With literally hundreds of off-shore development organizations to choose from, how do you pick the right one for your company? There is no simple answer, but we have put together some pointers that may help.

• Pick a company with a proven track record of delivering products of similar scope to yours.
• Don’t hire a company directly off the Internet. There are lots of small groups of developers around the globe that advertise their services on the web and are particularly good at sending out mass emails. They may have incredible talents and be able to deliver exactly what you want at a fantastic price, but you may also win the lottery. The fact is, the odds are against it. Find a company you can visit, shake hands with and get to know personally. You are putting a very important part of your business in their hands. Be confident they are the right hands.
• The company should have management level resources that can spend as much time as needed in your offices, learning your needs, and interfacing directly with your team. It is one thing to do remote development, it’s quite another to try to drill down into your operations and needs without being there.
• Take a close look at the documents the outsourcing company produces. It reflects their attention to detail and their commitment to creating exactly what you want. Shoddy Functional Specifications and Detail Designs inevitably lead to shoddy software.
• Make sure you get a team that is dedicated to your projects. If your India resources are dividing their time between multiple projects, you may find out you are not the most important client on their to-do list.
• Check references and ask about specific areas of expertise. It is best to find a group that has some domain expertise and experience in your industry.
• Don’t go for the cheapest. You may get a lot for your money, but again, the odds are against it. Cutting corners in software development doesn’t work. In the end, you’ll save a lot more money by getting exactly what you want when you want it. It may cost a bit more, but should still be far less than doing it in-house.
• The company should have clearly defined and proven processes and procedures so they don’t spend half their time and your money learning how to do things right.