Outsourced Development
Outsourced development is a business practice where an organization contracts external third-party vendors or teams to handle software development tasks, projects, or entire product lifecycles. It involves delegating technical work to specialized external providers, often to reduce costs, access niche expertise, or scale resources flexibly. This approach can range from hiring individual freelancers to partnering with large offshore development firms for long-term projects.
Developers should understand outsourced development when working in distributed teams, managing vendor relationships, or considering career opportunities in consulting or agency roles. It's particularly relevant for companies looking to accelerate product development without expanding in-house teams, access global talent pools, or handle specialized technical needs like legacy system maintenance or rapid prototyping. Knowledge of this methodology helps in navigating cross-cultural collaboration, contract management, and quality assurance in external partnerships.