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When scaling your company or just looking for an additional pair of hands to cope with your workload, it is a good idea to outsource some work to development subcontractors. However, it may be challenging to find a trustworthy team or an individual to rely on. You will surely do lots of Googling, reading reviews and browsing through listings in order to pick the one you like. And there are a couple of things that are worth keeping in mind.
Long term partnership or occasional jobs?
Before hiring a subcontractor you need to understand what sort of involvement you expect. Is it a short project you need a hand with? Or do you have a constant flow of clients for whom you need long-term support? In the first case you might consider hiring a freelancer which is risky but easy. In the second case it’s worth partnering with a team or an agency that covers several aspects – design, development, maintenance and support. Agencies are usually more inclined towards stable partnerships and might decline a short-time involvement proposal. There are agencies who only work as subcontractors and it’s the perfect choice for you, even for a small project.
Experienced subcontractors know the process, understand the importance of the client’s expectations and deadlines. They know about possible delays with the client and also know that you are not the final decision maker. An agency will be interested in mutual profit and be more patient than a freelancer. Depending on your agreement, they may be good with flat rates or getting paid after project completion.
Speaking about agreements, you might want to make it official. They say the best contract is the one you never use, and it’s hard to disagree. Outlining the mutual responsibilities, quality control or unpredictable situations is beneficial for the both parties and gives a sense of safety. It’s a handshake. Nevertheless, it’s usually easier to just stop cooperation in case of violations than to sue each other for nothing.
Does your development subcontractor suit you?
Before relying on your chosen subcontractor completely, you certainly need a probation period. This is when you really learn their attitude and method. So how do you test your subcontractor?
Have a pilot project
Sometimes, even the best candidates can be all talk and no action. Or surprisingly, a seemingly mediocre team can turn out to be diligent and efficient while working for you. You never know before you try, so it makes sense to test the candidates by giving them a small non-priority task to see them in action.
Try to involve them in an ongoing project or in some maintenance tasks for starters. This way, you can see how well they communicate and how flexible they are to fit into your process. You can also notice possible red flags, like long responses, inability to report time, or make adequate estimations.
Know the team
Get to know who you are trusting your projects with. Meeting the managers is crucial when working on a big project, but how about smaller things? Imagine building a one-pager and the client asking constantly to change the little things – sizing, images or colors. Instead of playing the telephone game with the managers, it is definitely faster to communicate directly with the developer to implement the edits instantly. Such a style of work is efficient and should be accepted by the majority of the development subcontractors with the transparent process.
And this is how you can make sure your project is not given to somebody else. Unfortunately, sometimes it happens that your subcontractor outsources the work further. If true, you might end up having little control over it. It doesn’t mean that you need every single team member in your project chat, but at least you need to know it’s not a one man show you’re dealing with. But remember that small teams are often more organized and flexible than big agencies.
Availability hours and response time
Communication in some cases is even more important than technical work. Either estimating development of new features, or reacting to quick change requests – ability to answer fast can be decisive in many situations with impatient clients. You need to discuss this with your subcontractor and agree on comfortable response time for both of you. Furthermore, you must confirm their operation hours to manage the expectations of your clients. Deviations from the agreed timings may happen occasionally, but doing it systematically is a red flag which shouldn’t be tolerated.
Obviously, you can’t expect your development subcontractors to just sit there waiting for your message, or answer you outside their business hours – that’s unreasonable. Still you might want to discuss the possibility of some extra work in urgent cases for an additional payment. For example, staying a little longer on the day a website goes live, or fixing a critical issue in the evening. A decent subcontractor will be open to discussion and ready to run an extra mile when necessary.
Check quality
How are you going to measure the effectiveness and quality? Are you a tech person yourself or do you have somebody in house? In the beginning you need to confirm the quality of your new development subcontractor’s work. The best way is to have the person on your team. They will check if your process is followed, if basic requirements are met and if tasks are implemented technically correctly. If you don’t have such people, you can always hire another trusted professional to help you understand the abilities of your new developers.
Having a base checklist of quality criteria is a good idea. Sometimes subcontractors have their own understanding of quality, but since you promise something to your clients, you need to ensure it’s done. You can compile the list together to suit your preferred management flow. And be positive that your subcontractor is willing to adhere to it.
Where to search for a development subcontractor?
Probably, the most important question: where to look for your subcontractor? There are several ways and the most reliable would be asking for referrals.
If one of your acquaintances recommends a team they have worked with, they are not likely to lie about their competences. In contrast, you will get a sincere feedback and impression, which is more trustworthy than a dozen sales managers praising their own company. Don’t know anyone like that? Join and ask in dedicated communities. Check the candidates profiles and reviews (Clutch, Trustpilot and so on) before actually making contact.
Another good place to search for a development subcontractor is an online freelancer platform, like Upwork. There are thousands of freelancers and agencies across the world among which you may find what you are looking for. The main advantage of such platforms is that you can see the track record of a candidate: what sort of experience they have and what people think about them.
Competent subcontractors provide quality service
No matter where you find them, your development subcontractor must possess enough experience and skills to satisfy your clients. Sometimes it’s worth paying a little more or spending an hour longer on a decent project brief, but work with reliable professionals who respect your time and keep their promises.
Here at Magnific Soft we cultivate a client-oriented approach when working as WordPress development subcontractor. We’ve been partnering for years with other agencies and building high quality websites for their clients. Contact us and let’s discuss your next project!
