Mobile app development, like any technical project, is a challenging task. However, while outsourcing mobile app development or hiring virtual employees for the purpose, companies make some common mistakes.
Here are 6 key mistakes companies make while planning to send their process of mobile app development offshore:
- No Protection of Source Code
- Failing to Perform Functional Tests in the End User’s Environment
- Due Diligence Not Done
- Beginning to Work Without Visual Representation of Conceptual Idea
- Lack of Constant Collaboration With Developers
- Apprehension of Change
A mistake that companies make often and that ends up benefiting their competitors is failing to protect their source code. Trademark law, patent law and the signed contract with the outsourcing service provider would fall short of protecting your code property. Many countries you outsource your work to may lack some laws and you cannot expect any sort of protection there. Rather than relying on the signed agreement or the laws, take steps such as forbidding the sharing of specific materials, restricting access to resources, and segregating source code up into independent sections.
Testing procedures just for the heck of it would do no good. All testing that is done must resemble the scenarios experienced by prospective users. Testers need to simulate or hard-code various use cases. Your team of testers needs to ensure that bugs are detected during testing and end users do not have to suffer for the loose ends in the app.
For instance, if you have got an app designed that pulls data from GPS but haven’t tested it in the locations it has been designed for, you cannot rely on it. You can use tools such as VPNs (virtual private network) and emulators for this purpose.
Sometimes, companies settle for an outsourcing service provider without doing the required due diligence. When you are hiring someone to develop something as important as an app for you, you need to spend some time to collect the necessary information – resumes of developers who would be working on your project, their past experience of working on similar projects, their track record etc. This information holds the key when it comes to analyzing the proposals of various service providers and zeroing in on any one of them. Some useful steps may include talking to developers to get an idea about how they operate, going through the blogs the company has come up on mobile development, and making reference calls.
A sound road map is needed to ensure your projects remain on track. Often, projects go wayward simply because there is no process laid down to achieve the goal. Have a plan, preferably in PowerPoint or Word that explains how you would see your plan come to fruition. Come up with a timeline for executing and completing your project and create milestones to ensure the project happens exactly as you expected it to.
Once you have your team, you just cannot sit back hoping that it would deliver without you working with them regularly to achieve the targets that you have set for yourself. Constant collaboration would ensure that the members of your development team are guided properly. It would help to pick the key skills of people and then plan how to take utmost advantage of the talent available.
Change is something you should be prepared for in business. While opting for the outsourcing model, people are often unsure where the model will suit them well in developing a mobile app. There is always a hint of uncertainty when you move on to a new business model. However, you need to accept that you do have to keep moving with time. Embracing a new model and an iterative development process like Agile would help you to complete the development of your mobile app successfully.
Summing Up
Mobile app development will be a large investment by your company looking for opening a new channel of communication with its customers and prospects. Avoiding the mistakes mentioned above will ensure your mobile app development project hits the bull’s eye.
