A serious lack of permanent software developers available in the Greater Manchester area is serving as a significant setback for businesses looking to explore bespoke software. But rather than resign themselves to tapping into the region’s contractor population; and taking on the challenges that poses; they’re discovering another option.

 

Despite the call for more skilled developers, Greater Manchester – as with many other areas of the UK – finds itself at the mercy of the skills gap. Hiring individuals to join an in-house software development team has become a point of contention for business owners, but with our dependency on technology continuously developing, they’re aware that they must also keep moving forward.

 

The Challenge Behind the Choice

This desperation to keep up, versus finding available resources, has led to many business owners hiring contractors. Most often, these individuals originate from a time of uncertainty around the recession, where internal roles were harder to finance, sparking a freelance renaissance in software and technology – a familiar sight to anybody who has glimpsed at the UK’s construction industry recently.

Although contractors are readily available and seem like the perfect solution, there are several challenges which come hand-in-hand with their hiring. In an effort to regulate the contractor arena, stringent and complex tax rules have been laid down, which employers need to be astutely aware of before hiring on a contract-basis. What’s more, there are shortcomings in client relationships, difficulties in managing teams of contractors, and a potential lack of cohesion when it comes to pulling the project together.

As a result, many business owners find themselves faced with delays, additional costs, management challenges, and even a poor final product. Although not true of all contractors, these pitfalls remain a common complaint amongst larger projects, where a cohesive team is more beneficial than a group of individuals with their own agenda.

 

Securing the Best of Both Worlds

Despite the squeeze felt by the skills gap and the financial challenges of hiring in-house, businesses needn’t choose between one or the other – there is a third option, which sees businesses enjoy the benefits of an in-house team, without hiring one.

As a software development house, Kaleida has had a great deal of experience in this area. Rather than manage the implications of hiring contractors, many of our clients have opted to work directly with a software house for ease and the advantages that come with such a relationship.

No doubt, a business owner who has previously worked with contractors reading this article will wonder what a software development house can do differently – and I’m happy to highlight the difference, based on Kaleida’s own experience.

 

• Getting to Know You: we invest a lot of time in understanding our clients’ businesses and what they are trying to achieve – made possible by the resources at our disposal.

 

• A Continuing Relationship: our team develops long-term relationships with clients. This means we retain knowledge about their business and its successes, allowing us to advise on the best approach moving forward.

 

• High Demand Skills: we have a core team of skilled, reliable developers who deliver robust, scalable code, and who have extensive experience with software in our clients’ industries.

 

• An Agile Approach: using an agile methodology, we can successfully manage development teams to deliver projects efficiently and effectively, so that project budgets and delivery dates are always met.

 

• Simplicity: none of the challenges of hiring contractors exist when working with a software development house – we pay our team, and we’re responsible for ensuring they deliver the best quality of work possible.

 

The consistency and synergy found in a team who work together under a single roof using an agile methodology plays a large role in the success of a software house in Manchester and offers clear advantages to using contractors. Of course, that’s not to say that contractors don’t have a role to play in software development in the region, however for bigger projects, engaging a software development house makes for a simpler, more effective affair. 

So, if you’re wishing to explore the world of bespoke software development to your business’ benefit, be sure to weigh up your options properly: you needn’t narrow your choices down to either hiring in-house or hiring contractors – there’s a third option readily available to make your bespoke software adoption a resounding success.

 

Combining decades of experience with an in-depth understanding of bespoke software and a firm grasp of agile methodology, Kaleida offers its clients a bespoke software experience that guarantees success. To find out more about Kaleida, please feel free to explore our website, or get in touch directly – our team are happy to help with any questions you may have.