When you’re trying to create an MVP for your target market, there are a ton of aspects you need to manage. So, it may seem like a reasonable decision to want to outsource your MVP development process to a third party. But when should you? & when should you not?!
Every company is different, and there are times when outsourcing the development of your MVP is not exactly a great idea. While there are two sides to every coin, there are also cons that come with MVP outsourcing as well.
Aight folks! we’re looking at a top 10 list of reasons why you should not be outsourcing your MVP development for the initial version of your product.
10 Reasons You Should Not Outsource MVP Development
1. You Are Not Always Their Highest Priority
Of course, an organization that deals with outsourced MVP development has more than one client. So they are juggling multiple projects at the same time. As with any other work, multitasking can always mean that one of the tasks will lag compared to others.
That’s exactly what can happen to your product. If the agency you hired has a client who takes more priority, the development of your MVP will always fall behind, and you’ll be stuck on week’s end.
What’s worse is that you don’t have any leverage over the agency to make them speed up the process either. So if a client is paying them more than you, there’s no doubt that their product will take top priority to the agency than yours.
2. Your Speculation For Your Product Has To Be Perfect
You might be thinking “But I have to get my project specs right anyway”.
Yes, that is also true. But here’s the catch. Even the smallest mistakes in your speculation will get amplified when you’re outsourcing your development.
If you’re working with highly skilled developers who have a comprehensive understanding of similar projects, they will communicate with you and ask you for corrections or the right specifications. But that’s not always the case.
If you’ve hired a team who are relatively new and less professional, they will continue developing according to your provided spec without checking the integrity and accuracy, and it can result in a bad MVP with poor core features. And this brings us to the next point.
3. Communication Is A Must If You Want Any Chance At Succeeding
We don’t mean that you call your development team every five minutes like an obsessive GF. You cannot leave them after you hand over your project specifics.
You need to establish very specific goals and deadlines by setting up detailed meetings and calls. But even when you clear up your requirements, many setbacks can arise if you do not communicate with the contact person accordingly.
Communication barriers can postpone MVP development, and you don’t want to miss that timeframe.
4. Finding The Right Outsourcing Partner Can Take A Lot of Time
There’s no telling that the technical partner you are choosing for MVP outsourcing will be the perfect fit for the digital product you are trying to develop. But still, you can discuss your requirements in detail with the agency.
Even after agreeing, if you find their work underwhelming, you have only two choices: either you tell the agency to fix their work or work on a different agreement with a different agency.
But you don’t want to do that since it’s a huge waste of time, money, and other resources. Even when it’s taking longer, it’s best to choose an outsourcing partner who fits all your requirements.
5. You Have Less Creative Control Over Your Final Product
When you are creating an MVP with an in-house team, you have full creative control over the development cycle as well as the entire team. But with a third-party outsourcing partner, there’s a high chance that you’ll have to be content with what you’re getting once the project is done.
With outsourced MVP built by a remote team of developers, you don’t get to micro-manage every intricate detail. The final product may fit all the professional standards, but not your personal preference due to the variety of methods they follow.
6. The Final Development Cost Could Be More Than You Think
If you compare the cost of hiring a single employee to work with an agency, it will feel more expensive. But if you’re thinking of an in-house developer team vs. an agency, the cost of development can depend on quite a few things.
Usually, the overall development for startups can cost a lot higher depending on your product’s priority and complexity. Though it isn’t something you can’t directly compare, it’s something that you should keep in mind.
7. You Lack Immediate Visibility
You cannot look at the progress right away when your MVP isn’t being developed in-house. As a result, you can’t always tell if your product is being worked on, or if it’s stuck behind a long line of other projects the agency is working on.
There are also cases where a certain iteration may not fit your demand, but you will have to wait a few days before you let them know what you need to change and they apply the changes to your product. This can be a hindrance since it’ll consume more time.
8. The Risk Factor is Sky High
Sharing your company data with an unknown third party can always come with risks. When you’re a new startup founder, you will feel the pressure of the risk even more compared to the more experienced veterans of the industry.
Another potential risk is whether the public will like the iteration of the product the agency has created. Even with your involvement with the process and the agency implementing your specifications, it will not be “exactly” what you wanted to make.
First impressions are important, and there is a risk of people not liking the iteration of the digital product the agency puts out. This reduces the likelihood of success.
9. It’s Not A Viable Long-Term Solution
MVP is only a very minimal version of your product. When you’re planning to design a full-fledged product, you will need a bigger workforce of in-house experts whom you will have to supervise directly.
Needless to say, an agency doesn’t fit in the image when you’re trying to create a beta version or a complete product version. It’s not a feasible idea to outsource product development entirely to an agency that doesn’t have your direct supervision.
So it can feel like a good plan for a primary version of your product, but not a long-term solution.
10. You Cannot Demand Extra Work In Case Of An Emergency
Even when you are trying to maintain a strict deadline, you cannot outright order or command extra work from the agency you hired for your work.
Though the agency has a liability to work on your product, there is no specification that they will work on your product only, leaving everything else behind. So in case you are trying to cut down your development time, there is a high chance you will not be able to.
Also, some agencies might not even offer you provide feedback on the proof of concept.
Should You Still Consider Outsourcing Your MVP?
It entirely depends on the situation that you are in at the moment of building your MVP. If you’re looking to create something within a tight budget and you lack the other resources, outsourcing MVP development is the right choice for your startup journey.
However, outsourcing can do more harm than good if you fail to choose the right MVP outsourcing partner. Choosing the wrong developer can break your bank while getting you zero results.
It’s best to sit back, relax, and decide exactly what you want, then choose a reputable software development company for outsourcing. That way, you get a huge advantage of getting to hit the market with an amazing product developed by an experienced team.
Here’s how to outsource your MVP the right way.
To Wrap It All Up
Let’s summarize the 10 cons of outsourcing MVP development in a list:
- You Are Not Always Their Highest Priority
- Your Speculation For Your Product Has To Be Perfect
- Communication Is A Must If You Want Any Chance At Succeeding
- Finding the Right Outsourcing Partner Can Take A Lot Of Time
- You Have Less Creative Control Over Your Final Product
- The Final Possible Budget Could Be More Than You Think
- You Lack Immediate Visibility
- The Risk Factor Is Sky High
- It’s Not A Viable Long-Term Solution
- You Cannot Demand Extra Work In Case of An Emergency
If you’re looking to create an MVP with a reliable agency that can overcome all the cons of MVP outsourcing, feel free to give the developers at Impala InTech a try!
Our experienced software developers are always prepared to deliver you the perfect MVP just the way you like it, within a reasonable time and budget constraint compared to other software development agencies.
FAQs
Outsourcing is the practice of handing over the development procedure to a third-party organization.
MVP development is the entire process of creating a Minimum Viable Product to publish for a certain targeted market.
Startups choose to outsource MVP development because of the professional expertise they can get on board.
Outsourcing the product development to an outside agency might result in a low-quality project.
If MVP development is outsourced to a low-quality service provider, it can result in a low-quality product that can ruin the reputation of the startup organization.
