Do’s & Don’ts for seamless integration of remote teams

Many businesses have started adopting software development outsourcing services to cut costs and accelerate the capability of their in-house team. Thus, they are initiating a mission to build a whole new team to meet their software development requirements. 

But, when you build a new team, you are on the verge of inviting new challenges. According to a learned educationalist, Bruce Tuckman, even if you are adding one team member it will adjust and change the team dynamics drastically. Tuckman’s expertise contributed a lot to managing the team integration between new members.

Bruce Tuckman formed a model comprising different stages of Team Development that will help an organization in anticipating, organizing, and addressing the group formulation process proactively.

Let’s understand all the stages in brief

Bruce Tuckman’s 5-Stage model for effective Team Development

1. Forming: Doing social interactions and searching for leaders assigning the tasks and defining the job roles.

2. Storming: This is the most challenging stage where the best and most efficient team member emerges as a leader.

3. Norming: At this stage the duties and responsibilities of the tasks are distributed based on the expertise and experiences, thus making the process more simple and easy.

4. Performing: This is the stage where the real task happens, the team members need to utilize all their skills and expertise to pull off a successful task at this stage.

5. Adjoining: As soon as the project ends, the last step is to disassemble the team.

Based on our 15 years of experience as an outsourcing software development company, we have pointed out some recommendations to help you achieve seamless integration between your in-house team and an outsourcing software development company.

Let’s begin!

Let’s first start with the DOs of Integrating software development services with your In-house capability.

DO’s of Integrating the Outsourcing Unit into your In-house Team

It requires a lot of skill to master the art of seamless integration between an In-house team and an outsourcing software development partner.

Due diligence would seem like a daunting task, but it surely brings a lot of ROI if executed perfectly.

1. Invest your time in selecting your outsourcing vendor:

Ask all the vendors to send proposals from as many destinations as possible. 

When you are in the process of selecting the right service provider, ensure you can find the following:

• Communication style and responsiveness of the vendor.

• Evaluate whether all the details about the project are mentioned properly.

• Clear details regarding the scope of work i.e. time required for project completion, cost of the project, technologies to be used, etc.

• Evaluate the past case studies.

2. Providing 360-degree visibility to both teams:

Provide detailed information about whether any barriers are meant to occur, if yes then it is necessary to mention all of them in detail.

• Any sudden occurrences that might slow down the process.

• A delay in the project execution due to third-party interference.

• Any technical errors that might delay the project execution.

3. Using reporting and Analytics practices to monitor and adjust the process: Having your email flooded with a bunch of daily/weekly/monthly work reports will help you keep track of the progress of the work.

I have evaluated some of the major metrics of the project. Metrics like:

• Capacity of the resource requirements, hours required, etc.

• Evaluating the major focus areas, like time taken to execute the project, KPIs achieved or not, etc.

• Analyzing the quality of the project deliverables.

• Figuring room for improvements if needed etc.

Now, let’s understand all the Don’ts of Integrating software development with your In-house capability.

Don’ts of Integrating software development with your In-house capability.

1. Not digging into the details with your budget and expectations: While planning your budget ensure you are going into each detail. Prepare different plans, from safe to more hopeful ones. This way, when it's time to make decisions, you'll be ready to choose wisely. Failing to do so can hamper the success of your project.

2. Never avoid reading the documents of Outsourcing: When you're choosing a company to outsource work to, always read the contract carefully. This is important, especially if it's your first time working with them. It's better to ask questions before signing the contract than regretting later.

Now, let’s understand some of the best practices you can use to smoothly integrate your in-house team with an outsourcing software development company.

Integration between in-house and Remote Teams: Key Practices

1. Doing an in-depth discussion: The organization must have a detailed discussion about the outsourced project. Details like the goals to be achieved, roles and responsibilities of all the team members, the deadline of the project completion, etc. need to be discussed beforehand to ensure smoother project management.

2. Analyzing the tools and methods used: The organization needs to find out and evaluate the methods and tools used by the outsourcing software development company before delegating the work to them. Using the right project management and communication tools will help in building a seamless integration.

3. Building a smooth communication flow: Using effective communication tools and building diverse communication channels can help the organization in making the communication flow smoother and more effective. Tools like Slack, Gmail, WhatsApp, and Google Meet will ensure seamless integration of the in-house team and the remote team.

4. Shifting focus on core business operations: After offloading the development work from the shoulders of the in-house team, the organization should look forward to shifting its expertise towards performing other core tasks and business operations.

Implementing the above four practices will help the organizations in achieving seamless integration between their in-house team and remote team.

Let’s make the best out of the combined force of the In-house team and remote team.

How I can help you in achieving a seamless integration 

I own a software development company Acquaint Sofftech which specializes in Customized Software development and IT Staff Augmentation Services. We hold ten years of industry experience; our agile team is responsive and dedicated to helping our clients achieve their vision by assisting them in achieving successful project deliverables. 

If you are falling short of skilled IT professionals then reach out to us and hire remote developers who fit your budget and project criteria.

Wrapping Up!

The digital eruption has changed the business landscape, and big industries like IT and Software development companies are finding it difficult to search for the right team members to meet the expanding needs. 

Developed nations like the U.S. and the U.K. are adopting the practice of hiring a pool of skilled remote developers to meet the skill gaps that occur due to the continuous growth in the advancement of technologies. 

The second method to fill the skill scarcity gap is by hiring an outsourcing software development company and delegating the software development work on their shoulders.

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