Since Scala’s popularity has increased five times since 2006, Scala engineers and Scala development companies are on the rise today. Businesses leverages this technology to develop high-load systems, complex enterprise apps, IoT solutions, games, to name but a few.
Companies that plan to outsource Scala development often wonder how to choose the most effective and cost-efficient cooperation model. Scala development companies that have been providing Scala development services for a variety of companies across diverse industries have already developed a number of cooperation models. But you should choose the one that suits your needs the most and can ensure a successful delivery of your Scala-based solution. Let’s discover what cooperation model can bring value to your Scala project.
Cooperation models Scala Development Companies Offer
If you’re thinking about hiring offshore Scala developers, there are several cooperation models you may choose from. The most popular ones are Dedicated Development Team, Fixed Price, and Time & Material.
Fixed price contracts work best for small and medium Scala projects with clearly defined requirements. This type of cooperation allows you to share a lot of risks with your Scala outsourcing provider, but it will be reflected in the project cost. Moreover, Scala projects are usually complex and require regular update of the requirements. So this model is not the best choice if you need flexibility.
As for the T&M model, it is usually used when a client needs a Scala engineer on a temporary basis on a project. In this case, Scala developers work as an extension of the in-house team of the client. This kind of cooperation is normally established when the company needs to build some new functionality or develop new components of the existing software.
There are very few Scala projects that work according to this model because the hourly rates of Scala developers are much higher than the cost of a full time Scala employee. Therefore, if you need a Scala engineer fully involved in product development for the whole duration of the project, T&M is not the best option. The overall cost could go beyond the allocated budget.
A dedicated development team model is the best choice for long-term Scala projects with evolving requirements. Whether you need to develop a product from scratch or expand your Scala software development capabilities, a dedicated team is the most cost-efficient model. It helps to achieve the most tangible results when outsourcing Scala development thanks to high flexibility and control over the development process.
Why does a dedicated development team model work for Scala outsourcing projects?
Cost-efficiency
The global IT market is short of skilled Scala developers and hence, their services are not cheap. Businesses look for offshore Scala development companies that can provide quality services at reasonable rates.
As of today, there are about 70,000 job openings for Scala developers worldwide on Linkedin. And the majority of them are jobs for entry level specialists. Middle and senior Scala developers, by contrast, are scarce and thefore expensive.
A dedicated development team model offers budget transparency and enables you to take control of your costs. It is a common fact, that the average Scala developer’s salary in Eastern Europe is much lower than in countries such as the UK, the USA, Switzerland, etc. Moreover, Scala development companies that work under the dedicated development team model offer more predictable budget. It allows you to plan your expenses accordingly and also save considerable costs associated with onboarding and training Scala engineers.
Сontrol over product development
In fixed price Scala projects, a client has little control over the software development process. If the requirements change, you have to go through a complicated change request process. In contrast, a dedicated development team model is highly flexible in this regard. A Scala outsourcing company sets up a team of Scala engineers entirely focused on your project. As a client, you may either take part in team management or delegate it to your Scala development service provider. But you have full control over product development. Also, the outsourced Scala team is integrated with your in-house team and dedicated to the success of your product.
Ease of scalability
A dedicated development team offers the possibilities to scale the team within the most reasonable time frame. Since Scala is not so common as some other technologies, finding IT specialists for a Scala project usually takes up to 3 months. Plus, there are clearly defined time periods in a contract within which a vendor commits to scale a team with a certain number of specialists. This allows you to plan for growth.
Most of our clients who opt for a dedicated development team model choose to outsource the development of a whole project. And we provide all the necessary specialists for it – QAs, PMs, front-end and back-end specialists, UX and UI designers, etc. For instance, you might have the following team composition on a mobile project with Scala back-end:
- Scrum Master
- iOS Intermediate
- Android Intermediate
- Scala Senior
- Scala Intermediate
- Front-end Intermediate
- QA Intermediate
- DevOps Senior
- UI Designer Junior
Faster time-to-market
Thanks to the lean approach to software development and efficient development practices in place, a dedicated development team model is the most effective for Scala outsourcing projects.
It is a common practice to have a team lead in the offshore dedicated development team who will take over the team management locally contributing to the overall success of the product. There are also many cases when clients focus more on the business area of the product development and delegate software development entirely to the outsourcing vendor. A Scala development company that has a large portfolio of Scala projects can provide consulting on certain technology-related decisions and business development of the product.
Wrap-up
Working with offshore Scala development companies is a great option when you need to cut costs and your local talent pool is limited. If you are embarking on a new Scala outsourcing project, you could look for Scala developers in Eastern Europe, which is geographically and culturally close to the Western countries.
There are many software development companies that provide quality Scala development services. They can offer you different models of cooperation, but you should choose the one that best meets the needs of your business. Should you need any help with building a strong Scala development team, please contact our specialists.
