Many organisations outsource the development of their software systems. It makes sense – developing software is not their core business. These organisations do not possess a detailed knowledge of how to go about creating and deploying software systems, they leave this to external experts.
Unfortunately, because the field of software development is not well understood by the outsourcer, communication with suppliers can be tricky and can lead to misunderstandings and outright abuse. Frequently, suppliers are selected on a price basis foremost – and although this is always a major consideration, their ability to build good quality software on time and within agreed budgets should be of at least equal importance.
Here are some of the problems becoming commonplace with outsourced development:
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The supplier does not have a good requirements management system, freezes requirements early on and then imposes additional charges to incorporate minor changes
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The supplier delivers systems with poor architecture which do not scale and require a large amount of re-work at a later date
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The supplier delivers software components that are not ideally suited to the customer’s environment, but which are instead geared towards the supplier’s area of expertise – thus guaranteeing the supplier further work later, at the cost of a better-quality system
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The supplier delivers scant documentation that ensures that they are the only supplier capable of maintaining the product later on
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The supplier delivers documentation that has not kept up to date with the
system
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The supplier does not have a formal system testing process and delivers what appears to be a good quality system, but the outsourcer then spends an inordinate amount of time getting the system through user-acceptance testing
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The supplier and the customer cannot agree whether a change request is a bug to be rectified free of charge, or an additional feature that incurs additional cost
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The supplier does not have a formal change control process and releases newer software versions that contain bugs that were previously fixed.
For organisations that outsource their software development, our challenge is to improve their suppliers’ ability to deliver software. That means improving the way the software is offered for tender, awarded, specified, communicated, progressed and deployed – in other words, improving the Supplier Management Process.
A good supplier management process should define the way in which an organisation:
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Manages initial requirements and changes to requirements
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Communicates requirements to suppliers
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Selects suppliers
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Agrees deliverables
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Works with suppliers during software development
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Is informed of progress and estimated time to completion
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Manages delays
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Accepts software
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Specifies software revisions post-deployment.
At ExpertEase, we aim for outsourcers and their suppliers to work together in partnership. Our experts will quickly assess an organisation’s ability to create and deploy software. We will work with customers to implement an effective supplier management system, and work with suppliers to streamline communication and delivery.
Ultimately, we will help your organisation implement the highest quality software systems on time, and within agreed budgets – time after time.
