Software development is an important part of any type of business these days. However, new challenges are occurring every now and then, forcing companies to adjust. Such a high tempo of changes within the market greatly influenced the process of software development on many levels. Old ways do not seem to work anymore and as a response to these new needs distributed agile development was created.
Distributed Agile Development: An Overview
So what is distributed agile development after all? First of all, let’s specify the initial definition of agile development. It is a series of approaches towards software development that implies iteration as the center of the process. To make it easier for your understanding, let’s say, that agile development greatly depends on the constant dynamic interaction between development groups that are working on the same project.
Most agile techniques imply breaking the project into a series of small tasks or cycles, each of which usually lasts no longer than two or three weeks. Each of these cycles is in many ways a mini-version of the initial project. Therefore, if something goes wrong – developers’ team will be able to quickly fix the problem.
Another thing you need to know about agile development is that it is mostly revolving around face-to-face communication, which means that the whole team is usually located in the same office. This is convenient as significantly speeds up the development process. Thus, using agile development you will be able to receive the final product way faster.
If you are wondering how popular is agile development these days, let us just tell you, that according to this data, 46% of all companies, that participated in the survey, used agile development at one or another point of their business strategy. Also, according to the research held in 2017, 80% of all projects, that participated in the survey, were self-proclaimed “agile” projects. As you see, agile development is quite popular these days.
Agile Nearshore Development: New Page in IT History
Outsourcing strategy became quite a big deal in the programming world lately. It brings so many advantages, that business owners simply cannot resist using it. One of the most popular types of outsourcing these days is nearshoring. Basically, it means delegating part of your work routine to a more experienced and, what is even more important, less expensive contractor. It can be a company that provides outsourcing services or a sole specialist. The important thing to remember here is that in case of nearshoring your contractor has to be located within your geographical region. The fact is that outsourcing, and especially agile nearshore development allows one to:
- Significantly reduce costs. Outsourcing, in general, was invented mainly to minimize expenses so if you decide to include agile nearshore development to your business strategy, you might be able to avoid spending too much money on getting the job done. If you start looking for your agile nearshore developers in a country with less developed economics, they will most likely have lower costs. Such directions as data entry and data annotation are also more cost-effectively to be done nearshore.
- Easier control. With outsourcing agile nearshore software development task you will not have to worry for a big time difference or a long distance between you and your contractors. Just a few hours’ flight and you will be able to attend any meeting.
- Easier adjustment and increased flexibility. As we already mentioned above, agile nearshore outsourcing implies software development process being broken into smaller parts. That means that your project will be easy to check for any possible bugs and to fix them right away.
- Get true talents working for you. With nearshore agile development you are no longer bound by your country’s boundaries when looking for your potential employees. Chances are high that you will find some outstanding specialists just across the border. Moreover, agile nearshore development makes a difference, especially when projects require complex tasks such as text annotations in a different language. For example, with expertise in Japanese language and culture, nearshore teams can bring accuracy and precision to an AI project with Japanese text annotation requirements.
- Easier communication with the team. agile nearshore software development strategy, unlike the offshore one, implies that your contractor company’s employees will most likely speak your language and share the same culture with you. This does not only make the communication process easier (and nearshore agile development is based on a big amount of communication) but will also make the documentation work run more smoothly.
Agile Nearshore Software Development: Pros and Cons
Unlike many other older approaches, agile nearshore software development can give you lots of advantages if you add it to your business strategy. We already discussed them, it is cost reduction, more qualified labor, great communication capabilities with your team, easier adjustment of the product to the realities of the market where you intend to launch it at and so many others.
What we have not mentioned yet are the disadvantages, that any agile software corporation obviously has. Let’s quickly get through those:
- Higher costs than offshore agile software development.
- Lesser amount of service providers. When you choose offshoring – the whole world is your base for searching for your employees. In case of agile nearshoring you are bound to look within one region.
- Harder to meet deadlines. Considering that you and your agile software development team are located in different countries, it will be a bit harder for you to communicate.
- Possible confidentiality break. While outsourcing your tasks to an outer contractor you have to realize that it will be pretty hard for you to keep all the confidential information that way.
As you see, there are still more pros than cons to agile nearshoring, which means that you might want to give it a try after all.
FAQ
What is nearshore development, and how does it differ from offshore development?
Nearshore development refers to outsourcing software development or other IT services to a nearby country, typically within the same or a similar time zone. Unlike offshore development, which often involves significant time zone differences, nearshore development allows for easier communication and collaboration due to geographical proximity.
Why is Agile methodology commonly used in nearshore development?
Agile methodology is favored in nearshore development because it promotes flexibility, frequent communication, and continuous improvement. These principles align well with nearshore setups, where real-time collaboration and quick adaptation to changing project requirements are crucial.
What are the benefits of choosing a nearshore Agile development team?
The key benefits include improved communication, cultural similarities, and quicker turnaround times. Additionally, nearshore teams offer the advantage of being more accessible for in-person meetings and have a better understanding of the client’s business context and market needs.
How do you ensure quality and accountability in an Agile nearshore development project?
Quality and accountability are maintained through regular Agile practices such as daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Transparent communication, well-defined project metrics, and a shared understanding of goals and expectations between the client and the nearshore team are also essential.
What are the potential challenges of Agile nearshore development, and how can they be mitigated?
Potential challenges include language barriers, differences in work culture, and time zone overlaps. These can be mitigated by choosing a nearshore partner with a strong cultural fit, using collaboration tools to bridge communication gaps, and establishing clear guidelines and expectations from the outset.
Agile Nearshoring: Is It Worth It?
We definitely think, that yes. And it is not just us! Currently, there are more agile development companies, than there were, let’s say, 5 years ago. Such a quick rise in popularity only means that this method works and brings great results as it was originally intended to. So if you want to reduce costs and eliminate risks within your project – maybe agile nearshoring is the right option for you. Just give it a try, hundreds of companies that already chose it cannot be all wrong.
