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What software outsourcing business models are there? How do they differ? What business model suits your project the most? 

Choosing the most appropriate business model for a software project may be a hassle, which can lead to frustration and can slow down the whole process significantly. However, if you are informed, you are prepared. This article will guide you through the most prevalent IT outsourcing contract types. 

Content:

1. IT Outsourcing Contract Types

2. Fixed Cost

3. Time and Materials

4. Dedicated Team 

5. Conclusion

1. IT Outsourcing Contract Types

The world of software outsourcing provides great benefits for businesses from all over the world considering the price-to-quality ratio and proficiency of the software developers. However, for a lot of entrepreneurs, the details regarding the IT outsourcing models may be foggy at times. Let’s make this article short and clear. So, the most prevalent business contracts aka types of IT outsourcing in software outsourcing are

2. Fixed Cost

The name speaks for itself: the scope of the project and, as a result, its final price are strictly defined and will not change. In addition, the duration of the development process is predetermined as well. 

The fixed cost is usually implemented if the client shares his or her vision with a software company in the slightest detail and there is not any ambiguity regarding project scope or requirements. Fixed cost is quite a rare kind of beast compared to other outsourcing contracts because it is rarely possible to completely specify all of the project variables.

Therefore, the fixed cost model is best for small projects with well-defined scope and requirements that will not change. However, you should consider that in the ever-changing market, flexibility is the foundation for success. 

3. Time and Material

In the case of the time and material business contract, a client pays for the labor hours and cost of materials (hence the name of the model). The final price of the project is not predetermined. A software company and a client should agree on the hourly rate instead. Consequently, the duration of the project’s development is not specified as well. Unlike, the fixed price business model, the time and material contract is flexible and adjustable, you can change the number of hours invested in the project depending on changes in the scope of the project or its budget. In addition, it allows for changing the size of the development team. 

Time and Material business model is best when

– the scope of the project is not completely known or can change 

– the project requirements are dynamic

– the budget of a project is not constant

– the flexible, incremental approach to product development is required

Time and Material contract can be intimidating to some people because of the ambiguity that it implies. However, the flexibility that the model provides is more than enough to compensate for this “mental inconvenience.”  

4. Dedicated Team

A dedicated team is a business model in accordance to which an outsourcing company provides a client with a team of software specialists who work on a fixed monthly salary and are chosen according to the client’s demands. The client has the possibility to manage the team or assign a project manager (PM). The team works only on the project it is assigned to.

A dedicated team contract is best for

– middle and long term projects that require flexible development

– projects without a clearly defined scope

– clients who want to manage a development team

We already have an article on this one. You can read it here for more information. 

5. Conclusion

Generally, there are 3 different types of IT outsourcing: fixed cost, time and material, and dedicated team. Even though there is no universally good option, each of the IT outsourcing models can be a great fit for a particular occasion. However, those contracts are not rigid. A type of cooperation can be changed along the way of project development or certain adjustments to the models can be made depending on the circumstances.

However, if you are not sure which business contract suits your project the most, we suggest you conduct the Discovery Phase. It is a complex process that requires thorough business and software analysis but yields great results, providing accurate blueprints of the complete product and cost estimates. We are well-experienced with Discovery Phase and software development in general. Thus, if you are interested in our possible cooperation, contact us.