One of the main advantages of IT outsourcing (that is constantly growing in Poland and around the world), is the reduction of project implementation costs. However, as we read in the ABSL report “Sector of modern business services in Poland 2020”, the price is no longer the main factor when choosing a service provider. Clients more and more often take into account the quality of the services provided. And the quality consists of many factors. It is also determined by whether you are dealing with a large, foreign corporation or a small software development company.
Size and scope of specialization
ABSL experts emphasize in the report that companies are increasingly failing to provide themselves with IT know-how and resources needed to implement their strategies and business plans. This may be due to the increasing and narrowing specialization in the field of services provided by them, which in the IT area translates into a narrowing of the range of technologies and hinders the recruitment process of programmers, analysts, etc.
For this reason, more and more companies reach for IT support from highly specialized suppliers and partners who employ experts with deep knowledge in a given area and have completed a number of similar projects. This makes the IT world specialize in a natural way, thanks to which customers can count on know-how in a given area, and software development companies and IT service providers in general are able to build a competitive advantage in a given area.
In the context of the size of the company, it should be emphasized that often small software development companies are able to specialize much more in a given, narrow field than large corporations. The decisive factor is the size of the projects – small IT companies can afford to implement small, highly specialized projects (for example in the area of med-tech), which are not always interesting from the point of view of large corporations for business reasons.
So depending on how specialized your IT project is, it is worth considering finding an IT provider focused so far on closely related projects. Thanks to this, you will be able to count on the higher quality of the services provided.
Size and quality of communication
Another factor determining the quality of cooperation with an IT service provider is the course of communication between the client and the software development company. Due to the less developed corporate structure, smaller companies ensure a much faster course of decision-making processes and more efficient communication.
Therefore, if you implement a small IT project, you should consider a technological partner in the form of a small software house. It will be much better able to adapt to the dynamics of your project and respond to any changes that are inevitable.
Size and cost of cooperation
Contrary to appearances, the cost of cooperation with large IT suppliers is not lower than in the case of small companies. It is often exactly the opposite – large corporations have to compensate for the cost of maintaining a well-developed corporate structure, which, however, guarantees the stability of implemented projects.
Size and the duration of the project
Small, narrowly specialized IT companies also perfectly know their market niche in terms of recruiting specialists for the project – so they will be able to provide the people needed to implement a specific project faster than a large supplier, which largely relies on standardized solutions.
On the other hand, if your IT project is based on currently popular technologies, you should consider working with a large IT provider. They often have the so-called “bench” with programmers available immediately, so that they do not have to waste time recruiting the right people for a specific task.
Some software development sompanies come together to create a “bench” with programmers not currently working on any project, ready to accept new tasks. This is one of the ways in which small IT providers build their competitive advantage over large IT corporations – they ensure quick availability of not only highly specialized programmers, but also those working in popular technologies, leaving the cost of cooperation low.
An example of a consortium whose operating principle is based on this mechanism is the recently established Polandevs. Read more at www.polandevs.com.
So when you should chose the corporation and when a small supplier?
If you plan to implement a small IT project, it is definitely a better idea to choose a small, flexible IT service provider. The same applies to highly specialized projects – regardless of their size.
Large corporations, on the other hand, will generally be able to provide programmers working in popular technologies faster – if this suits your IT project assumptions and you care about time, consider working with them.