Hiring a dedicated development team for your web development project is a much wiser move than engaging freelancers. Read this post to learn why.
Web development is a complex process that includes many variables. Finding the right staff (developers, designers, QA engineers, project managers, etc.), acquiring the necessary tools and equipment, and working out efficient processes — it all takes time and money.
Projects differ in length, scope, and requirements. Quite frequently, a company’s in-house team has no expertise or resources to implement new features or test the existing ones. This is when help from outside becomes something of a lifeline.
Where can a company seek out this help? The two most popular solutions are to engage freelancers or hire a dedicated development team. In this post, we compare the two models and explain why it is more beneficial to hire dedicated developers in the majority of business settings.
First, let’s consider situations when each model is typically preferred.
A freelancer is a self-employed professional who provides services to clients in various fields, with web development being one of the most popular areas.
Freelancers are the best choice under the following circumstances:
A dedicated team is a group of professionals who work for a web development company full time. Whenever a business or an individual entrepreneur needs resources for their project, a dedicated team’s PM assigns specialists with the right qualifications to work exclusively on that project.
Hire dedicated developers when:
Even though some companies choose to work with freelancers, mainly because the cost to hire them is lower, the future belongs to dedicated development teams. Here are the key reasons why you should hire a dedicated team of developers for your next website or app development project (or any software project for that matter).
These days, most projects require expert knowledge of many technologies. For example, both back-end (SQL, PHP, Java, C#, and others) and front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.) developers work on a typical web application or website.
Freelancers are almost entirely niche-oriented. They may focus either on one technology or on one side of the equation such as the user interface. Finding the right type of web development professional is a long and complicated undertaking that may span weeks or even months.
By contrast, a company employs developers who are proficient in a multitude of technologies and have sufficient experience to rise to any programming challenges. The company’s HR team has thoroughly tested the developers’ professional abilities and knows their level (junior, mid-level, or senior).
So, there’s no need to waste your time and resources sifting through hundreds of CVs. In addition, a dedicated team often includes marketers, business analysts, SEO professionals, UI/UX designers, and experts in other important fields—all of them in one central location.
That facilitates communication and contributes to the better efficiency of the working processes. No freelancer can beat the expertise and organization the dedicated team model provides.
One of the weak points of working with freelancers is the lack of liability when it comes to sensitive business data. A freelancer may simply disappear in the middle of a project to leave you guessing what will happen to your proprietary information.
In addition, if you hire a bunch of freelancers to work on the same project, the risk that your project specs will get into the wrong hands is greater. If some of your information is stolen, you may not even know about it or be able to identify the culprit.
When hiring dedicated development experts as a team, on the other hand, you’re working with one and only one entity. You will sign a formal contract that will legally bind the provider to keep your confidential data secret. A large, respectable company will not vanish overnight. It has a real business address and can be held liable.
Freelancers are not particularly concerned about the success of the company they’re working for or the project they are engaged in. Once the term of the agreement is over, they say good-bye and go.
Companies or individual entrepreneurs have to start the time-consuming and complicated hiring process all over, taking focus away from achieving their business objectives.
In contrast, a dedicated team’s PM can quickly find an adequate replacement for any developer who has dropped off for some reason. That’s because a large company values its reputation and is more interested in long-term cooperation and positive reviews.
The word ‘dedicated’ means that the team will be completely committed to your project, seamlessly integrating into your business processes, satisfying all your requirements, and fulfilling all your requests. They will have no other distracting tasks, which guarantees stability and the high quality of the end result.
Freelancers tend to work on multiple projects at the same time for obvious reasons: more clients—more money. Your application or website will be just one of many. Quality will inevitably suffer. As the saying goes, “Between two stools, one falls to the ground.”
Communication is one of the crucial aspects of the web development process. The vendor and client must understand each other to the letter. Otherwise, the client may be in for some unpleasant surprises when the work is done, but not necessarily through the vendor’s fault.
It’s true that in our day and age, people from different corners of the world can easily communicate with each other through numerous channels: Skype, Slack, Telegram, email, and others.
However, there’s no guarantee that a freelancer will always be available to answer your questions or update you on the status of your project at any given time.
That’s especially true if you’re working with a group of freelancers who reside in different time zones. Keeping all of them in sync may turn out to be a nightmare. A dedicated development team has a PM responsible for the entire communication process.
Any product needs support and maintenance after it’s released (adding new features, updating the existing ones, and ensuring a failure-free operation). You can sign a contract with an outsourced team of developers to provide all those services right at the start of your cooperation to save you from trouble afterward.
Freelancers can offer support of a released website or app too. However, a freelancer may suddenly terminate the contract, putting your website or app at risk. Besides, they may cover only part of the functionality owing to the lack of resources. If you hire dedicated developers, on the other hand, you get complete coverage.
In order to produce enterprise-quality software, web developers need to have access to the latest versions of development tools such as IDEs or graphical editors. This is particularly true in specialized fields like AI, where teams need top-tier licensed technology and equipment, a common investment for generative AI companies. When you hire a dedicated development team, you get cutting-edge licensed software and hardware to have your project implemented to the top industry standards.
In addition, using authentic and licensed tools to build commercial websites is critical for security reasons. Licensed tools often come with security updates and protections that unlicensed tools lack. This can leave your software or website vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Most freelancers have basic tools that enable them to address essential tasks. However, you never know if those apps are authentic or regularly updated. Also, freelancers may have no resources powerful enough to perform the enterprise-level testing of your product.
Most projects are living, breathing “beasts.” You may decide to put your project on a pause due to a budget shortfall. Or, you may want to expand it to adjust to a growing customer base. The dedicated development team model provides perfect scalability.
All you have to do is inform the PM that you need to change the team’s composition, reduce the number of developers, or find new professionals, as your business needs dictate. You can also request to withdraw a specific developer if you’re not content with their performance.
Rest assured: the outsourced web development company will find a substitution in no time. Reputation and long-lasting relationships weigh more.
The entire team hiring process is the company’s responsibility. By contrast, when a freelancer leaves, it’s the client who has to search for a replacement. Even when a new developer is found, they need to learn the specifics of the project. That takes valuable time and slows down the overall process.
To hire dedicated developers when some members of the team leave is easy. Those who have already worked on the project are restored to their positions. They have the knowledge of the requried technologies and workflows. It means that the project can get up and running without delay.
Hopefully, we’ve convinced you that hiring dedicated developers pays off more than working with freelancers at the end of the day. If so, your next question is probably “How do I go about finding the best dedicated team for my project?”
We’ll be honest. This is not something you can do overnight. It requires quite a bit of preparation and research on your part. To help you get started, we’ve put together a detailed plan to guide you through this important process, every step of the way.
There are a few preliminary steps you need to take before you actually begin the quest for that stellar dedicated development team. Going through them will help you be better prepared for what comes next.
Sit down and ask yourself, “Why do I want to create this website? What is its purpose? Is it to generate leads and convert them into customers?” Or, perhaps, you want to have a blog to inform the global audience about your eco initiatives? Who are the people you want to visit the site?
Write down your answers to these questions. The dedicated development team will use them as the basis for building the website.
The next important step is to make a list of specific programming languages and technologies for your website. For example, if you need to frequently add content to your blog, going for a robust content management system like WordPress with PHP as the back-end language is your best bet.
Want to sell something online and need an interactive and highly engaging user interface with exciting animations? Then you might consider cutting-edge JavaScript frameworks such as Vue or React. Which technologies you opt for determines what dedicated team you should hire.
Again, let’s not conceal the truth. Developing a website can be quite pricey, depending on what features you need according to your business requirements.
Do you need multi-language support to reach out to the global market? AI-powered search? Product customizer? Integration with external services like payment gateways? All those functions can bring the website’s price tag up to the sky.
But it’s not only about design and coding. Factor in hosting and infrastructure expenses as well (e.g, AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure). You should also consider what happens after your site goes live. How are you going to maintain and update it? Will you need to hire a team of developers to help you with these tasks?
You can get starting on choosing the best dedicated development team for your project. Just as is the case with remodeling contractors, for instance, you need to search for companies with a good reputation among clients.
Where to look? Well, there are multiple ways:
Pay attention to the companies that possess the expertise you’ve outlined before.
It’s time to dive a bit deeper into the expertise and experience of each dedicated team on your initial list. To this end, there’s probably nothing more illustrative than their past projects and clients’ feedback.
Go to every company’s website and explore the featured websites and apps they’ve developed so far. Did they use the same technologies you’re going to use? Did they create a website or app for your industry?
In addition to the companies’ portfolios, search for client reviews with the evaluation of their services on platforms like Clutch or GoodFirms. Check what the company’s overall rating is based on the number of reviews. Note that a team may have a 5.0 rating with only a couple reviews.
You can also contact the clients who left the reviews and interview them in person if they’re willing to talk. Getting insights “from the horse’s mouth” is definitely the best way to form an opinion about a specific dedicated development team.
After gathering all the information, strike out the companies that don’t match your requirements from the extended list. You’re now ready for introductory handshakes.
Contact the shortlisted candidates and have a closer look at their expertise, development approaches, and business processes. Use any available method of communication: email, phone, contact form on their website, or even social media like Facebook.
Make sure to have a brief outline of the project on hand. It should feature the details you considered when you were getting ready for the search, including the project goals, tech stack, approximate budget, and timeline.
Be specific and clear. Closing your message, ask the provider if they’re willing to take on your project.
Once a team has answered you and expressed their interest in collaborating on the project, follow up by asking them to provide a quote and a proposal. This time you need to give them more information to digest.
Create an exhaustive brief. It should include the features you want on your website (e.g., custom shopping cart functionality, live chat, etc.), your preferred visual style, your budget expectations, the timeline divided into milestones, and more.
For tips on how to create a development project brief, visit this page.
Explore the quotes and proposals the development companies have sent you. Go slowly. Every detail can be important. Do they have the right expertise? How quickly can they start? Have they broken down the cost of the entire project into prices for each specific piece of work? What is their turnaround time?
When you turn to technical support for assistance, you expect immediate reaction, right? The same should be the case with development companies. The faster they respond to your messages and the more information they’re willing to share with you, the more professional and reliable they appear.
Whenever you contact a provider, note down the time you sent a message to them and the time you’ve received a reply. Also, take notice how polite and empathetic they are.
Create a comparison table. Fill it with the information you’ve obtained from various providers and the notes you’ve made about their responsiveness and communication style. Based on this data, cut down the candidate list further.
Fast response times and clear cost breakdowns are all well and good. But what truly matters is the technical side. Does a dedicated development team have what it takes to build a website that meets all your specifications and wows your visitors? It’s time to find out.
There are several telltale signs that you’re dealing with a reliable provider. First off, learn how many years they’ve been in the industry. A long time likely means the company boasts a high satisfaction rate among their clientele.
Also, ask them what kinds of projects they’re capable of doing. Landing pages or small websites only? High-load solutions with elaborate functionality? Does that align with your project scope and complexity?
And, of course, find out if the team has professionals well-versed in the technologies you’ve defined for your project. Look for specialists with years of experience in a particular programming language or framework that you’ve selected such as React. That guarantees the higher quality of the end result. As they say, “Jack of all trades, master of none.“
While technical expertise of separate team members is certainly top priority, how well their collective work is organized can significantly impact the quality of the end product.
Find out about their project management methods and tools. What software do they use to track project progress and manage tasks? Trello, Slack, Jira? Are they willing to adapt to your preferred management tool?
What development methodologies do they use? Scrum? Kanban? Does your in-house team work by adhering to the same principles as the dedicated team you’re considering?
The team’s approach to evaluating code quality and testing projects matters a lot, too. Are frequent code reviews a part of their working routine? Do they have automated testing experts on board? The more attention and effort the team invests into quality assurance, the more reliable product you get.
Developing a project assumes the active participation of the client, that is you. You need to keep track of what the dedicated development team is doing throughout the duration of the project. If you don’t, you might be unpleasantly surprised when the work is finished. So, what exactly should you do?
Ask the team “How do I stay in the loop? By phone? By email? Through messaging software like Slack? What management tools can I use to find out about the project status? Jira? Trello?”
It’s always a good idea to break a big project into smaller, easy-to-track pieces with definite deadlines and deliverables like finished web pages or specific features. Talk to the team about it, listen to their suggestions, and see if their plan fits your schedule.
Again, knowing what’s happening on your project right now is not something that’s nice to do—it’s a must if you’re concerned about the quality of your website or app. How can you get involved? Just a few examples:
Get this straight with the dedicated team. Also let them know how you’re going to provide feedback. Most likely, your dedicated project manager will serve as your main point of contact and act as a go-between for you and the developers.
You can speak to the PM on the phone or via video conference, exchange emails, or text in messengers like Skype or Slack.
Enjoy the present, but think about the future. The Internet is a dangerous environment full of cyber threats, server outages, and data breaches. When your website goes live, you should always be on guard, ensuring it regularly gets new security updates and runs smoothly without downtimes.
Providing this level of security and performance on your own without a relevant background can be challenging. That’s why you need the services of a dedicated development team even after your current and prospective customers have started seeing your website in their browser.
The best approach is to talk over the terms and conditions of the post-launch support of your site or app with the team when you’re still selecting the best provider.
Find out what kinds of issues the team handles. What’s their normal response time? Can you submit as many support tickets as you require? How long can they provide support, and how much will it cost?
Every business evolves over time, and we’re sure yours will too. Then, you might discover that the current features on your website are no longer able to satisfy your business needs. You will need new, more advanced functionality to handle the growing number of visits and requests.
Again, we recommend discussing your website’s future upgrades with the dedicated development team well in advance. Ask them about the types of updates they provide. What does it cost? How fast can they modify the existing features or add new ones?
Wrapping up our guide on choosing a dedicated development team for your project, we can’t stress enough the great importance of preparation.
By having a clear understanding of the website’s purpose and your business goals, selecting the most appropriate tech stack to meet your project requirements, and thoroughly researching companies’ portfolios and client reviews, you have a higher chance of finding the perfect match.
While freelancers cost less on paper, you may end up paying more due to the many drawbacks of this model, such as insecurity, lack of commitment, inadequate development software, insufficient communication, and no legal responsibility.
The dedicated team model has all that freelancing lacks. You get full attention to your project, frequent and transparent communication via several channels, the ability to track the development process in real time, full control over the staffing process, easy scalability, all-around expertise gathered in one location, after-release support and maintenance, and other benefits.
When you hire dedicated developers organized as a team, you enhance your brand’s image. You can proudly say that your high-quality, well-tested web app or site has been created by top-notch professionals like the GetDevDone team.
For 15 years, hundreds of our pros have worked for thousands of clients on thousands of projects. Hire a dedicated development team and save from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars annually.
Over the years, the QA process at our company has been polished to perfection. That allows us to deliver only high-quality web pages and websites regardless of the technology they are based on. If you're curious about what happens under our QA hood, read this interview with one of our leading Quality Assurance experts.
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