Smarter Software Outsourcing: Recent Episodes
Frederic
Smarter Software Outsourcing is your gateway to the inner workings of a software development outsourcing firm. Frederic Joye, an entrepreneur with several successful businesses under his belt, including #1 software development team augmentation firm in the Philippines - Arcanys - created this show with one goal in mind: to offer business owners and CTOs a window to the software development outsourcing world, so they can better approach today’s complex business issues, know the industry best practices, make informed outsourcing decisions and meet the challenges of hiring and managing a remote team of software developers — all that with the contribution of remarkable guests. Get in touch! I'll be happy to read you at fred@arcanys.com.
In another interesting chat I had recently, Jürgen Strauss of InnovaBuzz invited me to discuss my journey from a stable corporate finance career in Switzerland to the world of software development outsourcing in Cebu, Philippines.
I quite enjoyed sharing with him our unique approach at Arcanys Ventures, combining tech outsourcing with strategic investments to help startups grow. And we even touched a bit on how my business partner and I cultivate a positive work culture at Arcanys, reflecting the holistic vision behind our initiatives.
Hope you enjoy listening to our friendly discussion!
This episode was first published on The InnovaBuzz Podcast: https://innovabiz.com.au/podcast/fred-joye-innovabuzz-618/
InnovaBuzz Podcast: https://innovabiz.com.au/
& its host, Jürgen Strauss https://au.linkedin.com/in/jurgenstrauss
Get in touch with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Email: fred@arcanys.com
Website: https://www.arcanys.com
In this episode, a dear friend and colleague, Dean Denny, gave me the chance to share the origin story of Arcanys, how my own experiences played a role in shaping our culture, particularly our holistic wellness initiatives, and how it ultimately led to the addition of the Arcanys CrossFit Gym.
This episode was first published on the Open Source Growth Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/building-high-performance-software-teams-and/id1469951099?i=1000632773850
Open Source Growth: Powerful SAAS Marketing Strategies with Dean Denny: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/open-source-growth-powerful-saas-marketing-strategies/id1469951099
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Get in touch with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Email: fred@arcanys.com
Website: https://www.arcanys.com
In this episode of the Smarter Outsourcing Podcast, Fred welcomes Jon Darbyshire, a visionary leader and serial entrepreneur who's made a great impact in the world of business process management.
Jon talks about SmartSuite's unconventional software outsourcing journey by cultivating remote-first collaboration across 6 distributed teams.
00:00 Intro
03:40 You started with a comprehensive product at SmartSuite instead of an MVP. How did this approach shape your go-to-market strategy and the company's growth trajectory?
08:01 How did you have enough confidence in your product's potential to forgo building an MVP and instead invest in fully developing it from the start?
10:35 How did partnering with six providers to build a diverse and remote development team shape SmartSuite's competitive edge? How does the daily collaboration with multiple providers work?
14:01 How have your investments in various companies shaped your perspective on running SmartSuite, and what key lessons have you taken from these experiences?
17:14 What was the thought process behind SmartSuite, and how does it contribute to building a strong culture and enhance intergenerational collaboration?
21:13 How did you incorporate and represent the diverse cultures of your clients into a unified interface and user experience?
23:01How did you select the individuals you wanted to work with, and why is the ability to build personal connections with them so important?
25:43 You're offering equity to vendors in SmartSuite. What led you to choose this business model, and what makes you believe it represents the future for startups?
29:50 Have you seen more and more startups following this model since you started almost four years ago?
32:37How did you handle the cross-cultural environment while working with six different providers from various countries? How well do the teams collaborate with each other?
34:35 A lot of companies that initially adopted remote work due to Covid now bring their teams back to the office for improved cohesion and collaboration, and stronger company culture. What's your perspective on that?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
A few months ago, Daniel invited me to talk about how culture, although not quite measurable, plays a significant role in the success and failure of a business.
It was great being on the other side of the podcast fence, if you will. I loved having Daniel rack my brain a little bit about what culture means for Arcanys, and how it has evolved now that most of us are working remotely.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as we have enjoyed recording it!
This episode was first published on The Remote-Culture Podcast:
https://www.remote-culture.com/1485994/11632390-1-helping-employees-feel-great-about-themselves-with-frederic-joye-from-arcanys
Remote-Culture Podcast https://www.remote-culture.com/1485994
& its host, Daniel Abebe https://www.linkedin.com/in/abebedaniel/
Get in touch with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Email: fred@arcanys.com
Website: https://www.arcanys.com
In this episode of Outsourcing Stories, Fred exchanges with Jin Zhu to share their insights on where Duet Inc. has been struggling before the company worked with Arcanys, how the partnership has fared and how far the team has grown so far.
Duet Inc. is a Silicon Valley startup with a simple yet powerful software solution designed for transportation service providers to improve their productivity.
00:24 About Duet, Inc.
01:12 Arcanys team overview
02:00 Start of the collaboration with Arcanys
03:08 Arcanys' role in achieving strategic goals
04:35 Value comparison: California Vs. Philippines
05:36 Distributed teams are changing the game07:11 Duet, Inc. x Arcanys: Daily collaboration
08:04 Project management: roles distribution
09:00 Travel perspectives to visit the Arcanys offshore team
10:46 The partnership's impact on Duet's business
11:16 Considerations for in-house Vs. outsourced team setups
15:08 Benefits of a Dedicated Team engagement model
17:26 Closing thoughts
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
A few weeks ago, I was invited to Derek Gallimore's show, The Outsource Accelerator Podcast. Derek is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Outsource Accelerator, which he often describes as the 'Alibaba of outsourcing', providing the gateway for businesses to connect with outsourcing suppliers.
In early 2022, I sat with Derek to study how the pandemic changed the outsourcing landscape and how the supply and demand for software developers were evolving (you can find that episode in the show notes if you missed it). Of course, a lot has changed since then, and we're discussing how in today's episode. We're also looking at the latest tech scene updates, outsourcing market trends for 2023, and what sets offshoring in the Philippines apart from other countries.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as we have enjoyed recording it!
This episode was first published on The Outsource Accelerator Podcast:
https://www.outsourceaccelerator.com/podcast/offshore-developers-tech-scene-updates-from-fred-joye-of-arcanys/
Outsource Accelerator Podcast https://www.outsourceaccelerator.com/source/podcasts/
& its host and OA founder, Derek Gallimore https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-gallimore/
Get in touch with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Email: fred@arcanys.com
Website: https://www.arcanys.com
Steve France, CEO of BloomLocal, sat down with Arcanys co-founder Frederic Joye to discuss his partnership with Arcanys, and how it propelled his startup company to build the software he needed — a scalable solution for small local florists to better market their online services.
0:00 Intro
0:43 What is BloomLocal?
3:06 Why did you pick Arcanys?
4:21 How did it start and when?
6:01 How is your team doing so far?
7:29 How does Arcanys senior architect help you?
9:01 What does your Arcanys team allow you to do?
10:14 Could you explain the benefits of the Arcanys work for equity program?
12:14 Were you coming to visit Arcanys team in the office in Cebu before the pandemic?
13:18 How the collaboration with has impacted your business?
14:25 Could you have achieved the same results with in-house developers?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Discover how Koobani CEO Geoff Robinson partnering up with a passionate, tight-knit teamof Software Development experts from Arcanys has unlocked Koobani’s full potential and helped them reach spectacular growth—eventually becoming a market leader in the B2B Sales space.
0:00 Intro to “Outsourcing story of Koobani: A full suite of B2B solutions and provider of technology services”
6:19 How is the team working for you?
7:25 How is the attrition in your team?
9:27 Why Arcanys?
11:02 How is your team doing so far?
27:15 How and when did the collaboration start?
35:57 How would you say this collaboration affects your business?
39:39 Could you have achieved the same results with in-house developers?
45:26 Any last words about your collaboration with us?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Albert founder & CEO Antoine Vatar explains how Arcanys’ technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and human-first approach were key to propelling their app to greater heights and improve on the work of a previous agency significantly.
0:00 Intro to “Outsourcing story of Albert: Driving employee engagement with a powerful white-label mobile app”
0:57 What is Albert?
3:32 Why did you decide to work with Arcanys?
6:06 How is your team doing so far?
9:37 What does your Arcanys team allow you to do?
12:15 How often did you visit the Arcanys team before the pandemic?
13:38 How the collaboration with Arcanys is impacting your business?
14:58 Could you have achieved the same results with in-house developers?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Payment Logic co-founder and CTO Mark Nimco explains how they became one of Australia’s fastest-growing technology companies with a 148% growth in 3 years thanks to the agility, skill, and dedication of their Arcanys resources.
0:00 Intro to “Outsourcing story of Payment Logic: Building a powerful payment platform for Australian businesses”
0:25 What is Payment Logic?
0:50 Before collaborating with Arcanys, how did you work?
1:17 How did you decide to work with Arcanys?
4:45 What results did you achieve when you started working with the Arcanys team?
6:21 Why did you pick a dedicated development team and not remote freelancers?
7:06 Where did you hear about Arcanys first? What picked your interest?
8:34 You sent a test to several companies in the Philippines. How did the Arcanys team do compared to the other teams?
9:10 Aside from technical skills, was it also different in terms of communication?
9:59 Can you describe how it is working with Arcanys?
12:07 How likely are you to recommend Arcanys?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
In this episode, Fred and Derek study how the pandemic changed the outsourcing landscape, the trends to watch in 2022, and how the job market and demand for software development professionals have evolved.
00:23 Intro
Outsource Accelerator
2:00 How Covid has initially impacted the outsourcing industry and Outsource Accelerator?
8:58 What is the biggest industry learning from the Ukraine crisis?
14:04 How do you see a post-Covid or "new normal" world for the outsourcing industry?
18:04 Any advice for companies looking at outsourcing right now?
Arcanys
21:10 How does Arcanys make sure they are sourcing good candidates?
25:27 Who is in charge of the quality control of what your developers do?
29:14 Can you tell me a bit about the salary inflation of your developers in the Philippines?
35:27 What is your take on short vs long-term development projects when it comes to outsourcing?
Looking for a complete video guide to thoroughly evaluate software team augmentation providers and pick the right one? We walk you through every step here 👉 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb...
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/ or connect with Arcanys co-founder Fred on LinkedIn ➡️ https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
What time is the right time to outsource? In this new episode of the Smarter Software Outsourcing show, we talk about what sparks the need for specialized support from an outsourced tech team, and the situations in which outsourcing becomes the best strategy.
Specifically, we discuss:
00:35 Intro
01:29 Is there a good time (or a bad one) to consider outsourcing software development?
03:20 What makes companies want to outsource their software development or extend their development team?
03:52 1. Hiring the right IT talents takes time
04:31 2. By fast-tracking the digital transformation of many companies, the pandemic has increased the need for IT talents
06:21 3. The salaries onshore have shot up massively
07:15 4. Turnover: retaining developers in SMEs in the long term is increasingly difficult
10:59 Have employers become more open to remote teams?
13:28 Why does developers' scarcity not impact all countries equally?
18:04 What are the first steps to take when looking for outsourcing options?
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go. Connect with Fred on Linkedin here https://linkedin.com/in/fredjoye
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit https://www.arcanys.com/
This episode was first released on the Leadership Conversations show, where I chatted with Australia-based podcaster and fellow leadership development expert, Jonno White, about what being a leader means today.
We talk about leadership being so much more than just influencing people and organizations, and I explain why I think it must hold values and carry meaning to inspire.
Specifically, we discuss:
[0:00] Intro
[1:39] Background and founding of Arcanys
[3:18] How Fred's childhood moments shaped the leader he is today
[5:37] First steps towards Leadership & Entrepreneurship
[10:54] Leading 300 people: differences, revelations and pivotal moments
[12:52] Co-founding Arcanys: the entrepreneurial journey
[22:52] Breaking through the 50-employee ceiling to achieve growth
[24:37] To leaders out there hitting the same ceiling and looking to scale their team: balance your resources to avoid bottlenecks
[27:50] Leadership Express: favourite reads, podcasts, the role of CrossFit, and more
[29:46] Best piece of advice ever received
[32:58] Impactful movies & TV shows
[35:55] Connecting with Fred & discovering Arcanys
Follow the Leadership Conversations show for more inspiring stories and leadership tools.
Subscribe to the Smarter Software Outsourcing show for actionable insights to better hire and manage offshore tech teams, even when you are on the go.
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In choosing your software development outsourcing partner, the factors with which you evaluate service provider should not only be limited to the strict technical capabilities, but should also include the collaborative and operational aspects of the process. Why? Because at some point in the outsourcing process, you will have to decide whether you want to keep your own operational practices and tools, or adopt those of your provider. The decision would heavily depend on your maturity in the software development lifecycle, as well as on the provider’s proposed degree of involvement.
0:00 Intro
1:13 There’s no one-fits-all configuration
2:55 Company-wide processes
6:56 Team-wide processes
9:23 Work environment and location
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In this episode, we discuss what Arcanys believes are the key drivers that propel customer satisfaction in an offshore team services provider and client company relationship. These are the same guiding principles that have allowed us, as a company, to keep partnerships going, providing invaluable assistance to clients in various industries in our many years as a trusted outsourced software development services provider in the Philippines.
Happy listening!
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Once you understand the process of getting the best value for money from an augmented team, what’s not to like? You are able to fill in the crucial ‘missing pieces’ in your core team while maximizing productivity and getting projects off the ground—and in a cost-effective manner, at that. But while it’s true that the right outsourcing partner is an invaluable asset to your business, approaching the extended team model with misaligned expectations and rushing into it unprepared can introduce substantial risks of failures, additional costs, and loss of time.
So, what can you do? Well, I don’t have a foolproof recipe for success to share with you, I’m afraid. But I can tell you the 9 greatest mistakes I’ve seen in over 20 years in the outsourcing industry. The kind of mistakes you want to stay away from when you engage with an offshore partner.
[00:00] Intro
[2:01] Thinking a fixed-price project is the safest move
[6:24] Thinking that the requirements can be built on the fly with no clear roadmap
[8:18] Building your site on a proprietary framework, CMS, or platform that is developed & owned by your software provider
[11:04] Not having access to your source code on a regular basis
[12:02] Looking for an outsourcing vendor that will blindly execute software development
[14:51] Believing that doubling the team size will double the output in a linear fashion
[17:05] Treating the outsourced resources as a different team separate from your company
[18:35] Confusing price with value
[20:40] A Startup special: Thinking that there is such a thing as a free lunch. Work for equity deals
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
With the rise of the global remote workforce and the resulting talent wars, employee poaching is a growing threat — especially in the technology world, where a lot of professionals say they’re continuously on the lookout for better career opportunities.
So how do you keep your developers happy and make sure they are productive? Here are 7 ways to help you do that.
[00:00] Intro
[1:43] Have clear and attainable goals and milestones
[2:32] Clearly define roles and responsibilities
[3:59] Give them the right tools
[5:16] Provide mentorship, training, and continuous education
[7:00] Encourage open communication and feedback
[8:23] Keep non-coding tasks minimal
[9:46] Get them into the flow
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Explore the hidden costs in project success and why fixed price locks you into something you can't change and will live with until your next project.
[0:00] Intro to Fixed Price Projects: Why disappointment is inevitable
[2:26] Tell us about your experience running fixed-cost projects. But first, could you describe what a fixed cost project is?
[7:20] What kind of expectations did the clients have, and do you think some of them could have been run differently and more efficiently without that fixed constraint?
[25:42] Do you feel there is still a place for fixed price projects in the industry?
[30:08] Can you tell us why, even if the project is deemed a success, it still always disappoints?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In this episode, we want to shed light on the risk of delegating project estimation by way of quotations or free appraisals. And discovering if a lack of commitment to detail will come at a cost versus paying to uncover the detail.
[0:00] Intro to project estimation: free appraisals, are they ever really free?
[2:09] What are the key reasons you think “free appraisals” are so appealing to customers?
[5:31] Are there any particular type of projects or companies that are drawn to free appraisals?
[10:36] What are the hidden costs to clients attached to free estimations?
[16:01] If a “Free Appraisal” isn’t practical due to the sheer scale of a client’s requirements, what do you suggest to help them move forward?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Risks appear as technical roadblocks and costs during the life cycle of the project. Predictable billing puts clients in control of their spend.
[0:00] Intro to Open ended contracts: How wielding predictability can mitigate risk?
[2:33] What is an “open-ended contract”?
[29:17] Open-ended contract as a client
[43:54] Who are “open-ended” contracts best suited to?
[45:39] Don’t “time billing” arrangements cause a conflict of interest?
[47:59] What happens if a team resource is underperforming?
[52:38] Is this level of control for the client diminishing the responsibility of the provider?
[54:55] How can clients “wield” or use the predictability of this approach to their advantage?
[58:22] Does Arcanys offer any unique options as part of their OEC?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
We know outsourcing software development can greatly decrease costs. But we also know that lower rates don’t always translate to an overall better deal, and that’s the very challenge of outsourcing. So where does the notion of Value for Money fit in all this?
[0:00] Intro to “Custom Software Development Outsourcing: What Does Value for Money Mean?”
[1:43] Common reasons for outsourcing
[1:48] Outsourcing cuts development costs and increases flexibility
[3:07] To access real talent or skills that you can't always find locally
[3:46] To Avoid turnovers
[4:33] To avoid hiring hassles and fees
[5:50] Patterns used in software development outsourcing
[5:54] Fixed price contract
[7:13] Time and materials or dedicated team contract
[8:17] What is the value for money in software development outsourcing?
[8:42] Economic. Find more competitive rates
[10.20] Effective. Get things done
[13:03] Efficient. Maximize your return on investment
[15:37] The cost of bad code quality
[16:06] The cost of missed deadlines
[16:34] The cost of a high attrition rate
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Assessing outsourcing firms should always include efforts to appreciate their culture and values, including elements that aren’t immediately visible online (or even perceivable over the phone). This podcast episode helps you approach these aspects more efficiently and avoid building an opinion exclusively on what you see on the surface.
[0:00] Intro to “Picking an Outsourcing Provider: Company Culture as a Make-Or-Break Factor (And How to Assess)”
[1:18] Check their Website and social media
[2:36] Pay them a visit
[3:25] Talk to their employees
[4:21] Ask about the benefits and perks
[5:15] See how they align with their core values and yours
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Partnering with an outsourcing firm in the Philippines to bring in more experts to your software project team can make sense in many ways… Provided that you do it right. Here’s a list of high-level points you’ll want to check to stack all the odds in your favor and build a successful partnership for the long haul. How many items can you tick off?
[0:00] Intro to “Outsourcing Checklist: 7 Essential points for building long-term remote teams in the Philippines”
[2:10] Figure out your real reasons for outsourcing
[3:06] Know why the Philippines is a top outsourcing destination
[5:48] Learn how to pick the right provider
[6:26] Envision your ideal but realistic team
[7:25] Have a rock-solid recruitment process
[8:19] Recognize your team’s value and potential
[8:58] Make sure you are aligned on culture and values
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
As a software project owner, what behaviors can you adopt to boost your offshore team’s motivation and grow trust among them? What unsuspected practices can typically destroy their performance? We’ve asked a bunch of developers from Arcanys to deliver the 4 truths you’ll want to be aware of if you expect your relationship with your distributed team to thrive and your project to succeed.
[0:00] Intro to “4 Things Your Remote Software Development Team Wishes You Knew”
[0:54] Treating your remote software development team differently than your core team is the worst idea
[2:39] Performance and output are the result of both our efforts
[6:40] Software engineers are not just coders, they are also advisors
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In Agile software development, you would want your team to deliver the most potentially deployable software after every iteration, with as little waste—human resources and rework—as possible. That's a tall order, especially if you're working with an offshore team. In today's episode, I will break down the top 5 best practices I have learned from experience in the industry.
[0:00] Intro to “10. 5 Best Practices when Assembling your Agile Team Offshore"
[1:42] Focus on keeping your team small
[2:51] Choose the right individuals to satisfy all the skillset needed
[7:59] Make sure you have at least one senior engineer in your remote team plus a technical team on your side
[8:59] Get the ratio right
[10:21] Communicate well and be open to changes
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Even in mature companies with good programmers already on board, hiring one bad programmer can still derail a project's timeline—leading to additional costs if not managed properly. So how do you dodge this trap? In today's episode, I'll share with you a few tips on how to avoid hiring bad programmers that may help.
[0:00] Intro to "How to avoid hiring bad programmers?"
[2:55] Know your developer needs
[3:10] Do you really need a senior developer for your project?
[5:22] Leveraging the network of your current employees
[6:46] Review resumes but don’t give them too much weight
[8:52] Never skip face-to-face interviews
[10:34] Perform background checks
[11:44] Test candidates skills with real-life programming conditions
[13:33] Involve your existing team members in the hiring process
[15:48] Let the candidate engage with the CEO or founder
[16:34] Deliver value to every candidate
[17:19] Believe in second chances
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Among all the factors that come to mind when we get ready to evaluate a custom software development provider, these two—security and contractual aspects, often come last. But they're certainly not the least when it comes to partnering with a business partner for the long term. Join me in today's episode as I share my ideas on ensuring a safe outsourcing partnership for your organization.
[0:00] Intro to Security and Contractual Aspects in Software Development Outsourcing
[2:13] Review the security aspects
[3:02] Understand the contractual aspects
[3:29] The rates
[3:49] The models of engagement
[4:35] Previous projects
[5:28] Value for money
[6:30] Risk-free trial
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
What are your workflows like? How will you communicate daily updates with your local and distributed teams? How does cultural awareness affect your team's working environment? How are progress reports communicated? And most significantly, how do you determine the standards of quality between you and your provider? These and a few other crucial questions are important when considering a prospective outsourcing partner, and this episode will discuss just that.
[0:00] Intro to Knowing your Tech Partner's Communication Processes and Standards of Quality
[1:41] Establishing communication processes and collaboration tools
[2:17] Project and task management
[3:21] Daily interactions
[4:04] Cultural awareness
[4:49] Progress report and team status update
[5:34] The escalation process
[6:05] Determination of the standards of quality
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
It’s clear that today’s pandemic is destabilizing businesses and pushing many of them to rethink not only their cost structure but also the way they operate and deliver. For CTOs and executives trying to think through their potential COVID-19 response options more proactively, handing over software development to another company appears as a solid strategic choice. Today, I've listed down seven reasons why the pandemic makes software development outsourcing more relevant than ever.
[0:00] Intro to “7 reasons why software development outsourcing is even more relevant after COVID-19”
[0:56] The difficult equation of delivering more while spending less has never been that great
[3:31] Well prepared team can deliver successfully sprints without being together
[6:06] A good outsourcing environment brings so much more than just remote work
[8:12] Hiring in-house is now harder and costlier than ever
[11:01] In such uncertain times having flexible resources is the key to ensuring sustainable operations
[13:30] Surround yourself with people you can trust
[16:04] Progress tracking: it has never been easier to communicate with counterparts and teammates
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Assessing your prospective software development outsourcing partner can be a very tedious process. Many things must be considered and aspects that need in-depth investigation. Luckily, after many studies and my experience in the field, I figured out two of the most important aspects I suggest you examine and evaluate when picking the best partner for your organization — the company's background and capabilities.
[0:00] Intro to “How to Thoroughly Evaluate Tech Providers' Backgrounds and Capabilities”
[1:47] Research the company’s background
[1:50] The basic information
[2:53] Shared values
[3:57] Their clients
[4:43] Their understanding of your own background and environment
[5:28] Evaluate the company’s capabilities
[6:04] Primary skills and technologies
[7:09] Add-on skills and services
[7:43] Size and structure of the company
[8:18] Readiness to deploy
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In today's episode, we will maximize the power of the internet and utilize tools to help us find the right provider. How do you effectively start your market research? What tools are readily available to help you filter potential providers? Remember, making a shortlist of promising companies based on the criteria that matter to you is an essential step, as this will give you a clear perspective of how the collaboration will perform in the long run.
[0:00] Intro to “Four ways to properly list (and shortlist) potential software development firms”
[1:07] Tools to use for your search
[1:10] Google or an other search engines
[1:45] Your network
[2:28] Review sites
[4:09] Marketplaces and consulting firms
[5:43] Make a shortlist of potential providers
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
It's settled: you've decided to outsource part of your software development. But are your expectations crystal clear? How do you envision the collaboration? In this episode, I give you a rundown of criteria to reflect on to make sure you start looking for the right type of outsourcing providers.
[0:00] Intro to “How well do you know your outsourcing needs?”
[1:57] Understand all your current struggles as a business
[3:24] Start picturing your ideal provider
[3:50] What collaboration and engagement model do you want?
[4:30] What technologies do you want your partners to cover?
[4:59] Where do you want your partner to be located?
[5:39] What company structure are you targeting and what do you expect from the people behind it?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
In this episode, I'll be talking to Derek Gallimore, founder of Outsource Accelerator, the most trusted source of independent information and expert advice about outsourcing in the Philippines. Together, we will tackle topics that will help businesses planning to go the BPO way make more informed decisions such as "Why is it important to understand the ins and outs of outsourcing?" and "How do you find the best-fitted technology partner for your business needs?" So let's shine a light on these questions and a few more besides.
[0:00] Intro to “Outsource Accelerator: Making informed outsourcing decisions with expert BPO advisory and support”
[1:39] Could you please briefly describe Outsource Accelerator?
[3:04] What was your motivation behind creating this platform?
[4:55] Why did you pick the Philippines?
[6:42] Can you tell us what you think your impact is on the transparency of this outsourcing industry?
[8:24] What is the type of people who visit your website and reach out to you?
[12:35] How do these people navigate through the different options they have? What are the tools available to these?
[14:02] Tell us more about your business model
[16:15] How do you accompany clients through the consulting services?
How does this work?
[18:28] What have you learned from the market?
[20:59] Where do you see the industry of offshore staffing headed in the next 5 - 10 years?
[25:01] What is the next big step for Outsource Accelerator?
[26:00] How to reach out to Outsource Accelerator?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.
Is putting comments in code a good habit, or an unnecessary waste of time? In this episode, I'm here together with Eric, a Senior Software Architect working with Arcanys, and we'll talk about one of the most debated topics in this complex world of software development.
[0:00] Intro to Should developers comment their code?
[1:42] Should you actually comment your code?
[2:10] What makes it even more important in an outsourcing set-up
[3:22] Can you explain how to comment your code?
[4:42] How can you help people better comment their code?
[5:54] The usefulness of the code reviewing
[6:54] Costs and consequences of no or bad commenting
[8:50] How do you determine the good and bad quality of the commenting?
[9:46] Why some developers are no commenting on their code?
[13:00] How to manage this as a remote team manager?
[15:06] Tips to implement easily with your team
[15:50] What is a good timeframe to do code review with a developer?
[17:34] For the commenting, are there good resources you can find online?
Need to grow your team and expand your software development capabilities with a reliable tech partner by your side? Visit www.arcanys.com.