“Ruby on Rails web development outsourcing – it’s the best “friend” of any e-business” by Selleo

For a moment, let’s imagine you are an entrepreneur or enterprise intrapreneur who need to develop infrastructure for web-enabled processes or business venture. As usual, you have a certain plan and certain… budget to realize your plan, to bring your project to life.

A certain plain includes certain requirements for your web application, like in order to be competitive you had chosen Ruby on Rails which is able to deliver working web application fast(so you can be present at the market before your competitors or start to compete with them earlier) with all latest additions and web development trends (so you can offer better user experience and features for your customers, using your Ruby on Rails application).

So, your new e-business or e-commerce system has to be Web 2.0 and Ruby on Rails will deliver it. But what about that second part, the budget? Isn’t being on regular basis with latest Web 2.0 achievements bringing costs wise problems to a business which most probably doesn’t have any current revenues to cover it, even partially?

The answer is : yes – whether you choose best tool for the job like Ruby on Rails or other solutions like Python’s Django, PHP Cake or Symphony, etc you need focus on using your tool the right way, getting the best bang for a buck and this, in most cases means: outsourcing your Ruby on Rails development.

Outsourcing your Ruby on Rails development has many advantages that can’t be ignored. If you outsource, you instantly save money on many expenses involved with advertising, interviewing and accustoming your new employee (this means often new equipment).

Of course, looking for a developer or group of developers to outsource work on your Ruby on Rails web application can be measured in cost but that cost is significantly lower that the cost to hire a Ruby on Rails developer on site, full-time.

Your best choice as an entrepreneur or enterprise intrapreneur is to look for a near-shore web developer that will be able to meet you online on regular basis at your normal work hours, also near-shore option makes eventual development possible. So if you’re citizen of some Western Europe country like Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany, etc. or you’re from U.S.A or Canada then you should look for outsource Ruby on Rails partners in some Eastern Europe countries like Poland.

Without too much hassle you have a great chance to find a Ruby on Rails team with rich experience with developing RoR projects and applying Agile Development which will design, develop, maintain and even give you tips on seo and marketing you custom web project, at affordable price (which may be even 30-40% cheaper than hiring a Ruby on Rails developer team in-shore).

While choosing your Ruby on Rails outsourcing partners, consider these details and factors:

  1. Amount of developers working in the particular company. Your best bet is to outsource to a development team that has around ten people competent in variety of IT areas, because of better, more warm and personalized relations that can be build with a firm that is not being devoured by corporation rules and procedures and is flexible enough when it comes to developer manpower and experience (because different people have different experiences and when the team/firm you’re outsourcing to is just two Ruby on Rails developers… then you get the idea)
  2. Visibility in the Internet. Try to confirm that Ruby on Rails developers listed on a website of the firm you want to outsource to are real people, that have some achievements, live well in the Ruby community, engage in different Ruby and Ruby on Rails projects, etc. You’re hiring coders, not anonymous people after all.
  3. There are various sites where you can look for outsource partners that will design and develop your Ruby on Rails project, sites like workingwithrails.com or railsdevelopment.com. Such sites often include different sorts of rankings and testimonials database. There is no better way to check which outsourcing company is best than to hear about it from happy clients.
  4. Check your to-be-partner website for portfolio and business processes. If a particular group of Ruby on Rails developers have experience with custom software that shares similarities to Ruby on Rails project you want to develop, then they are worth considering, especially if their website include clean business process analysis.

    5. Armed with the knowledge above you may bring your start-up idea to reality at lower cost thanks to outsourcing, which, just at the beginning gives you better chance on the market, since money saved on initial Ruby on Rails development may be spend on marketing or extra features for your e-business / e-commerce system users.