A thorough understanding of IT outsourcing models, applications, and the process is a big must for most business owners today.

According to the report on the Global market size of outsourced services from 2000 to 2019 from Statista, in 2019, the global outsourcing market value reached a new high of 92.5 billion USD. Internationally, IT outsourcing is now an integral feature of business life, from IT services to the healthcare sector and finance sector, to name but a few.

To help you keep abreast of this emerging trend, here is essential knowledge about outsourcing.

1. What is IT Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is a management approach that allows delegating to an external agent operational responsibility for processes or services previously delivered by an enterprise. According to Deloitte, simply, outsourcing is contracting out a business function to an external supplier, involving the transfer of people, processes, and assets.

This contracting out can be undertaken at either an on-shore or offshore location and to single-sourced or multi-sourced outsourcing partners. It is most mature in the Information Technology sector. However, it is increasingly developing to include a wide range of business processes such as HR, Finance, Procurement, Customer Service, and the wider back office function.

IT Outsourcing has always been complex due to the requirement to bundle IT into services combining hardware, software, people, and processes. These services often contain data centers, end-user computing, service desk, application development and maintenance, and voice and data network packages. Traditionally, there are intricacies in transferring staff, innovating contracts, and assessing the financial impact of selling physical assets. These complications have been recently compounded by on-demand IT offerings, the evolution of offshore centers, and the advent of cloud-based offerings.

2. Two IT Outsourcing Models

You can see different outsourcing models available in software project management. However, in this article, we only mention 2 typical models that may fit you the most.

Project-based model

With a project-based IT outsourcing model, you delegate the completion of an entire project to a third party. Typically clients should first explain the full requirements of the project to members of the outsourcing company, such as project managers and business analysts, and they will then be in charge of forming the development team and seeing the project through to its completion.

Project-based outsourcing model pros

The project-based model takes a large bulk of the work off your hands, as the outsourcing company will be largely responsible for the development of the entire project from start to finish, from forming the development team and carrying out project management to implementing quality control.

Project-based outsourcing model cons

This IT outsourcing model gives you limited control over your project and developers. With extra services such as project management, business analysis, and quality assurance, it can cost a lot. It also requires you to define the full specifications of your project at the beginning, which may be very hard. Moreover, misunderstandings with project requirements can result in significant mistakes that delay project completion.

Project-based model is recommended for clients having a small, short-term project whose requirements are set in stone. Enterprises that do not need or cannot monitor the project progress too closely should also choose this model.

See which Offshore Development Center in Vietnam with CMC Global

Team-based model

With the team-based model, you hire remote developers who will report directly to you and work for you full-time but will remain in the dedicated team. They may form your entire development team or collaborate with your in-house developers. This model is also considered IT staff augmentation or IT outsourcing.

Team-based outsourcing model pros

Hiring dedicated developers means you have full control over your project. It also gives you more flexibility with your project costs since you can easily add or remove developers as your requirements change. Additionally, it does not require you to define the full set of project requirements at the beginning, and you can immediately detect and correct mistakes as they appear.

Team-based outsourcing model cons

Staff augmentation requires constant communication and collaboration with your remote dedicated developers; thus when hiring from a distant country, time zone differences and language barriers may pose challenges. However, this is also true for project-based outsourcing.

The dedicated team model is recommended for clients who have a large or long-term project and want the freedom to change project requirements as they wish. If you prefer close monitoring of your developers and project progress, as well as need flexibility in extending their existing development teams, team-based outsourcing may be the best choice.

Which outsourcing model should business owners choose?

If you are to get started with software development outsourcing, things can get hectic and overwhelming. With so many methodologies, programming languages, services, etc. to pick a provider that suits your specific objectives the best can be a hard choice.

So, you can consult CMC Global’s quick brief checklist for our software development partner:

What are you aiming at?

This primary question will help define the task specifics, the IT model of outsourcing you want to employ, and even the budget you have to prepare.

If you’re not quite sure, CMC Global recommends you book a consultation. CMC Global’s consultation will give you brief information on what technical characteristics are the most suitable for your project.

Create a shortlist of outsourcing companies.

Check directory websites like clutch.co, or just ask your business partners for recommendations. If you aren’t sure what to look for, check out this article which it’s described in more detail.

Do a thorough background check.

Another tip is to read all their previous case studies: what projects they released, their industrial reputation, and, equally importantly, what their employees talk about them.

Because most companies in the IT outsourcing market need to keep all information about their customers confidential, keep in mind that somehow you will find their case studies a little bit modest or short. However, it’s not a red flag.

Under a non-disclosure agreement, CMC Global take confidentiality seriously.

Evaluate the offshore team’s knowledge and skills.

One thing you can clearly evaluate is how skillful a developer from an IT outsourcing company is by analyzing their certificate, their technical expertise, and the stacks they use.

Some technologies are the perfect fit for a certain type of project and vice versa. For example, the trend for most innovative workplaces around the world is now Workplace Automation. Thus, you will need comprehensive consulting. Big companies such as CMC Global will have a team of dedicated sales who will happily differentiate and guide you towards the best route.

Introduce yourself

Fill in the form on their website to tell them about your project. Most firms, including CMC Global, offer free consultations so you are guaranteed that there is no harm in checking out what is their point of view.

By that, you will get a better understanding of how IT outsourcing models work, and make up your mind accordingly.

Final thought

Vietnam, with the software industry’s annual growth at 40%, is making a big push to turn itself into an outsourcing powerhouse. Foreign investors continue to show a high level of confidence that Vietnam will deliver on its potential. IT outsourcing services generate around $3 billion a year, according to Vinasa. CMC Global, with two consecutive times achieving Sao Khue Award for the category “IT Outsourcing Service”, has affirmed strong competence in creating technology breakthroughs, thereby providing domestic and international customers with the best technology solutions.

Download our free e-books on Outsourcing here.