If you are a business that does not have all the resources for in-house processing, outsourcing is your best option. But with so many firms offering turnkey or outsourcing options, how do you assess if your outsourced team is competent? While there are plenty of guides to tell you how to choose the right firms, not many of them speak about how to conduct proper assessments. Here are the top signs you should be looking for if you are outsourcing.

Did They Communicate?

Outsourced processes require a lot of communication, especially if it is something intricate like software development. Any outsourced team you work with should communicate with you transparently. It is expected that both parties will be on the same page and keep each other updated about projects. Moreover, the communication needs to be satisfactory. If your outsourced team is hiding information from you or is being lazy about communication, you should consider changing your teams. 

Did they Use the Latest Technologies and Business Practices?

With technology playing a major role in every sector, it is expected that businesses adopt the latest technologies. It is also important for outsourced teams to be aware of the latest business practices. If your outsourced team is not aware of the latest trends in the industry, you should not expect much from your team. If your outsourced team is unwilling to adopt the latest technologies and practices even after explicitly stating so, that’s a major red flag and you should move on to a different team.

Is their Experience Valuable?

Experience cannot be measured in terms of the number of projects undertaken by an outsourced team. The complexity and nature of the projects your team has undertaken in the past and how well they have executed their projects matter a lot more. Before you invest your time and money into an outsourced team, you should check their credibility. You can ask for details on projects that they have worked on and do some background research on them. The easiest way to do it is by asking for references. If an outsourcing company or team is reluctant to furnish details, you should avoid working with them. 

Do they have the right resources?

Many outsourced teams add yet another layer of outsourcing for many projects. If you are working with a team, ensure that they have an in-house team working for you. While there is no rule stating that outsourced work is fundamentally bad, lesser barriers to communication always help. Some projects may require senior personnel and not all companies are equipped to handle complex projects. They further outsource to other external teams and that can lead to problems. In addition to the complexity in communication, you are also exposing potentially sensitive business information to others. 

Analyze Performance

After your outsourced project is complete, you should get it assessed by your in-house team. Some projects may not show results until a very long time. You should never publish a project that was undertaken by an outsourced team without proper testing. These include apps and enterprise solutions. You should match the final product or service with your initial draft and see if everything lined up properly. If it is a software app, you should put it through rigorous testing to ensure there are no bugs or security loopholes. Senior professionals in your business should be able to offer better insights on whether or not your outsourced team did a good job.

 Were they Time Efficient?

One of the most important reasons why businesses outsource projects is time-efficiency. If your outsourced team took more time than what you would have needed to build an in-house team and finish it yourself, it was not worth it. Recruiting the right team can take weeks or even months while a good outsourced team should be able to deliver great results very efficiently. You should also have a realistic deadline set in advance. If your outsourced team adheres to all deadlines and progresses as expected, there should be no problem in hiring them again for future projects. 

Was It Cost-Efficient?

The number one reason why companies outsource projects is cost-efficiency. If your outsourced project takes up as much financial resources as it would cost to hire an in-house team, it is not worth looking for an external team. You should research in-house expenses beforehand to see if any outsourced process is worth investing into.

Conclusion

It is important to assess if your outsourced team did a good job or not. But it is just as important to make a judicious decisions to ensure you are starting a project with the right team in the first place.