Outsourcing is one of the most effective ways adopted by businesses to contain their costs. Time and again, outsourcing different processes has proven to be effective for businesses in many other ways as well. But offshoring will not be a success if there is a communication gap between the outsourced and the outsourcer.
Expectations will not be met without proper communication without even if there is efficient project management and a diligent team of software developers. Miscommunication is one of the root causes for the failure of outsourcing to meet their client’s requirements. So many big companies may refrain from getting services outsourced due to problems arising out of miscommunication.
When it comes to these type of services, such as software development, it is essential that both the parties fully understand each other’s needs and expectations. Lack of communication can also cause the offshore agencies to lose their focus from a project. So what are the causes behind miscommunication? Read on to find out:
#1. Language Barrier
Companies outsourcing software development services from other companies are often faced with these issues. It is important that the team members of the outsourcing companies speak and understand the client’s language. If it is not understood properly there are chances that specifications can be interpreted differently by programmers, even on technical levels.
The language problems mainly come from pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax. Difference in the accents can also cause miscommunication, as it makes it difficult to decipher what the other person is saying. For example, non-native English speakers are not likely to understand the colloquial terms or informal words that are usually exchanged between colleagues.
So, it is important that the outsourcing companies hire team members who are well versed in the native language of their clients, so that communication can be smoother.
Image Source: By wilhei [CC0 Creative Commons] via Pixabay
#2. Lack of Adequate Documentation
Outsourcing companies may face issues if the client company doesn’t pay much attention to documentation. This leads to some functionalities to be re-written a number of times because each team member interprets it in different ways as to how they should work. Therefore, it creates confusion for the testers, since they do not have a clear understanding of how certain features should work as there is no documentation at hand for reference.
So, if a client expects some features it should reflect in the documentation. Because if it doesn’t then the feature may not be implemented as per the expectations, since the team has no idea about it.
Incomplete information is also another reason behind miscommunication. So, if a client communicates the details to a team member instead of the whole team and expects him to distribute the data, it may result in the distribution of incomplete data. So, the documentation developed should be understandable and readable by all sides of the entire development process.
Although in Agile less documentation is required, it should not be done away with completely. Ideally, in Agile, there should be a balance between documentation and discussion. It is essential to understand when and how much to document. So, it should never be more than what is required and must be written when needed.
#3. Less Amount of Trust and Openness
In order to establish proper communication between the customer and the outsourcing agency it is important that there is enough trust and openness between them. Because if the client doesn’t have much trust in the team and gives information only in fragments, it can create a lot of issues. Eventually this will lead to some part of the code being re-written.
So, if the team at the outsourcing company feels the distrust and disengagement by the client, they will lose the interest to pay attention to that particular project. The team will no longer feel responsible for the project’s outcome. Hence, once a company chooses an offshore agency to outsource services they will need to invest their trust in them.
The client and the agency should be comfortable with each other at a certain level and there should also be an adequate level of trust between them. Miscommunication results from lack of conversation or discussion between the two sides. So if there is a problem that needs to be solved, then both the parties should discuss the uses openly and what can be done to deal with it and also what the client thinks about the communication. Lack of trust and openness should be handled by top management & stakeholders of the both sides at the time of engagement.
Image Source: By Pexels [CC0 Creative Commons] via Pixabay
#4. Feedback and Questions
Clients often do not consider passing on the customer or user feedback to the developers is necessary. So the developers are most of the time not aware of what the users consider important and the issues that they are facing. If a detailed feedback is missing from the client’s end then it might result into a serious miscommunication. Most often client asks the developers to redevelop after the task is completed. This leaves both the parties dissatisfied.
Like feedbacks, asking questions is also a necessary practise to keep the communication going. Right questions should be asked at the right time. If there is a lack of questions asked at the right time, it can lead to misunderstandings and eventually result in irreversible damages.
Another communication issue faced by the outsourcing companies is their client’s decision to put overtimes on almost every issue without a real necessity. For example, sometimes a client would put overtime a days before the release, even if the developers were right on schedule and finished the work on time. If the overtimes are too long it can demotivate the team and affect their productivity level. However, in a one-week distance overtimes of 1 or 2 days do not feel too much.
Conclusion
With proper communication the offshore developers are able to understand their client’s requirement properly and also provide a better output. It also increases their confidence and the ability to work more efficiently. It is cost-effective only if the offshore agencies are able to deliver quality work at lower prices. And miscommunication can hugely affect the quality of the end products.
There should be established channels of communications so that all messages are carried between the groups in a systematic way. Also communications should arrive on a regular basis and must follow a standardized format, so that the key points are not difficult to understand. There should also be a method of addressing queries and questions, if any on the side of the outsourcer.
Project management professionals are also adept at handling communication between the clients and the project members. Scrum meetings or stand-up meetings can also solve communication issues.
If you are looking for an efficient offshore software development company that uphold effective communication standards, contact us now.
Outsourcing is one of the most effective ways adopted by businesses to contain their costs. Time and again, outsourcing different processes has proven to be effective for businesses in many other ways as well. But offshoring will not be a success if there is a communication gap between the outsourced and the outsourcer.
Expectations will not be met without proper communication without even if there is efficient project management and a diligent team of software developers. Miscommunication is one of the root causes for the failure of outsourcing to meet their client’s requirements. So many big companies may refrain from getting services outsourced due to problems arising out of miscommunication.
When it comes to these type of services, such as software development, it is essential that both the parties fully understand each other’s needs and expectations. Lack of communication can also cause the offshore agencies to lose their focus from a project. So what are the causes behind miscommunication? Read on to find out:
#1. Language Barrier
Companies outsourcing software development services from other companies are often faced with these issues. It is important that the team members of the outsourcing companies speak and understand the client’s language. If it is not understood properly there are chances that specifications can be interpreted differently by programmers, even on technical levels.
The language problems mainly come from pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax. Difference in the accents can also cause miscommunication, as it makes it difficult to decipher what the other person is saying. For example, non-native English speakers are not likely to understand the colloquial terms or informal words that are usually exchanged between colleagues.
So, it is important that the outsourcing companies hire team members who are well versed in the native language of their clients, so that communication can be smoother.
Image Source: By wilhei [CC0 Creative Commons] via Pixabay
#2. Lack of Adequate Documentation
Outsourcing companies may face issues if the client company doesn’t pay much attention to documentation. This leads to some functionalities to be re-written a number of times because each team member interprets it in different ways as to how they should work. Therefore, it creates confusion for the testers, since they do not have a clear understanding of how certain features should work as there is no documentation at hand for reference.
So, if a client expects some features it should reflect in the documentation. Because if it doesn’t then the feature may not be implemented as per the expectations, since the team has no idea about it.
Incomplete information is also another reason behind miscommunication. So, if a client communicates the details to a team member instead of the whole team and expects him to distribute the data, it may result in the distribution of incomplete data. So, the documentation developed should be understandable and readable by all sides of the entire development process.
Although in Agile less documentation is required, it should not be done away with completely. Ideally, in Agile, there should be a balance between documentation and discussion. It is essential to understand when and how much to document. So, it should never be more than what is required and must be written when needed.
#3. Less Amount of Trust and Openness
In order to establish proper communication between the customer and the outsourcing agency it is important that there is enough trust and openness between them. Because if the client doesn’t have much trust in the team and gives information only in fragments, it can create a lot of issues. Eventually this will lead to some part of the code being re-written.
So, if the team at the outsourcing company feels the distrust and disengagement by the client, they will lose the interest to pay attention to that particular project. The team will no longer feel responsible for the project’s outcome. Hence, once a company chooses an offshore agency to outsource services they will need to invest their trust in them.
The client and the agency should be comfortable with each other at a certain level and there should also be an adequate level of trust between them. Miscommunication results from lack of conversation or discussion between the two sides. So if there is a problem that needs to be solved, then both the parties should discuss the uses openly and what can be done to deal with it and also what the client thinks about the communication. Lack of trust and openness should be handled by top management & stakeholders of the both sides at the time of engagement.
Image Source: By Pexels [CC0 Creative Commons] via Pixabay
#4. Feedback and Questions
Clients often do not consider passing on the customer or user feedback to the developers is necessary. So the developers are most of the time not aware of what the users consider important and the issues that they are facing. If a detailed feedback is missing from the client’s end then it might result into a serious miscommunication. Most often client asks the developers to redevelop after the task is completed. This leaves both the parties dissatisfied.
Like feedbacks, asking questions is also a necessary practise to keep the communication going. Right questions should be asked at the right time. If there is a lack of questions asked at the right time, it can lead to misunderstandings and eventually result in irreversible damages.
Another communication issue faced by the outsourcing companies is their client’s decision to put overtimes on almost every issue without a real necessity. For example, sometimes a client would put overtime a days before the release, even if the developers were right on schedule and finished the work on time. If the overtimes are too long it can demotivate the team and affect their productivity level. However, in a one-week distance overtimes of 1 or 2 days do not feel too much.
Conclusion
With proper communication the offshore developers are able to understand their client’s requirement properly and also provide a better output. It also increases their confidence and the ability to work more efficiently. It is cost-effective only if the offshore agencies are able to deliver quality work at lower prices. And miscommunication can hugely affect the quality of the end products.
There should be established channels of communications so that all messages are carried between the groups in a systematic way. Also communications should arrive on a regular basis and must follow a standardized format, so that the key points are not difficult to understand. There should also be a method of addressing queries and questions, if any on the side of the outsourcer.
Project management professionals are also adept at handling communication between the clients and the project members. Scrum meetings or stand-up meetings can also solve communication issues.
If you are looking for an efficient offshore software development company that uphold effective communication standards, contact us now.[:]
