Detailed design docs, GUI prototypes, communitation are all very important.
However, check the quality of the company.
1.) Look for a company that is owned by an Indian who lives in the US. This will save you a lot of problems as a company owned by an Indian-American is more likely to have already addressed many of the cultural, not to mention technical, issues. Plus you want an Indian-American owner because they can better explain to you what to expect from the Indian business culture, some of which is actually better once you know what to ask for.
This is important because you don't want to spend your time and money teaching another company how business in done in America.
2.) Ask the company to provide you a written list of what documents and work products you can expect from them. This will cost you, but it will save you lots in the long-run. Every company claims to have process, but if you hold them to delivering an SRS document (etc.) before coding then you will quickly get a real feel for whether or not they use a formal development process.
3.) Ask about their facilities.
Find out if they own or rent the building. Companies that own have better financial backing and are more stable (usually).
Also, are they connected with a local University (this can save you lots of money and time for mundane programming tasks!). Affiliated companies can also hire more quickly should your requirements rapidly change. Also, they'll be more flexible with regards to a sudden and short-term need for additional staff.
Also ask about their Internet connection if you will be transfering large files. Everyone will tell you they have broadband, but you should test this by sending several large files (40MB) over a period of several days. Also, put instructions for downloading the second day's file in the first.
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And Finally:
All in all, I would highly recommend checking out the company and not just they technical capabilities.
Also, don't listen to all the negative people who say that Indian programmers are not good. If they are not good, then how did they develop a multi-billion dollar software export industry (which happens to be the world's largest supplier of software services to the good 'ol US of A).
As an owner of a trans-atlantic software development firm, I wish you the best of luck. Plus, on the off chance that you get a lemon with your first attempt at hiring offshore, don't give up, just analyze what caused the problems and fix them.
Thanks,
Akbar
President, COO
America Technologica, Inc.
Slashdot Mirror
Detailed design docs, GUI prototypes, communitation are all very important.
However, check the quality of the company.
1.) Look for a company that is owned by an Indian who lives in the US. This will save you a lot of problems as a company owned by an Indian-American is more likely to have already addressed many of the cultural, not to mention technical, issues. Plus you want an Indian-American owner because they can better explain to you what to expect from the Indian business culture, some of which is actually better once you know what to ask for.
This is important because you don't want to spend your time and money teaching another company how business in done in America.
2.) Ask the company to provide you a written list of what documents and work products you can expect from them. This will cost you, but it will save you lots in the long-run. Every company claims to have process, but if you hold them to delivering an SRS document (etc.) before coding then you will quickly get a real feel for whether or not they use a formal development process.
3.) Ask about their facilities.
Find out if they own or rent the building. Companies that own have better financial backing and are more stable (usually).
Also, are they connected with a local University (this can save you lots of money and time for mundane programming tasks!). Affiliated companies can also hire more quickly should your requirements rapidly change. Also, they'll be more flexible with regards to a sudden and short-term need for additional staff.
Also ask about their Internet connection if you will be transfering large files. Everyone will tell you they have broadband, but you should test this by sending several large files (40MB) over a period of several days. Also, put instructions for downloading the second day's file in the first.
---
And Finally:
All in all, I would highly recommend checking out the company and not just they technical capabilities.
Also, don't listen to all the negative people who say that Indian programmers are not good. If they are not good, then how did they develop a multi-billion dollar software export industry (which happens to be the world's largest supplier of software services to the good 'ol US of A).
As an owner of a trans-atlantic software development firm, I wish you the best of luck. Plus, on the off chance that you get a lemon with your first attempt at hiring offshore, don't give up, just analyze what caused the problems and fix them.
Thanks,
Akbar
President, COO
America Technologica, Inc.