Consulting - First step to Outsourced Product Development

John has been working in the HR industry for the last 20 years and has worked with various small to

mid-size corporations in the US. For the last 6 months, John has been mulling over an idea for a

software development product. He has been searching for the available products in the industry and

found nothing that satisfies him. He can clearly see a gap and an opportunity for a great product. John

discussed this idea with a friend Harry and he also seems to be very positive about it. John has no idea

where to get this product developed or how to get it developed and what it will take. Harry has been

working in a company which has outsourced a project and suggests John to try outsourcing the

development of his idea. John likes it very much and started his search for the right company to

develop his idea…

Outsourcing the development of a software product can be a great idea and it can yield excellent results

in a very cost effective way. But the first step to get product development through outsourcing services

is the key to success. This first step is consulting and finding the right partners for that. A great

consulting partner can help you in many ways.

1. Market research – When you thought about the idea, you must have done a preliminary market

research. But a professional consulting partner can help you with a thorough research for your

idea. He can help with competitor analysis, gap analysis, product positioning, target

demographics and give you a clear picture of how useful your product can be.

2. Converting an idea to a business case – Once you are convinced that your idea has the space

and potential to fit in and do well, the next step is to give your idea a shape. The consultant can

help put your idea on pen and paper. This gives a concrete shape to your idea. When it is

written, the idea converts to a business case.

3. Identifying the right channel to deliver your idea – Today’s world is full of channels through

which you can reach to your customers. Your idea can be delivered through web, social

channels like Facebook, applications on computers, mobiles etc. It is key to understand the

strength of your idea and your target demographics. Based on that right delivery channel(s)

need to be chosen for the idea. Your consultants will show you statistics for usage of different

channels based on demographics (location, age). A professional business consultant will help

define that.

4. Identifying the right technology – Once you know what needs to be developed and how it

needs to be delivered, the next step is to choose the right technology platforms to develop it. Do

you want to go for proprietary solutions or open source solutions? Which platforms,

frameworks, programming languages, databases do you need? An experienced software solution

consultancy partner will help you choose the best technology platforms to deliver your

requirements through your chosen channels.

5. Finding the experts – Now you know the skills that you require. The next step is to find and

hire those skills. At this level, your consultant will act as an effective HR for you and get you

the right people to do the job.

6. Planning the execution – Now you have everything that you need to build the project. It is

time to plan the execution. Today’s world does not want to wait for a year to get a taste of a new

product. If you are going to take a year to bring your idea to world, someone else will get it out

earlier. It is the age of MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Do not build too much. Do not try to

give everything. Keep your idea lean and get it to the end users quick. Your users will tell you

what they want most and build that. Give them what they want and not what you want to give

them. Consultant will now put on the Product Manager’s hat and help you plan this.

7. Marketing – You are not building the product for yourself. You got to sell it as well. Your

consultancy partner’s job is not complete until he helps you with marketing your product as

well. Product development is just a small part; the big part is how you market it. So, consulting

is the first and key step to getting an outsourced product developed and it helps you get the right

resources for not only development but getting your product out and LIVE!!!

Harry introduced John to his offshore partners, Evon Technologies. John is now a happy client of Evon

Technologies and has been working with Evon for last 6 months. The first prototype of his idea was

launched in 4 months time as an alpha release of the product. The Beta launch of the product is

scheduled to happen in 1 month. Evon Technologies , which is a Web Design and Development

Company in India is providing complete end to end consulting services to John as a one stop shop

preventing him to run at multiple places to satisfy his wide range of needs.