In this article, we’ll understand why assembling an in-house team to develop your software can be a real trap for the business growth.
Nowadays, everyone recognizes the importance of having an intelligent software that can optimize resources and is specifically focused to its target audience. Thinking of obtaining better results and establishing a more effective management of the business, many companies usually use customized software.
But a mistake is often repeated by managers when it comes to developing a new software. Many prefer to set up an internal team within their own staff, rather than hiring a company specialized in market software. Find out below five reasons why, in the long run, this decision can put a business at risk.
1. The software will be yours forever; employees won’t
At first, building an in-house team to develop your company software may seem like a more attractive option. As a manager, there will initially be an impression of greater control and even personalization, as if that particular software was being tailored to your needs. But this is unlikely to be true.
In practice, relying solely on an in-house team can turn out to be a shot in the foot. Currently, programmers are professionals who perform very specific functions and, therefore, have ample options in the market, being able to choose where they will work and even how much they will earn. It must be kept in mind that, if your employees receive an offer that cannot be rejected or leave the company for some reason, the software that they created for months or years will continue to exist in your company. The developers, however, will no longer be there to operationalize the system.
2. Don’t throw your investment away
This leads us to another critical question: would there be viable alternatives in the market to repair this loss? Probably not, because as a rule it would be the case to hire developers who would start a patchwork because they were unaware of the existing technology, or would start over from scratch with new techniques and ideas in mind. Two alternatives that effectively mean lost time, efficiency and money.
It is worth remembering that, on average, to obtain satisfactory performance with a new software, an internal team needs one to two years in the development phase. And for the results to start to appear, it is essential that tests are done, the other departments of the company are trained and the software is assimilated by the entire organization. Is it worth taking the risk of wasting so much time investing in development, instead of simply customizing a market software with the support of an outside company?
3. Minimize surprise risks
Another important point is to consider your company’s experience in developing software. Hiring dedicated developers on your own and guiding them in creating the ideal platform for their specific purpose can be a frustrating and tiring process. Both for managers, who would have to find the right professionals for such particular roles, and for new hires, who would need to get used to the culture of the new organization quickly. Would your company be prepared to absorb such challenging demands?
4. Prevent competition from stealing your gold
As good as the plan to hire a team of software developers works in the short term, there will always be a risk that your resources will leave the company and take with you the knowledge about the technology they have developed. And the greater this knowledge, the greater the damage to your business. Have you ever imagined seeing these professionals being hired by the competition?
By “stealing” your treasure, your rivals in the marketplace would benefit from all the time you spent developing your platform. After all, for them, the acquisition of the trained team members would represent a much shorter investment cycle in the implementation of a system. In return, your company would be at a great competitive disadvantage, without the brains behind the technology that you have financed for a long time. A real nightmare for any manager.
5. Don’t have to worry about updates
We all know that regular updates are necessary for a software to remain efficient and functional. Although there are several types of software for the most varied businesses, they all need frequent maintenance, technical support and bug fixes to be successful.
The external contracting of a development company would also bring many facilities in this regard. In addition to scheduling the proper tests before release and periodically checking the quality of the product for serving the market and always keeping an eye on the latest technical news, your partners would have all the updates ready for deployment whenever needed. By delegating this type of service to a third-party supplier, you also favor the ultimate goal of any software, that is, to meet project requirements with a great user experience.
Conclusion
When weighing all the options, it is easy to see that the best solution is to always hire a company specialized in software development. With the existing offers on the market today, where there are suppliers with expertise in numerous sectors, it is possible to find the ideal partner for your industry. Thus, as a senior executive, you avoid the dispersion of your efforts, ensure that your budget is respected and still make sure that your deadlines are met.