How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team: The Full Guide
Sector: Digital Product
Author: Nisarg Mehta
Date Published: 07/04/2024
![How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team The Full Guide](/_gatsby/image/ea07eab68e05daa0eeb30ca791d9e4b9/d529d197be97b1833ccbf655c8626295/How-to-Hire-a-Dedicated-Development-Team-The-Full-Guide-1.png?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbackend.techtic.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2FHow-to-Hire-a-Dedicated-Development-Team-The-Full-Guide-1.png&a=w%3D750%26h%3D417%26fm%3Dpng%26q%3D75&cd=14731cdc1c9ebae0655350282d047941)
Contents
- What are Dedicated Development Teams?
- Advantages of Outsourcing Work to a Dedicated Development Team
- When to Hire a Dedicated Development Team
- How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team?
- Step 1: Situating Goals: Identify Requirements for Your Project
- Step 2: Select Relevant Supplier
- Step 3: Individual Interviews and Tasks Tests
- Step 4: Establish Organisation Communication Protocols
- Step 5: Contract and Agreement Management
- Step 6: Organizing and Engaging the Team
- Step 7: Feedback and Control of Performance
- Challenges of Hiring Dedicated Development Teams and Their Solutions
- Conclusion
A dedicated development team can perform several activities, including product development as well as management and modernization of existing systems. Most successful organizations including Google Microsoft and Uber use dedicated teams to upscale the projects and improve product delivery.
This approach eliminates the cost of office/shop space, taxes, and equipment, and only the cost of work done is incurred. More on the benefits later…
What are Dedicated Development Teams?
It is a team of individuals devoted to your projects and mainly focused on them without other extra activities. These teams are not like other outsourcing models where you pass over a project to an external firm to complete, but instead, they become integrated into your company. Basically, it means that when working within an organization, they’re able to comprehend organizational objectives and strive toward them.
Key roles in a dedicated development team often include:
- Developers: They write the code behind your software or whatever it is you use it for.
- Project Managers: In essence, they are in charge of the project management task of proactively guiding the project.
- QA Engineers: They use the software for development and to identify errors that are usually referred to as bugs.
On the contrary, dedicated development teams differ from models when they work on projects of many clients during the cooperation. Here, the entire team is in charge of your business, meaning that results are on a higher level and cooperation is improved.
Advantages of Outsourcing Work to a Dedicated Development Team
![Key Benefits Of Outsourcing Work To A Dedicated Development Team](/_gatsby/image/eee9f96918fa281472a5c72cec1cfa92/ff048a4778b1be04dadfa0eb88d977ce/Key-Benefits-Of-Outsourcing-Work-To-A-Dedicated-Development-Team.png?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbackend.techtic.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2FKey-Benefits-Of-Outsourcing-Work-To-A-Dedicated-Development-Team.png&a=w%3D300%26h%3D199%26fm%3Dpng%26q%3D75&cd=8e7355dc9fc66d25ece88ada19272fe8)
Hiring a dedicated development team comes with several advantages:
- Cost-effectiveness: You reduce expenses associated with sourcing for these employees, training them, and building premises for their operations.
- Flexibility and Scalability: It is also easy to expand or reduce the team depending on the project requirement. These factors also ensure that the business organization can easily adapt in cases of changes in the market indicators.
- Access to Global Talent: You can hire from a large database of qualified individuals across the globe which improves the chances of an affiliate’s project getting the best personnel.
- Focus on Core Business Activities: Since you will have a separate team for development, such as a software development department, your in-house team will not require any assistance in this area, which will help enhance the organization’s efficiency.
- Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency: Dedicated development teams are committed to your projects and provide greater depth of focus thus completing a project more quickly with better results.
When to Hire a Dedicated Development Team
Hiring a dedicated development team is great in several scenarios:
Long-term Projects: When you have projects that are active and need regular development and changes, a dedicated team ensures that your project stays on course and the team understands your requirements and goals.
Need for Specialized Skills: As your project requires certain skills that may not be present in your organization, dedicated teams can help you to cover the shortage in knowledge. For instance, if you want to implement Artificial intelligence into your product or organizational infrastructure and don’t have resources with the capability to handle large language models, you can always consult with an AI development company for a dedicated team.
Rapid Scaling Requirements: When your business is growing fast and you may need to grow your development capacity fast, dedicated teams offer human resources to fill the gap without the longest human resource procurement process.
This way, you will be aware of when it is time to assemble a dedicated team and establish the proper procedures for the success of your company.
How to Hire a Dedicated Development Team?
![Step-by-Step Guide to Hire a Dedicated Development Team.](/_gatsby/image/f4e4350ef5b156141c1110a6e2afbca1/ff048a4778b1be04dadfa0eb88d977ce/Step-by-Step-Guide-to-Hire-a-Dedicated-Development-Team.png?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbackend.techtic.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2FStep-by-Step-Guide-to-Hire-a-Dedicated-Development-Team.png&a=w%3D300%26h%3D199%26fm%3Dpng%26q%3D75&cd=630c665f3657db05ce80460a5dc43ecb)
Here is a step-by-step guide for you:
Step 1: Situating Goals: Identify Requirements for Your Project
Be specific when describing the scope of your project, the features of its proposed solutions, and the expected results. It helps you find a team that you need to make the process perfect.
For instance, if one has a vision of creating a new eCommerce platform, one should begin by defining minimum requirements like user authorization, products, services, and payment options, among others. When specifying which technologies they like, they can state that they prefer using React for the frontend and Node for the backend. Consider the deadlines of the project and set specific goals for its implementation: for instance, to design the UI in the first month of work.
Action Items:
- Name all the involving features and key capabilities essential to the process.
- Choose the technology stack.
- Establish development goals and objectives for the project timeline containing markers.
- Document these requirements clearly.
Step 2: Select Relevant Supplier
Search for potential vendors, make sure they are specialized in your field, and read the feedback from other clients. This means that one has to think about factors such as location preference, language barriers, and even cultural differences when selecting colleagues to work with.
If your requirements involve having a team to create your eCommerce platform, try looking for vendors with experience in such projects. Examine their websites and past projects regarding their capabilities. Alternatively, let’s say you identify a vendor with great performance results but who works in a different time zone from you; they might not fit your needs. Lastly, make sure they have a history of successful communication and working during the same hours.
Action Items:
- Identify all the research vendors likely to be available for the project, and from the lot create a list of likely vendors.
- Pay attention to the reviews or ratings left by other clients on platforms like Clutch or GoodFirms.
- Assess their samples of work, projects, and performances – such as the cases they present.
- Make sure they are available to work in your time zone and have excellent communication skills.
Step 3: Individual Interviews and Tasks Tests
It is recommended to interview potential team members so that you establish their technical abilities and if they would be a good fit with their new team. It is recommended to assess their skills with technical tests and via practical assignments.
With regards to an interview, you might ask a developer to solve a coding challenge associated with your project. For instance, if you need to get the payment gateway integration done, come up with a task that would demonstrate the work in this sphere. Your technical lead should also be part of the interview to ask more detailed questions about their approach to problem-solving.
Action Items:
- List technical questions and practical assignments that will be useful to take to the interview but only as a checklist.
- The interviews should be carried out with potential team members.
- Involve your internal staff in the hiring decisions that you will be making.
- Determine how well they solve problems and if they fit your company’s culture.
Step 4: Establish Organisation Communication Protocols
Manage communication including the development of standards and technologies. Make a point of having periodic meetings and sharing with the group to make sure you all are in the know about what is happening.
This would mean that you select Slack for communication with an emphasis on daily use and Jira for managing projects. You should have weekly video calls to give updates about the project, and daily meetings to discuss challenges. It is imperative that all members already know these tools and their respective communication etiquette.
Action Items:
- Select communication software like Slack, Zoom, and Jira.
- Ensure that there are regular meetings and update sessions to be provided.
- Some of the recommendations include: Establishing practicing reporting structures and/or responsibility.
- Make sure that all the people in your team undertake a training period in the selected tools.
Step 5: Contract and Agreement Management
Negotiate where to agree on aspects such as fees, the time taken to accomplish the work, and what will be done at the end of the process. Make sure to define concise provisions regarding the subject matter of the project, non-disclosure, and ownership of data and ideas.
For instance, as you negotiate the final agreement with the selected vendor, it would be favorable to agree on payment structures that correspond to phases of the project. Add a provision that outlines how to manage changes in the project scope. For example, if extra functions are required, explain how fee schedules can be changed, and what alterations to the terms will need to be made.
Action Items:
- Draw up terms and conditions or a contract with all the negotiating terms that were previously agreed upon.
- Preliminary provisions should pertain to such concerns as scope of work changes, confidentiality, and intellectual property.
- Negotiate and arrive at the agreed price structure and payment mechanisms.
- It is recommended to discuss the terms of the contract with a lawyer before agreeing to its terms.
Step 6: Organizing and Engaging the Team
Facilitate the provision of resources as well as access to those resources. Ensure that they are oriented well by familiarizing them with your company and its procedures successfully.
Example: Develop an orientation framework with the incorporation of the company’s purpose and beliefs. Make available relevant items that come close to the points of contact, for instance, the development environment, documents, etc. Organize meetings with other facilities of the project to ensure newcomers know their counterparts and roles in the project.
Action Items:
- Develop an onboarding process for the new employees and include training in that plan.
- Offer the tools, information, documents, or any material that can be useful.
- Introduce the team to other stakeholders and what they do.
- It is recommended to lay down the rules concerning working hours, communication with the teams, and objectives.
Step 7: Feedback and Control of Performance
This means that goals and objectives must be clearly stated and accompanied by the desired KPIs and performance metrics. There should also be periodic appraisal tests and feedback administrations to guarantee progress refreshment.
Example: For example, if you are working with code quality, deadlines, and team collaboration as the KPIs. Tools must be used such as GitHub to track commits and code quality. Both the mentor and the learner should meet at least once a fortnight to review the progress, and congestion and receive feedback. This assists in ensuring that quality is kept high and the team encouraged.
Action Items:
- Hone success factors measurements and goals.
- Optimize and track progress with the help of GitHub and Jira.
- Organize formal and informal performance appraisal meetings.
- Promote an environment for receiving feedback to further enhance the processes.
There may be several issues that arise when organizing a dedicated development team for your project.
Challenges of Hiring Dedicated Development Teams and Their Solutions
There may be several issues that arise when organizing a dedicated development team for your project.
1. Differences Due to Time Zone
Problem: Situations that occur in different time zones can cause communication difficulties and organizational conflicts.
Solution: Organize working hours so that there is an overlap between employees. For instance, if you are based in the US with a dedicated team in Eastern Europe, define when both teams can be online. For real-time communication, you can use Slack and Zoom and during hours of overlap, schedule a meeting.
2. Communication Barriers
Problem: Communication breakdown because of different languages or no direct contact through video call.
Solution: Employ simple and understandable language in the communication process. Develop documentation of the important processes and decision-making in their organization. It is important to hold daily video meetings to have everyone in the same loop and develop positive feelings among colleagues.
3. Cultural Differences
Problem: It means that different work cultures as well as practices can influence communication and collaborative outcomes.
Solution: Introduce and encourage respect and tolerance in your environment. Organize cultural sensitivity training sessions for employees within the company as well as those in the dedicated team. Embrace multiculturalism and support any activities within a team that fosters integration.
4. Leading Teams
Problem: Employees who work remotely sometimes complain of feeling detached from the main company’s environment.
Solution: Ensure that the dedicated team forms part of your organizational culture. Involve them in group meetings and various organizational activities. Have in place online collaboration tools such as Jira, Trello, and Asana to oversee tasks and promote accountability in the management of the projects.
5. Quality Control
Problem: Managing the quality of work from a remote team is always a great concern.
Solution: Establish quality control measures and incorporate testing as a part of the manufacturing process. Ensure code is checked often and possibly critique it likewise. Another important strategy is to constantly monitor performance levels and keep up with best practices through such measures as performance measures and key performance indicators.
Example Scenario
Let’s assume that you are a project manager in charge of a dedicated development team that works in a different time zone. About time zones, you set a daily overlapping of 3 hours exclusively for real-time communication. You facilitate weekly videoconferencing for team status meetings and rely on Slack as a daily messaging platform. In order to handle cultural diversity, you schedule virtual team events and cultural celebrations of both countries. By applying these solutions, you can achieve free communication, become a great team, and provide a high level of project quality.
Conclusion
Having a dedicated team of developers can work wonders most times. The benefits it provides include low cost, versatility, international reach to talents, and high efficiency.
When it comes to dedicated development team needs, we at Techtic Solutions are confident about ourselves being your first and best choice. Our years of experience and knowledge of every technology guarantee smooth cooperation and top-notch performance. Contact us to connect with our talent.
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