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About 90% of my direct experience with offshore developers (most of whom have been in India) has been bad. (Not all of it has been bad: I've known a few good on

About 90% of my direct experience with offshore developers (most of whom have been in India) has been bad. (Not all of it has been bad: I've known a few good ones from India and Uruguay, but they were the exception rather than rule.) I chalk this up to several factors. One, most so-called developers are bad, period, regardless of nationality. Second, in the low-cost developing nations that folks most associate with offshore development (India, the poster boy) the average years of experience is much lower. Third, there's the language, cultural and distance obstacles. And fourth, and possibly not least important factor: low prices mess up the quality-is-price signaling mechanism. Is a particular offshore developer seeking a low hourly rate purely due to geographical/economic effects? Or is it due to them being lower skilled or having less experience, or needing to take more hours or developers to do the same task? Perhaps it is a mix of these factors.

mseebach 16y ago
> One, most so-called developers are bad, period, regardless of nationality. True, unfortunately. > Second, (...) the average years of experience is much lower. That's easily addressable. Make your requirements clear. My outsourcer asks me what profile I want for every new hire on my team, advertises, interviews and tests, and gives me one or two resumes. I've been satisfied so far, but if I'd come back and said some guy isn't good enough, he would be replaced. > Third, there's the language, cultural and distance obstacles Language, again, is easy: no English, no hire. Cultural is the fun part, but that might just be me. Distance is workable. The US has South America, Europe has Eastern Europe and Near East. Africa should also be moving, but haven't had a chance to try working with anyone from there. > And fourth, and possibly not least important factor: low prices mess up the quality-is-price signaling mechanism. References can typically help here, but be prepared to build a relationship with a provider. You might get burned, but once you've got a mutually beneficial relationship, this goes away.

mseebach 16y ago

> One, most so-called developers are bad, period, regardless of nationality. True, unfortunately. > Second, (...) the average years of experience is much lower. That's easily addressable. Make your requirements clear. My outsourcer asks me what profile I want for every new hire on my team, advertises, interviews and tests, and gives me one or two resumes. I've been satisfied so far, but if I'd come back and said some guy isn't good enough, he would be replaced. > Third, there's the language, cultural and distance obstacles Language, again, is easy: no English, no hire. Cultural is the fun part, but that might just be me. Distance is workable. The US has South America, Europe has Eastern Europe and Near East. Africa should also be moving, but haven't had a chance to try working with anyone from there. > And fourth, and possibly not least important factor: low prices mess up the quality-is-price signaling mechanism. References can typically help here, but be prepared to build a relationship with a provider. You might get burned, but once you've got a mutually beneficial relationship, this goes away.