We wrote many articles about the work of software development companies and hiring them for specific projects. However, company owners who have constant needs for software development may sometimes wonder: can I hire my own team of developers? The simple answer is yes. However, it may not be the best idea, and we are here to tell you why.
In-House Development vs. Hiring Developers
Developing software using your company's human resources (employees) is called in-house development. How is it done? You hire developers who become your employees. They work exclusively on your projects and products as part of their responsibilities. In-house development also involves using other internal resources (e.g., equipment).
There are a few pros of this approach, such as:
- total control of the development process
- easy and quick communication
- you can choose who will work on your product development
In-house development also has some disadvantages:
- it is costly (contrary to what you may think!) - developers become regular employees, and all the costs connected to their employment, are on you
- time-consuming - making a job advertisement, screening résumés, and conducting interviews do not take hours. The hiring process takes days or even months.
On the other hand, there are developers for hire. This option is self-explanatory. You hire an outside software development company to develop your product and deliver it to you in a ready-to-use form. No employee interviews, no hiring costs, no payroll calculations, or any other costs. Let us look closely at the various advantages of hiring outside software development companies.
Advantages of hiring a software development company
Hiring developers to develop a product is a sound choice for many companies because of the various benefits of this approach.
Low Cost
You may not think so when you receive the invoice from a software house, but hiring software developers company is cost-effective. How? It saves you many several costs connected with hiring employees:
Recruitment - this includes, for example, HR or recruitment company charges, fees for posting adverts, etc.
Salaries - these are not low when it comes to software developers. On top of that, you will also need to pay additional expenditures, such as taxes or insurance
Operations - these are all other resources you must provide to develop your software project in-house. These include setting up the workplace and providing equipment or furniture.
It is a different story when you hire one of the many good software development companies available on the market. That company incurs all the costs and risks connected with them. What is more, you get a personalized budget before any work commences. It means that you can predict and prepare how much your project costs in advance. It is rarely possible in the case of an in-house software development team. Good software development companies stick to their budget and review it in case of any changes to the project. They take care of the budget, and how to stick to it, not you. That is a significant difference.
Less hiring process hiccups
Hiring is not only about the costs. It is a long and usually complex process. Finding developers with appropriate skills is as crucial as it is difficult. And the worst part is that usually, recruitment does not stop when you hire staff members! Why not? Nowadays, employees rarely stay in one company for years. It used to be the case in the old days but not anymore. No matter how hard you try, there might always be a place that offers conditions that may suit your employees more. It means that you have to conduct recruitment for one position more than once. Can you imagine such an occurrence when you are in the middle of developing a piece of software? No one would want that to happen.
If you hire a software developers company, the ongoing recruitment process is not your problem. You pay for the result, which is the software you requested. The staff turnover within the software development company is none of your concern. You can stay focused on the most important (from your point of view) aspect - a perfect project and product ownership.
Focus on product ownership
Product Ownership is technically the responsibility for the project's outcome and its value. It is the most significant role in the whole product development. If you ever have any doubts, try to answer a simple question: what is the main purpose of the project? To generate income, of course! And to do so, the product needs to answer the specific market's needs. It is not an easy job, and being fully focused on this task helps substantially in achieving the best possible product outcome. However, the full focus can not be assured if company software development happens in-house. It is simply impossible with all the other aspects of employment you have to focus on. That is why leaving it in the hands of an outside software development company, working with experienced product owners, is the best choice.
Control of the results
The results, which is the finished product, should be delivered within a specific timeframe and be of specified quality. Is your in-house development team able to provide that? Rarely. Here is why: they are your employees. Even if they do not deliver within a timeframe, they can always extend the deadline. If the quality does not correspond to the requested quality, they can always take time to improve it. Do you know any company with such an easygoing approach to its clients? Probably not. It is because software development companies want to make their clients happy so the clients keep coming back for more. You can be sure that any changes regarding project requirements you might have will be promptly and accurately implemented. And that is what you call real control.
Fewer management issues
As a business owner, you know how important management is. Having an in-house developers team means additional employees to manage. It is not enough to establish a team leader. After all, they will do what all other managers and leaders do - come to you for advice. It is how things work, and by all means, this is what they should do. As always, you will be more than happy to help and guide them, but again, your focus will get shifted. Your priorities will receive less attention as a result of other equally important matters.
Software developers company not only takes over the project development process. They also take care of all project management and staff management too. All you focus on is the project outcome, not what happens on the way there.
Ready to outsource your company software development projects?
There is no doubt that you want your product to succeed. That is why choosing a good software development company is your best option. Talent, knowledge, and skills in software development do not happen as often as you think. And the combination of those three is the guarantee of developing good software.
Focus on what you do best - your business. Sailing Byte will focus on what we do best - software development. Outsource the technicalities and other consuming activities to us. Book a call and leave the product development in good hands!
