A comprehensive guide to successful Offshore Web Development Using Distributed Agile Methodology

Agile web development allows for a number of advantages, especially when compared against the Waterfall methodology. Those advantages include:

• Decreased costs
• Reduction in time to market
• Regular input from the client
• Improvement in overall product quality
• Flexible, team-based approach to project completion

What about if you are considering an offshore web development project? Is Agile web development really the best option? What are the challenges associated with offshore web development?

The purpose of this article is to explore offshore web development using Agile — with a particular focus on India — as well as some keys to making your Agile web development project a complete success.

Offshore Web Development Using Agile

In contrast to Waterfall, Agile takes a much faster and more flexible approach to completing web development projects. To answer the question — yes — Agile web development is the best option for offshore web development.

Simply put, you may wish to consider offshore web development using Agile for any number of reasons, including:

• A lack of local talent to successfully complete your web development project
• The reduced cost of working with offshore web developers
• The ability to increase or decrease capacity fairly quickly

Concepts such as iterative development, short work phases known as ‘sprints,’ and routine client feedback, make Agile web development the ideal choice for offshore development projects.

Offshore Web Development in India

Numerous market changes in India have resulted in it becoming a preferred global destination for outsourcing of all types. The Indian market has matured significantly in recent years, allowing you — the client — to receive top quality web development at a very affordable price.

For instance, the sheer size of the workforce is poised for growth with the rate of working women expected to increase to 40 percent within the next five years.

Additionally, the focus on education in India has shifted in recent years to accommodate a wide variety of talents and skillsets.

How Distributed Agile Web Development Works

To be clear, Agile web development allows for frequent reprioritization of work items by a multidisciplinary team during each phase of development — requirements, analysis, design, code, test, and deployment.

Because of the need for daily collaboration between all distributed team members necessitated by the development model, there are often concerns about the efficacy of outsourcing work.

That being said, there are numerous web-based platforms available to assist with communication, many of which present the ability to remove any ambiguity surrounding the fine details of your project.

Whether you choose to have your project completed onsite or offshore, the key to effective Agile web development is in the ability to quickly and easily communicate with all distributed team members.

How to Make Offshore Web Development Successful

Largely due to the abundance of technological communication developments, offshore web development is easier to manage than it has ever been before.

To make your offshore web development a success, consider the following helpful suggestions:

Communicate Regularly

Thanks to video calling technology, such as Skype and Google Hangouts, you can see and speak to your distributed offshore web development team in real time. More importantly, you can easily share screens and files to immediately discuss the specific elements of a project as necessary.

Use effective Project Management Tools

Take advantage of web-based tools like JIRA, Basecamp, and Gemini to share files, track progress, and delegate or complete assigned tasks.

Leverage Time Zones

Given that offshore web development will spread your team across multiple geographic locations, meetings will need to be planned according to time zone requirements. Be sure to schedule time to connect during the periods that overlap each day.