Nearshore Software Development: All You Need to Know

Onshore means outsourcing software development in the same country or region. In contrast, nearshore indicates that the company you hired is in another country with close geographical proximity.

Yes, there are several considerations that should be kept in mind. For example -

• Cross-checking the tech stack and its compatibility
• Expertise in the domain and the peer reviews
• Team size and level of skill set available with them
• Analysis of the internal team
• Mapping the project requirements with the future scope

Here a some of the key factors that you must consider when looking for a nearshore software development partner:

• Technical skills
• Experience and reputation
• Communication process
• Cost
• Scalable infrastructure

Some of the associated risks in nearshore software development are -

• Lack of effective teamwork and cross-collaboration. Establishing an active communication flow through different channels can ensure the team cooperates and lead to project success.
• Less one-to-one meetings for project discussions. Implement mandatory one-to-one meetings monthly for small teams. On the other hand, if the team is big, try to schedule a meeting once in 2/3 months.
• Timezone and work schedule imbalances. Utilize a centralized and cloud-based calendar where everyone updates their work timings and schedules. Consider fixing a time overlap where everyone in the team must be online, you can use this overlap for team-wide meetings and priority discussions. This would simplify collaboration and eliminate any wait time due to timezone differences.

Even if you are not a trained project manager, the first and foremost aspect of a successful project is to understand the scope of the project. Ensure to set and communicate all goals including outsourcing goals, so the remote team understands what’s expected of them. Invest in a centralized cloud-based project management system to track and measure goals. Furthermore, aligning work methodologies, and workflows and establishing an effective communication flow can be the key to a successful project in a nearshore setting.

Some of the major benefits are as follows -

• Geographical proximity means similar (if not the same) time zones
• Time overlap is a huge plus
• Skilled and experienced workforce
• Lower cost
• Culture affinity and language fluency