Why Outsourcing?
When considering outsourcing your software development projects, whether in the UK or overseas, it is important to remember that projects typically have 4 elements that require to be maintained in a balanced state for the success of the project:
- People
- Time
- Cost
- Quality
When the balance is lost, the project gets out of control very quickly. Bringing it back under control is not easy:
- Quality should not be compromised
- Cost is sometimes controlled by using less people but taking longer to complete
- If time is critical, additional resource MUST be used
Traditionally, this means more permanent staff or using contractors
Solutions/Problems
Recruiting staff with the appropriate skills takes time and becomes a permanent overhead after the project is completed. Time and cost suffer.
Contractors are usually employed on a ‘time and materials’ basis; the big problem being the variable nature of any temporary contractor’s experience. This is biased in favour of the contractors, as all the risk for the software still resides with the company and not with the engineers implementing the software. Cost seriously suffers.
However, there is another way…
You can overcome this imbalance of risk byoutsourcing through ASE. You can expect a fixed-price quotation for the software component of any well-defined project. This allows you to determine at the start of the process how profitable the project will be, and whether the profit margin is acceptable. From our wide range of experience we use the most appropriate engineer for each element of the task, thereby providing several engineers for the price of one.
Outsourcing in the UK or offshore?
Offshore outsourcing has been a popular method of using contract labour at a reduced cost.
Clients regularly engage us for project work that has initially gone overseas for software development. We are often asked to save projects that have either:
- not met the requirements
- missed deadlines
- gone over budget
Some clients report that despite the fact that the “man-hour” rate is significantly lower overseas, because we have the skills to do what we commit to and meet our time scales, we consistently work out at a lower overall cost to them.
A frequent report when working overseas is about the difficulty of communication; with time difference, language and culture issues regularly mentioned. With a UK outsourcing company like us, communication is easy and messages understood. This becomes particularly important when tackling complex areas such as set top box and digital TV software or safety critical railway software.
Benefits of outsourcing embedded software developments through ASE
Key benefits that clients report include:
- Having access to skilled resources
- Immediate resource availability
- Flexibility in software and hardware expertise
- Eliminating or reducing the need for on-going training for their staff
- Reduced headcount
- Reduced overheads
- Freeing up people and premises for other projects
- Shorter leadtimes
- Because we are UK based, other benefits compared to offshore include:
- Easy communication
- Rapid response
- On-site capability when needed
Contact us to discuss how outsourcing your software or hardware development can benefit your organisation.
