges associated with outsourcing mobile app development.

Challenge 1: Quality Issues and Concerns in App Development

The final product might not meet the expected quality standards or might not align with the initial vision of the project due to insufficient expertise, miscommunications, or a lack of a well-defined development process by the outsourcing app development agency.

Example:

Imagine you’ve tasked a mobile app outsourcing company with creating your eCommerce app. You provide specifications for an e-commerce app with a built-in AI recommendation engine. When the prototype is delivered, you find a basic product suggestion system based on recent views, lacking the AI-driven personalization you anticipated.

Solution:

• Detailed requirement documentation: Ensure that you provide a detailed and clear requirements document that outlines every feature, functionality, and design element you expect.
• Regular check-ins and reviews: Implement a system of regular check-ins and milestone-based reviews to keep track of progress and ensure alignment with your expectations.
• Reference checks: Before selecting an outsourcing partner, check their past projects and references to measure the quality of their work and reliability.

Challenge 2: Communication Issues During App Development Process

Inefficient communication due to differences in time zones, languages, or cultural nuances can lead to misunderstandings, which in turn can affect the accuracy and quality of the app.

Example:

You request integration of a third-party payment gateway using its latest API version. Due to miscommunication, the development team uses an older API version, causing compatibility and functionality issues down the line.

Solution:

• Unified communication tools: Use standard communication and project management tools like Slack, Trello, or Jira, where you and your mobile app development company can monitor progress, raise issues, and provide feedback in real time.
• Scheduled meetings: Set up regular and scheduled status meetings to ensure alignment, address concerns, and provide feedback. This can be weekly or bi-weekly based on project needs.
• Clear documentation: Maintain well-documented communication, where every decision, change, or feedback is recorded for future reference.

Challenge 3: Data Security and Intellectual Property (IP) Issues

Sharing sensitive information or intellectual property with an external entity always comes with a risk. There might be concerns about data breaches, misuse of proprietary data, or even disputes regarding ownership of the final product or certain features.

Example:

You give the Android/iPhone app development team your special method to speed up your app. Later, you find that same method used in a different app by another customer of the same company, risking your app’s advantage.

Solution:

• Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs): Before sharing any sensitive information, ensure that the outsourcing agency signs an NDA, which legally binds them to confidentiality.
• Data handling protocols: Ensure the agency adheres to global data protection standards and has stringent data handling and storage protocols in place.
• Clear IP agreements: Draft clear contracts that specify the ownership rights of the developed app, its source code, and any associated content. This reduces the potential for IP-related disputes in the future.

Why Outsource Your Mobile App Development to Space-O Technologies?

Here are the key reasons why you should connect with us for your mobile app development project.

• We at Space-O Technologies provide you with mobile app developers who have experience in building powerful applications for various industries like healthcare, fintech, and logistics.
• We have over 65% of repeat and referral business rates, and so far we have developed over 300 custom software, web, and mobile solutions.
• Our mobile developers undergo multiple screening processes which allows us to decide whether they are suitable to work with clients.
• We provide end-to-end IT software services, having served multiple Fortune 500 companies globally.
• Above all, we have dedicated software development teams at Space-O that utilize the latest technologies, tools, and trends, including Java, React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin, and Xamarin to build your mobile application.
• With Space-O Technologies, you can hire a team of mobile app developers within 48 hours and get your project work started. Book your consultation with us to discuss your requirements.

Let’s Develop Your Custom Mobile Application Together

In this blog post, you have learned about the complete process of outsourcing mobile application development. To bring your idea into a reality, carefully select and manage your outsourcing team. Maintain consistent communication, prioritize quality, and diligently address any issues. Your meticulous attention to these factors will determine the trajectory of your project’s success during outsourcing.

Whether you are building an MVP or a fully-featured mobile application, you must drive your attention to each step, such as defining the objective, choosing an outsourcing type, finding a reliable partner for your project, and lastly continuously being involved in the whole process of your app development. If you have an app idea and want to outsource its development, let’s connect.