What is a Dedicated Software Development Team?
A dedicated software development team is a group of specialists assigned to only one specific project and is not shared with other clients. It includes highly-experienced developers, designers, quality assurance experts, project managers, and more to deliver the best result within the agreed timeline.
As a dedicated team that handles one project at a time, it allows developers to understand the project requirements deeply and communicate effectively at every phase to meet the perfect expectations of clients. This dedicated approach is important for better alignment of goals and faster delivery of projects.
Here are some of the key characteristics of a dedicated software development team:
- Technical Knowledge: they are highly skilled in programming languages, relevant frameworks, tools, and other technological stacks.
- Exclusive Attention: a team works on a single project, with the fullest attention and dedication.
- Effective Communication: Keeps clear and regular communication with teammates and stakeholders.
- Collaboration: Work together within the team, as well as in conjunction with other departments.
- Flexibility: they are able to adapt to the changing needs of the project and new technologies.
- The depth of Project Understanding: Develops an in-depth understanding of project objectives and the business context.
- Consistency: guarantees consistency and security throughout the entire life cycle of a project.
- Quality Assurance: High-quality deliverables are prioritized through rigorous testing and evaluations.
When Your Business Needs a Dedicated Software Development Team?
Though a dedicated software development model benefits all types of business but Its important to make a smart move to keep the business going hassle-free. Below are some of the scenarios that show you must hire a dedicated development team.
1. If You Are A Startup Firm
As a startup requires a lot of effort in hiring the right team, balancing smooth work, maintaining a good reputation, and much more, a dedicated development team is the best choice. Also as startups are new in the industry, they have limited resources. Hiring a dedicated development team helps to carry the project professionally.
2. If You Have Multiple Projects Ongoing
Handling multiple projects at the same time is a daunting job because every project has unique requirements and needs different tools and technologies. in-house team might not have access to suitable resources. Hiring a dedicated development team helps to complete the project faster, divides the work load and ensures excellent quality.
3. If You Need Help With Handling A Large-Scale Project
Launching large-scale projects requires a professional development team. You can deliver the project consistently as the dedicated development team is assigned to one project at a time to ensure faster turnaround time and meet the project goals accurately.
4. If You Need Specialized Expertise For Customized Requirements
Experienced developers provide clients with more skills for any given project. This can be especially helpful in projects involving developing complex apps, designing AI solutions, or developing custom e-commerce platforms. Businesses can leverage a dedicated development team with the skillset needed to efficiently resolve technical challenges quickly and cost-effectively.
5. If You Are Short On Budget
You can hire the best dedicated development team at a reliable price. You can provide focused and consistent work to your clients without spending extra overhead costs. This helps minimize waste while producing high-quality deliverables and you can adjust team sizes according to project demands while optimizing resource allocation and controlling expenses.
6. If You Need To Speed Up Time To Market
The in-house team might not be a 100% reliable option when it’s about speeding time to market. Dedicated development teams responsibly handle the project and delivers the best quality project within the specified timeline. This helps to launch the software early in the market.
Benefits of Hiring a Dedicated Software Development Team
There are reasons why you should opt for a dedicated team when partnering with a software development company. Let’s discuss the benefits of this model and how it can help accelerate the work.
1. Cost-effective
If you hire the team in-house, you will need to spend on the resources and hiring. You would need the infrastructure as well to carry out the operations. If you have a dedicated team, you can hire resources of your choice while keeping them on the agency’s payroll. Secondly, it will be a lot cheaper, as you will pay only for the services you use
2. Accelerates Development
You can hire the right team and let them act on the project. This will eventually accelerate the launch as they are working on your project. Your dedicated team comprises experts in different segments, which can help you improve the launch time.
3. Standard Communication
When you partner with a dedicated team, they will communicate the status to you in real-time. you can take the necessary actions to help you streamline the development processes.
4. Focussed Approaches
When hiring a dedicated team, they tend to focus only on your project. As a result, you can stay focussed on your core jobs. This gives more time to improve productivity.
5. Expertise in Tech Stacks
When hiring a dedicated team, you hire people with apt tech skills and mastery in development. This can help you identify a solution to all complex problems.
6. Quality Solutions
You can rely on the solutions offered by the dedicated team, as they use high-performing tools and quality infrastructure.
What Are the Costs of Hiring a Dedicated Software Development Team?
According to a recent survey, the cost to hire a software development team can range between $10,000 and $20,000 per month for mid to senior-level developers, depending on the type and complexity of the software. Though there is no clear-cut answer to this question, certain factors can help you understand the overall cost of hiring a dedicated software developer.
1. Team Location
Every region has a different currency, and team location affects the cost of software development when you choose a dedicated team from other countries or regions. For example, countries like the USA, New York, etc., are expensive compared to India and China due to their cost of labor and living.
2. Level of Skills and Experience
The developer with less experience will charge less, and the one with more experience and skills will charge more. It’s simple logic. Also, the specific skills and expertise in suitable technologies and skills add up more on cost because junior developers will need more training and learning time than experienced ones.
3. Type of Employment
You should also consider types of employment like full-time, part-time, freelancer, hourly or project-based. Building an internal team with a fixed salary may be a good option for the long term. On the other side, hiring a freelance developer or going hourly or project-based is a decent option if you want to work on existing website features or need any support for a limited time.
4. Team Size
A large project will need more team members to allocate the proper tasks to each member. Smaller teams are a cost-saving and affordable option if the project is less complex. Teams with larger sizes can cover more terrain, but they also incur more cost of coordination, and may also suffer from problems. The balance between team size and size can improve efficiency and cost.
5. Project Complexity and Technologies
Projects with advanced technologies and complex algorithms, and with tight deadlines may require a more experienced developer team to carry everything easily. The need for specialist skills and manpower also adds to the total cost.
Top 6 Key Tips For Hiring Dedicated Software Development Teams
Before you go to Hire dedicated software developers or any software development agency, keep these expert tips in mind to hire the best dedicated software team.
1. Know Your Requirements
Be crystal clear about your project requirements like what type of software you want, the number of developers required to accomplish the project, tools and technologies required, budget, and other important aspects. This will help you to outline the software development process and help in hiring the right candidate.
Pro tip: You can create your dedicated team by interviewing candidates who fulfill your project needs. Prepare a document with a well-planned project process, its important features, and important requirements to hire an amazing dedicated software team.
2. Conduct Market Research And Look For Experienced Teams
There are mainly three choices: onshore, offshore, and nearshore to find experienced development teams. Conduct deep market research and approach the best teams or agencies at Upwork, GitHub, or any other reputed online platforms. You can simply google search, or find on LinkedIn, clutch, or any other social media and professional platforms.
3. Consider The Right Outsourcing Team
To Hire dedicated software developers who are well-skilled and highly-experienced, research good outsourcing companies by checking their websites, portfolios, past customer reviews, and pricing models. Read the company’s blogs, and portfolios to understand similar projects they have worked on. Make sure to choose a scalable and flexible development team that can be adjusted as per development teams.
Pro tip: Look for extra services required like marketing, SEO or content writing depending upon the niche of software.
4. Interview Potential Candidates
Portfolios and resumes may look impressive, but the real struggle is hiring the right software developer team. You know your requirements well, so go for a technical test or interview that is relevant to the project and essential for software development.
Make a list of the best candidates, your budget, and important skills. You can also make a list of questions and ask candidates to filter the best candidates.
5. Launch A Dedicated Team And Sign The Nda
Once you have selected the best dedicated team within your budget, it is time to launch the team and sign an NDA. You must mention the NDA agreement during the interview and declare other important terms and conditions. NDA contracts should include all details about projects, budget, start time, completion time, and other important details.
6. Proper Team And Project Management
Proper team and project management is the key to the successful completion of a project. Stay connected with the clients and discuss the status and important things related to the project on a regular basis. Work on things as per client feedback to align the software goals accurately.
A Step-by-step Guide to Hiring a Dedicated Software Development Team
By now, you must be clear on why you need a dedicated development team to work on your software application. Here is our step-by-step guide on how to hire the best software development team.
Step#1: Product Vision + Goals + Requirements
If you know what you want, planning your software development team becomes easier. You should know what you aim to develop. For example, if you are planning a productivity software, you should know the product’s purpose. Similarly, identify why the users would use this product. Determine the use cases and target audience for the product. When you narrow it down to requirements and a list of features, you know what experts you need to build the application. It will also help you know what technologies they should know, and how adept they should be with the development processes.
Step#2: Market Research
Once you know your requirements, it is time to find the best-fit partner for your business application. Research is a key step in finding a suitable hire. It is akin to window shopping, where you will see the quality, the portfolio, and even the budget before finalizing the candidate. Taking this step early can help you find the right tech partner. As you start researching, you will find newer points to consider. Here are a few things you should check when researching: The development company’s location. Are they nearshore or offshore? What kind of projects have they developed in the past? What are their development style and process? Do they have experience in your niche? Case studies of the projects they have developed Security measures that they take to keep the data safe and build a thorough application
Step#3: List of Skills Needed
At this point, you are aware of the requirements and audience for your software project. It is essential to determine the skills you need for the project. It will help you find the right partner, and shortlist the most capable ones. For example, if you have plans to implement AI in your business app solution, you need someone with knowledge of the technology and experience in offering solutions. If you are developing BigData solutions, you need someone with relational and non-relational database proficiency.
Step#4: Determine the Budget
Before you look for developers and connect with them, define the budget for the app development. It will guide you toward the right company to hire a dedicated development team. For example, if you are short on your budget, you may not be able to hire someone who is fancy and high-priced. You may also need to go to markets with cheaper labor costs. The budget will help you answer: – What type of companies to choose? – What is the maximum price you can say yes to? – What type of service to choose?
Step#5: Shortlist the Team
Once you have researched and found a few companies. It is time to shortlist the companies. You should look for their experience, license, and other credentials when shortlisting. It is important to check if they offer the tech stack or services that you need. This list will help you interview the developers/teams and complete the final hiring.
Step#6: Interview the Shortlisted Candidates
It is important to have a virtual or in-person (depending on the situation and location) meeting with the potential team. You need to know if they are capable of working with you. Ask the right questions to determine their ability.
- Methodology: Check what is their preferred methodology. Ask them how they attain successful development and deployment. For example, if they work with an agile methodology that delivers faster results, and it works for you, you can choose them.
- Technology Stack: We have already laid the premise for this by planning the requirements and defining the audience. If they are proficient with the tech stack you have strategized, you can go ahead with them.
- Testing Process: Every dedicated development team should have a QA engineer. They should offer complete testing solutions that help remove bugs, test quality, and assess performance. Check their testing methods, processes, and tools before you shortlist them.
- Communication Protocols: It is very important, especially when outsourcing, as you won’t have a direct connection with the software development team. Ask them how they communicate (means of communication- Slack, Email, or project management tool). Check how they maintain the process visibility. Know if they have a project manager who faces the client’s questions.
- Culture Fit: The communication, organizational structure, and working methods differ from country to country. As a result, it is important to determine a cultural fit and identify ways to merge the cultures before you can hire them. this is an important consideration, one that you can discuss during the in-person meeting.
- Time Zones: If you are operating in different time zones, you might want to discuss whether or not it works for both parties. You can determine if it will be advantageous for you or not.
- Price and Payment Terms: Make sure to involve the legal aspects during your conversation. Find out what is the total estimated price for development. Check the payment terms and legal concerns before you enter into a contract.
Step#7: Draw the Contract
Before you enter into execution mode, make sure you make a legal contract between both parties. You should define all the terms and conditions during this point. You can include the work scope, the requirements, the tech stack and other minute details in the contract. Make sure to mention the budget breakdown, payment terms, and legal aspects within the contract. Once both parties have signed the contract, you can move to the next step.
Step#8: Determine the KPIs
It is important for you to measure the work of your dedicated software development team. For this purpose, you can work together on identifying the KPIs that help measure productivity. Ensure your KPIs help you realize if the development is achieved within the stipulated time. It should check for errors, timeline issues, and development problems as well.
Engagement Models For Hiring Remote Software Development Teams
To execute the software development in the best way, it’s important to select suitable engagement models for hiring skilled remote software development teams. There are mainly six main engagement models, they are as follows:
1. Offshore Team Hiring
The offshore hiring model is best when dealing with long-term contracts. You can pick a suitable developer from a diverse range of talented developers. It’s basically partnering with a third-party vendor located in an offshore region. The team is always available and ensures constant communication, also it includes services like HR, development, QA testing, and other technical support.
2. Dedicated Developer Hiring
Dedicated developers work on one project at a time to deliver fast and efficient results. In this, you hire a full-time developers team who will work exclusively on your projects at your time. They understand the project deeply and work closely with your internal teams such as the designer, QA, scrum master, and other teammates to provide scalable and high-quality solutions.
3. Hourly Based Hiring
Most small agencies love the hourly-based hiring model because of its affordability. It might get charged for additional hours that the developer works. It is the most common option that freelancers do. This model offers the right balance between cost-effectiveness as well as knowledge, making it suitable for projects that don’t require full-time resources.
4. Project-Based Agile Hiring
Project-Based Agile Hiring is focused on delivering specific projects by using agile methods. This is a great model for projects that require flexibility as well as agile development. It allows for changes based on feedback. Teams operate in sprints, which allows for constant delivery of software that is functional. This is perfect for projects that have changing needs and the need for regular reassessment and change.
5. Fixed Cost Hiring model
The fixed cost model is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses where both developers and clients agree to a fixed Cost for a specific project. This type of model is ideal for projects that are well-defined with clearly defined requirements and timelines. It helps to predict budgets and minimizes financial risk. It requires initial planning and definition of scope to prevent expanding scope and to ensure the project remains within the budget.
6. Usage-Based Hiring
Charges for Usage-Based Hire are based on actual time and resource usage. This model allows for flexibility and cost control since you only pay for what you use. This model is ideal for projects that have a variable workload or require sporadic efforts to develop. This model optimizes resource usage and can be adapted as project requirements change.
Top 10 Tools to Manage Dedicated Software Development Team
Conclusion
Hiring a dedicated software development team requires a lot of planning, research, and an effective approach. Make sure you incorporate all the points mentioned here when choosing the partner. It will help you shortlist and identify a partner with the culture fit and can perfectly manage your development and operations. Best Remote Team has incorporated all these practices to vet the perfect team for your business needs. If you want to hire a dedicated resource, or team, connect with our specialists by filling out the contact us form.
