4 Essential Tools for Offshore Development

Successful project execution is predicated on access and the ability to utilize the right tools and resources effectively. Beyond improving the level and quality of performance, utilizing the right tools also helps speed up development, thus shortening the go-to-market period.

In this post, we share some of the best tools for the top offshore software development companies that you can consider to help enhance your offshore development project's effectiveness. These have been selected based on the features they offer, their suitability for teams working remotely, convenience and their reputation, and perceived preference within the developers' community.

 1. Slack

Slack offers a composite of features that allow for efficient team communication and collaboration during project execution. Perhaps one of its strongest attributes is creating and organizing channels based on different topics, teams, and projects. Essentially, it allows for proper segmentation of tasks into smaller, manageable chunks, which can be led by various groups.

Some of the core features of Slack include:

• Creating public and private channels that can be further segmented into different sub-channels based on the project type, team, topic, etc
• Easy sharing of project files with drag and drop features. It also supports sharing files of varied formats
• Voice and video conferencing feature
• Integration with GitHub, Google Drive, Office 365, and other similar services.

This tool provides a suitable framework for effective engagement between project execution teams and the client. It streamlines the communication streams and allows for seamless sharing of resources relevant to the project at hand.

Slack has varied pricing plans. For small teams, the free version is sufficient. For small- and medium-sized businesses, the Standard plan is the most suitable, going for $6.67 per month. The Plus package that goes for $12.5 per month and the Enterprise grid are options for larger teams with more advanced needs.

2. GitHub 

GitHub is a code-sharing and publishing platform. It is particularly a useful tool for the team of developers executing software product development by writing code given it allows them to share their contributions to the project easily. It also allows for better transparency between clients and the team of developers. Given clients also get access to the codebase, they can continuously examine the quality of code used to develop their software products.

Some of the core features of GitHub include:

• Allows for easy integration with other tools
• Easy to use version handling
• Great UX
• Bug tracking
• Graphical representation of branches
• Code review
• Allows for easy collaboration, including social coding feature

GitHub is useful in ensuring full transparency with the code base for your project. The collaborative and resource-sharing aspects make it best for working with offshore developers. There is currently a free version and a subscription version of GitHub, with the subscription starting from $7 per month.

3. Trello 

This project management tool allows teams to organize their work in Kanban boards, cards, and lists. Kanban boards represent projects while cards represent the tasks within the projects. Lists are helpful for tracking project progress and for organizing materials and resources for the project.

In addition to facilitating concurrent management of multiple projects, Trello equally facilitates collaboration among teams. This is possible through the shared creation of the Kanban board with the project team. Further, the features therein are excellent for collaborative development.

Some of the topline features of Trello include:

• Cloud storage allowing for remote collaboration
• Flexibility in handling projects of varying magnitudes and scopes
• Beautiful interface with customizable backgrounds, visuals, and tacks for a fun and interactive experience.
• Automation features for assigning and reassigning cards, adding and removing labels, and scheduling of tasks
• Easy coding experience with support for coding in English

Aside from the free version, users can subscribe to the business class or the enterprise plan. The business plan costs $122.50 per month or $119.88 annually per person. The enterprise plan comes with varied price plans, depending on the features.

4. Google Drive 

Google Drive is quite popular. This is an online storage and collaborative platform that allows teams to share and edit documents online. It comes with a decent set of features allowing for proper organization of project tasks in files and folders. It also allows for integration with other third-party complementary tools such as Slack, DocuSign, Workfront, G-suit, etc.

Some of the top features of Google Drive include:

• Default integration with Google, which grants the team access to key google tools and features such as Gmail
• Supports smart applications such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, Google Forms, and Google Drawings, among others
• Allows for automatic generation and customization of sharable links for files
• Support files of varied formats
• SSL encryption provides additional security for files and resources
• Compatible with dozens of apps allowing for expanded feature options.
• Provides free storage of up to 15 GB, which is suitable for small projects

Google Drive is available for free. However, for large projects that require additional storage capacity, additional storage space can be purchased, charged monthly.

Conclusion 

Efficiency in collaborating with offshore development companies is largely dependent on the tools utilized. The ideal tools allow for easy communication among all individuals involved in the project, easy sharing of resources, seamless coding, and convenience for faster execution of the project.

The tools shared herein are only a few of the options available for development teams. Nonetheless, these have a decent set of features and offer varying functionality levels necessary for offshore development. Notably, it is possible to utilize multiple tools at the same time. Hopefully, these recommended tools will propel your development to desired execution efficiency levels and success.