Effective Management Tools For An Offshore Development Team

Outsourcing development projects has become a new emerging market trend. Rather than a trend to follow, it has become a necessity for businesses to expand and grow in the digital realm.

The benefits of hiring an offshore development team make it an effective choice. Businesses can leverage them and pay for the services delivered. This makes it an economical and productive option. Plus, no need to worry about onboarding or hiring a skilled professional.

However, an offshore development team needs to be managed effectively.

It is not as easy as it seems to manage the offshore team as the in-house team. Since they work remotely, it is not viable to just go and check over their work development. That is why selecting the strategies and tools that can assist organizations in following the development of their ideas, as well as checking their performance.

Businesses, because of modern technological advancements, are offered a wide array of tools. They can take advantage of these tools to introduce effective teamwork and communication in their organizations.

In this blog, we will learn about the various collaboration tools that have been proven useful. Also, let’s discuss how to work effectively with an offshore development team. 

Keep reading to learn more!

Various Collaboration Tools For Offshore Development Team

You must be familiar with the various tools you intend to use if you are to co-work with an offshore software development team. Team management usually requires more than just clear communication. Leveraging the right tool stack is necessary. It helps in maintaining a smooth workflow, ensuring alignment with the project, and maintaining productivity. Let’s check the different collaboration tools:

Asana

A powerful and versatile management tool used by various tools. This assists in organizing teams, tracking work progress, and managing their day-to-day work. It makes management easy in offshore software development. Get features, such as managing tasks at hand, dockets, and project boards. Thus, making it easier for the offshore team to stay aligned with the project objectives and meet deadlines.

Key Features

• Assigning tasks with delivery time and setting tasks on priority.
• Project schedules and boards.
• You can integrate this tool with third-party tools. Slack and Google Calendar.
• Get the option to customize your dashboard.

Trello

Trello is a simple yet effective visual management tool. Businesses can use boards, lists, and cards to help the software development company stay organized. It has an easy-to-use interface for users, suitable for all-sized teams. Its recent update includes various features, such as Inbox and Calendar view. This assists businesses in managing and enhancing functionality, allowing them to schedule tasks effectively.

Key Features

• Visually view and track tasks with boards 
• Customize the project workflow as per priority
• Integration with third-party apps.
• Share files and comments seamlessly.

Basecamp

Basecamp is an extensive project management tool. It provides a separate centralized space for businesses. You can share to-do lists, share files and texts, and schedule tasks. A user-friendly interface tool is great for managing an offshore software company. An ideal all-in-one solution to handle all tasks in one place without the complexity of handling multiple tools. 

Key Features

• Text message boards and chat.
• Track day-to-day tasks and daily work lists.
• Store files and share them seamlessly with the team.
• Hill charts to monitor progress.

Monday.com

A powerful work operating system that powers up the offshore development company. It provides businesses with the benefit to customize workflows, automate tasks, and integrate with third-party tools. Its flexibility and features make it a suitable tool to manage complex development projects as well as diverse teams.

Key Features

• Customize your work frame.
• Visually track the tasks.
• Track the time worked on
• Integration with third-party tools.

GitHub

This collaboration tool is perfect for software development. It allows different team members to work simultaneously on the project development. This tool seamlessly manages code and assists in reviewing the code. It can be united with tools such as Slack and Jira. This enhances the tool’s utility in a remote ecosystem.

Key Features

• Code version control
• Use of pull requests for effective collaboration.
• Manage the project using various features.
• Get top-notch security features and access authority.

Slack

Slack is an instant messaging application used to stay in touch. It enables real-time messaging and alliance with the offshore software development company. Its various features include supporting channels, direct messages, and integration with other tools. With Slack, you can organize channels and conversations in a thread. Thus, making it easy to maintain a connection across the development teams.

Key Features

• Organize conversations by topics, projects, teams, or any other way.
• Communicate privately with every member.
• Easy to find previous chats.
• Initiate quick calls and messages.

Zoom

A video conferencing application. Zoom enables virtual meetings via video calling. Request for regular check-ins in the app and screen sharing with the offshore development team. Maintain face-to-face contact. Enhance the abilities of the team and collaborate effectively. By using its features, such as breakout rooms and recording. 

Key Features

• Host meetings virtually.
• Share your screen with the team or an individual impeccably.
• Host online events.
• Record meetings for future reference.

Jira

This project management tool is developed by Atlassian. This can assist in handling and tracking the progress of development projects. The offshore development team not only can discover defects and problems that may arise during the project, but also, they can facilitate the workflow by implementing the integration of, for example, the Confluence and Bitbucket tools.

Key Features

• Manage different tasks and prioritize them in the backlog.
• Plan and track for agile development
• Create reports to analyze the team’s performance.
• Track bugs and issues that may occur.

Miro

A virtual collaboration whiteboard platform. It entitles an offshore software company to work in collaboration with the in-house team in real time. Meet up virtually for brainstorming sessions, ideas, project planning, and collaboration. Its integration with Jira and Slack enhances its utility in remote ecosystems.

Key Features

• Collaboration with the teams in real-time.
• Access to custom-made templates.
• Host workshops and interactive features
• Present your work virtually from the board.

Notion

An all-in-one workspace suitable for offshore software development teams. Seamlessly write, plan, organize, and collaborate with the in-house team. Businesses can use this tool’s flexibility and custom options to manage project development smoothly. 

Key Features

• Get access to custom in-built templates.
• Manage your work all in one place; combine notes and day-to-day tasks.
• Plan, organize, and collaborate.
• This tool is suitable for sharing notes and managing projects effectively.

How To Work Effectively With An Offshore Development Team?

Businesses need to follow various guidelines and rules for effective collaboration. Below are some of the practices to follow that will help businesses maintain and boost their connection with an offshore development team.

Define Clear Guidelines

Before expecting anything from an offshore development team, it is necessary to deliver a well-defined document. An agreement defining clear guidelines for project development. Ensure that both teams are harmonious.

• Define the tools to be used for communication and guidance.
• Monitoring progress and tracking tools.
• Rules for trackers and work management

Seamless Communication

Maintaining smooth communication between the teams is not just about selecting the right tools. It is also about setting the dynamics regarding connecting teams, individual availability, and expected response time. 

Keeping these in mind, set the time to track and schedule attendance. Remain active and adamant for effective cooperation between the team and the offshore development team. 

Unified Vision

Clearly and mutually decide on the vision of the project to work on its development. Hire an offshore software company that understands your vision; otherwise, the project may end in a worse way. 

For this, effective communication is necessary, with regular meetups to design and share the image of the project. Build a strong foundation for the project with your remote team.

Instant & Clear Feedback

Be open to any criticism that may come your way. Feedback and reviews are a way for refinement. Gather real-time data and test codes to share feedback on the project during and after. Therefore, it is indispensable to hire an upright software development company. 

Conclusion

As businesses continue to embrace offshore software development services, the need for management tools is likely to rise. These tools will help in effective and efficient collaboration. Thus, paving a path for businesses to grow and expand in the digital realm. Businesses investing in these management tools will not only enhance their project productivity but also foster a more cohesive workforce.

Get in touch with Teqnovos to leverage the benefits offered by offshore development teams. Contact us today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How to remotely manage an offshore development team?

Communication is the main supervision in overseeing your team. However, some other aspects help in the management:

• Set a communication channel
• Set clear goals
• Foster collaboration
• Monitor work performance metrics
• Continuous feedback

Q2. How to safeguard data while working with an offshore software company?

• Sign an NDA
• Secure access controls
• Conduct regular tests and audits
• Monitor data access and usage
• Secure development ecosystem
• Adopt an advanced secure tech stack

Q3. Is it effective to outsource your project to an offshore company?

• Access to global talent
• Cost effective
• Scalability
• Flexibility for remote development

Q4.Which tool helps in managing a successful offshore team?

• Time tracking
• Project management tools
• Messaging tools