The Best Team Structure to Work With Offshore Developers
When considering leveraging offshore developers, the question isn’t just about where to find the best talent or how much money it could save your business.
It’s also about understanding the optimal team structure that maximizes the benefits of offshoring and aligns with your company’s vision, workflow, and goals.
Drawing from over two decades of experience in the tech industry and leading Full Scale, I’ve seen firsthand the power of a well-structured team that seamlessly integrates offshore developers.
Why You Need In-House Product Management and a Technical Leader
The foundation of a successful offshore development team lies in having robust in-house product management and a technical overseer, such as a CTO or Director of Engineering.
This structure ensures that your business vision and product goals are clearly communicated and upheld, regardless of the geographical distances.
In-House Product Management
Your product management team is the compass of your product development journey. They ensure that every feature, update, or bug fix aligns with the user’s needs and the market’s demand.
By keeping this role in-house, you maintain a tight grip on the strategic direction of your product.
This team will be responsible for:
- Defining product roadmaps
- Prioritizing features
- Understanding the competitive landscape
- Directly interfacing with customers and stakeholders
Technical Oversight
Having a CTO or Director of Engineering overseeing the offshore team is crucial.
This role bridges your business’s strategic objectives and the technical execution of those goals.
They are responsible for:
- Ensuring the technical feasibility of the product roadmap
- Maintaining high code quality and overseeing the technical architecture
- Communicating technical requirements clearly to the offshore team
- Mentoring and providing technical leadership to both in-house and offshore teams
Benefits of Staff Augmentation Over Outsourcing
While outsourcing entire projects to an offshore company can seem appealing, I advocate for staff augmentation—a model where offshore developers are integrated into your existing teams.
This approach has several benefits:
- Control and Flexibility: You maintain control over your projects and can pivot as necessary without the constraints of a fixed outsourcing contract.
- Team Cohesion: Offshore developers become part of your team, leading to better collaboration, understanding, and alignment with your company culture and goals.
- Quality Assurance: With direct oversight, you can ensure that the work meets your standards and any issues are addressed promptly.
- Cost-Effectiveness: While outsourcing can sometimes lead to hidden costs or scope creep, staff augmentation allows for more transparent and manageable budgeting.
Full Scale: A Testament to Effective Offshore Development
At Full Scale, we’ve harnessed the power of staff augmentation to build successful offshore development teams for our clients.
By pairing them with strong in-house product management and technical oversight, we’ve seen projects thrive, from startups to well-established companies.
Our approach has always been about integrating talent seamlessly into your operations, ensuring that every team member, regardless of location, is aligned with your business objectives.
Wrapping Up
Integrating offshore developers into your team structure is not just a strategy to reduce costs—it’s a way to access global talent, accelerate product development, and maintain a competitive edge in the market.
By establishing strong in-house product management and technical oversight, and preferring staff augmentation over traditional outsourcing, you can build a dynamic, flexible, and high-performing team poised for success in today’s fast-paced digital world.
Incorporating offshore development into your business model isn’t a shortcut; it’s a strategic decision that, when executed correctly, can bring immense value and innovation to your projects.
At Full Scale, we don’t just prove highly qualified talent. But we also help you hire teams that drive your business forward. Let’s explore how we can build your ideal offshore development team together.
