Author – Taiwo Sotikare
We have emerged from an era where only giant companies like IBM and Microsoft had access to software development companies — so, unless your company was on the Fortune 500 list, you would have no reason to hire a developer. However, the story has changed as different startups emerge from all parts of the world, including Africa.
According to a report from BusinessWorld.Africa, African startups have received over $12 billion in funding between 2019 and 2022. This means there are growth gaps to fill both economically, and otherwise more technically.
As a smart startup founder and entrepreneur with a solid product idea, deciding where to get a good developer for your project is a big one, especially considering the many challenges plaguing the software development hiring and outsourcing world. Challenges like the quality of skills, in-depth understanding, visualization of the product idea, delivery timeline, trust, transparency, and accountability to mention a few.
With so much time, money, and resources going into your project, the least assurance you can get as a product owner is the services of a highly skilled developer that have been vetted or vouched for by someone. These challenges and more are what Pangea.ai seeks to solve.
Why Software Development Outsourcing?
Software development has always been a complex business in the tech world. Many businesses do not choose the software development route from the jump, and hence do not always have the resources needed to build one when the need arises.
For tech startups and other companies that know from the beginning that they will be building or developing a software, the intricacies are somewhat different. Either way the batton swings, there is often a need to outsource or hire a software developer. Be it for a specific task/role, or to handle the complete development of your product, or to even complete a project halfway – the conversation of who to hire and where to get them is inevitable.
Factors to Consider Outsourcing Development Projects
Do you currently have a project requiring a software developer’s service? When considering employing a team of developers to join your workforce or outsourcing your project, the following guide will walk you through how to decide which route is best for you:
- The Kind of Project You Are Building
The first question you need to answer during software development is specifying what kind of product you want to build. The unique value proposition the product will offer. This will push a string of actions to determine when and if the product development should be outsourced.
For example, if the product to be developed is the company website or an extension of an e-commerce store, the nitty gritty to be evaluated is very different from, say if the product being developed is a mobile app or an AI system.
- In-house Capacity and Potential
Giant tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Slack, Apple, Walmart, and others often outsource their software development projects. The probability that your company is bigger than Google and Apple is unlikely, so if these companies (including the trendy SaaS product, Slack) outsource their development project, you may also want to consider doing so.
Nonetheless, it’s worth of evaluating whether your in-house resources anchor your product development from the start. It is an invaluable first step in the right direction when going through your software development process.
One potential decision could be to hire developers to perform specific tasks for the project, or to outsource to a software development company to run the project in its entirety. Deciding to continue with your in-house developers, then finding out halfway through the project that there might be a need to outsource some roles or the entire development of the product, will not only hamper the progress of your project but also cost you time and money.
- Budget and Timeline
Another significant factor to consider when outsourcing your product development is your budget and scheduled timeline. Outsourcing product development can result in spending less money than hiring in-house developers.
This choice also lessens the pressure on your in-house team and the project manager. Of course, the outsourced organization will bear some consequences, saving the organization money in hindsight.
On the other hand, if you are not working within a budget and your sole goal is introducing a great product into the market, you can opt for hiring these developers to teach or work with your in-house developers.
Your scheduled product launch and delivery timeline will also factor in when deciding how to manage to outsource your product development. Overall software development companies do a great job delivering within the timeline as that is their sole job against juggling in-house operations and racing to meet the product launch deadline.
What is the Idea behind Pangea.ai?
FinTechs, InsurTech, and different mobile extensions for businesses are developed daily, and thousands of product ideas are birthed alongside them. Unfortunately, the quantity of these products in the market does not equal their quality and satisfaction for the target market.
According to Forbes, 90% of startups fail worldwide. While a report from TechCabal connects this statistic with most African countries receiving inadequate funds for their startups, further research by Insight.ng suggests there is more than that. The study indicates that it is often the interpretation of the idea — interpretation meaning the development process involved in building the product from start to finish.
A product idea will never be more than an idea until a developer interprets that idea into the structure of a real product. A venture capital investor is not necessarily investing in just your product idea. Irrespective of how good it is, an investor is looking at the manifestation of that idea and the ROI it will produce for them.
The long and short of every product idea is hiring a highly skilled developer; but unfortunately, good developers are not simply roaming the street. They are scarce, and you can only find tactful and reliable developers from trusted sources. Pangea.ai is committed to keeping the search simple and accessible by gathering verified developers onto their platform.
What is Pangea.ai all about?
Pangea.ai ranks as the top percentile search site company for hiring skilled and vetted software developers with guaranteed delivery and a transparent buyer journey. Hiring developers from the Pangea.ai universe single-handedly checks all your boxes when it comes to the successful development of your product.
The platform currently hosts over 100+ development companies with expertise across all project development industries including mobile application development (Android & iOS), web development, among others.
Many smart startup tech companies outsource store development products via Pangae.ai. Some of these tech companies, including Skyscanner, Wise, HelloFresh, CB Insights, Imax, Emaar, FreshBooks Founders Factory, and others, have used and testified to the quality of the prevet engineers on this platform. Pangea.ai is a software outsourcing search site that boasts of outstanding software/product development companies, so you can focus on starting your technical project development with the utmost excellence.
The problem of where and whom to outsource your software development is solved in perpetuity because whether building a digital product from scratch or simply hiring a developer as part of your team augmentation, the Pangea.ai universe will help you pick the best-fit vendors to deliver excellent services.
Why You Should Outsource Your Software Development via Pangea.ai
Finding a reputable software outsourcing company with excellent and credible software developers is rare in today’s software development vendor market. Hiring software developers who understand and visualize your product ideas the way you do, and will be 100% committed to recreating that visualization is gold. The Pangea.ai universe is a reliable place where this feat can be achieved.
Verified Specialized Development Companies
Vendors that wish to become part of the Pangea.ai network need to go through a 3-step verification process that lasts between 4 and 6 weeks, which verifies the internal universe of employees, the external insights of their clients and validates documentation of critical metrics and KPIs against industry benchmarks.
Additionally, Pangea.ai demands an onboarding and annual verification fee that limit potential fraudulent tech companies from entering the platform. Even if they pay the fee, meeting stringent industry benchmarks across all aspects is challenging unless a tech vendor meets all the verification aspects.
Therefore, unserious and unhealthy vendors are disincentivized as they will not meet the stringent industry benchmarks, making it a counterproductive exercise to pay and spend time on onboarding whilst having ongoing evaluations to adhere to.
Seamless Journey
Pangea.ai makes any client’s hiring journey simple, seamless, and free of charge with carefully curated expert services. Outsourcing your product development is a big decision, and selecting the most fitting company to hire your software developers is imperative to the process.
By signing up to the Pangea.ai app, you can discover vendor profiles, compare different engagement models, submit a brief to start receiving vendor applications and recommendations in 24hrs, and more.
Developers on Pangea.ai undergo various screening and vetting exercises, thereby ensuring you are saved from the stress of filtering these developers yourself.
Multiple Options
When it comes to outsourcing your software development project, exploring your options is key. These options vary from cost, personal preference, brand expertise, and beyond. With 100+ verified software development companies, hiring your developer at Pangea.ai gives you many options in order to specify exactly what you need and get it. While you discover, compare and engage perfect-fit vendors, you can also be sure that Pangea.ai serves as a quality assurance regulator facilitating the product development kick-off process between you and the vendors. There is a primary focus on providing the right standards and tool kits to ensure satisfaction.
Pangea.ai prioritizes niched-down development companies with the expertise you seek for your tech projects, platforming different development companies across different aspects of tech project development.
The platform covers most tech sectors, from the general web and mobile development to more specialized tech stack projects with the use of .Net, Python, PHP, NodeJS, ReactJS, Flutter, Angular, and the like.
Finally, there are experts in specific industry verticals like AI, big data, crypto & blockchain, IoT, and machine learning, among others.
Transparency and Trust
Pangea.ai is committed to easing two of the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs and founders looking to invest in product development—that trust and transparency.
Transparency and trust are the prominent qualities to look for when hiring or outsourcing your product development; and through years of experience working with vendors, Pangea.ai’s founding team has straightened out the nitty gritty involved in the hiring process of software developers. Pangea.ai’s mission is to create a universe committed to unparalleled transparency.
Conclusion
The ultimate goal of every product is to satisfy a need both for users and the business. On the other hand, the ultimate focus of many investors and entrepreneurs is to see a product idea transform into a highly lucrative venture.
Pangea.ai has an in-depth understanding of these needs and has worked to provide a conducive environment and safe place – where both the vendors and the buyers can communicate transparently to achieve these goals.
