In this article I would like to outline different sides of working with separate freelancer and а team. What way to select for your business depends not only on your budget but also on the quality you would like to receive. Let’s investigate it together!
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Sooner or later, a lot of entrepreneurs and successful businessman think of new changes that should be embedded in the development process of their projects. It is called “turning points” and one of them is running the project with one person, believe me - it can be rather difficult.
The first reason is increasing the number of new tasks and features needed in the project and the second one is simply the anxiety of failure. Here life gives us a choice: to continue working with one person or to start cooperating with a fitting company.
Each approach has its best sides and some drawbacks, which I would like to single out with you, and make some conclusions on the issue. Before deciding and even taking into consideration all pluses and minuses of your final selection — who should run the project, an independent freelancer or fully-equipped team/company, I am going to tell you a simple story from my life. It’s pretty typical for me and for all girls.
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Every business needs its developers
Once upon a time, when I had a prom, as all girls from the university were worrying about where to find appropriate and outstanding dress as well as how to make beautiful make-up and hair style. My group-mate and I decided on trying two ways: independent make-up artist and beauty salon. I chose a beauty salon and Kate found one specialist to do all that stuff. I did not know what to do as one person can make all this stuff with a lower price or a salon, specialising on make-up and hair.
Thanks to my mum, I have chosen two experts from beauty salon with higher rates but with expected result at the end but Kate chose one person who had been responsible for all. I noticed that she was not satisfied with her make-up and hair but there were no way out at that moment. So, I was sorry for her. It was a good example. I am not sure, whether one person can be “a Jack of all trades”.
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In the same way, you have a chance to choose between an independent freelancer and full company to accomplish the project. What would you do? Most agree that a term “freelancer” denotes a person who works independently for different companies and has a stereotype of being less expensive.
While software “company” consists of human beings such as: developers, QA engineers, designers, client partners, project managers etc. An independent freelancer in order to complete a project successfully must combine all these features and what is moreover use modern devices to test a program or application.
Unless such a specialist use some mobile application development tools without coding. Due to our experience, there are some thoughts I would like to share with you.
Reasons to hire a freelancer
While working with clients around the world, some of them are looking strictly for separate freelancers and no teams/companies. Others prefer fully-equipped company. Frankly speaking, the first obvious reason to work with freelancers is lower prices.
At a most basic level, no one wants to pay through the nose, so it does tempt. I believe, every customer should know when it’s better to work with a team and in what cases you should choose a separate freelancer. First of all, everything depends on the complexity of your project.
If it is rather simple, like updating some features/design or fixing a few bugs, meaning making mere changes, then it is really good idea to work with freelancer from online platforms such as: Elance, Upwork, Freelancer.com etc. In its majority, the approach means mobile application development without coding. It will definitely save your time and money.
In other cases, choosing the right provider for your new and complex project will lead you to success. From my personal experience, it is very comfortable to work with a team, where someone can help you solve some issues in your project rather than working alone waiting for the last days of your deadline. Asking for help in your team-leader or PM is always an advantageous position.
This is probably the best approach for mobile application development. A freelancer can be deprived of such an opportunity.
I remember one case, when a project was on the verge of collapse and the developer was very upset because he was unable to fix the bug. Our team-leader successfully helped him and together they succeeded. I mean that when you have no chance to get a friendly help from your team-members and nothing encourages you, then it can be incredibly difficult to happily complete the project.
That’s why, now my friend belongs to our Indeema team and is happy to be a part of fast-growing company.
Reasons to work with a development company
The most important thing in being part of a team is personal development as you can learn new technologies faster and easier. As we know, everyone is an individual. In this context, this explains that almost everyone in the team has his standpoint on a thing or problem. Working in a team, you will acquire new knowledge and experience. When you work by yourself, as a freelancer, all responsibility lies on you and just on you. It goes without saying that your earnings can be higher sometimes as you do not share it with anyone but if you can not complete a project, your reputation automatically falls into disrepute and it’s restoring can take a lot of time. It means that your team-members will definitely come to help fix something as a company values its reputation and friendship between its members.
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When time comes to the new project, we understand that as in a given case, one person can not do all work that is connected with management, developing, designing and testing as well as taking into account the positive communication with the client that is of vital importance.
This is typical for the end to end mobile application development. This is due to the fact that there is no universal man who would do well all the stuff. It just can not be combined in one person. Therefore, a more or less serious projects are realized in the company. A group work delivers better understanding how to create mobile application development successfully.
Sure, there are some cases when it can be really difficult to work with someone. It often happens that team-members who were originally collected just can not come to an understanding. Successfully delivered project directly depends on human factor.
If you feel difficulty with communication and collective cooperation than it’s better trying to work on your own. In most cases, customers tend to work with the company and it is clear why. There is a strong guarantee that a development team will not disappear without a trace in any moment even if they face difficulties, the team will share it with the client.
Together they are likely to find a proper solution. As for freelancers, I notice really sad statistics when they give up a project without telling it to the customer while facing some difficulties. Often, it concerns their inability to figure out how to sell the mobile application development service in a proper way.
From our experience, I see that most of our clients choose fully-equipped team trusting and valuing the guarantee that we will finish the project successfully. Teamwork is an exciting step to the personal development. I believe most of us will always have a chance to work from home, sitting at the computer and sipping hot coffee.
However, such a practice can barely provide a necessary experience how to manage mobile application development all-in-all. Anyway, finding appropriate company and a really fitting team will take more time but the result will definitely meet your expectations. Summarizing all the above, when someone asks me to answer the question: what way you should choose, a freelance or teamwork, I strongly recommend to be a member of a team as there are more advantages.
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