If you run a product development team, you understand that there are a lot of activities, core or otherwise, that need to be undertaken for a project to be successful. This is why in most cases, it is not feasible for an in-house team to carry out all the required tasks independently. Even the most qualified teams need a little help to increase their efficiency and improve the overall quality of their output. It is therefore imperative to have extra hands (that you can hire on demand) to handle the excess workload so that your team’s priorities are not conflicting. Many successful projects in the past have depended on the input of freelancers to get their products up and running in record time, and so can yours.

In this blog we’ll show you how you and your team can benefit from a professional relationship with contractors to give your projects that extra boost.

1. It’s easy to start and scale up with contractors

If you haven’t had any experience with contractors before, it’s better to begin with smaller projects and build up as you move forward. Start with a project that can be split into clear deliverables, so your new hire can handle them with ease. Alternatively, instead of outsourcing an entire project, you can identify areas that you require additional expertise and hire talent for those areas exclusively.

Although contractors are a powerhouse of experience and have minimal downtime, they’re used to working with a wide range of clients with expectations that may differ from yours, so it’s better to have them start small and expand their range as they go on.

After you’ve gained enough experience working on smaller projects with a solo freelancer, you can be confident enough to assemble a whole development team. You can then entrust them with more layered and complex work that may require more understanding of your company, your goals and your target market.

2. Streamlined workflows

As you may be well aware, product development is a long and tedious process, from the initial design to completion. It consists of intricate loops of intertwining tasks that may cause deadlocks or bottlenecks if not properly planned or implemented, an occurrence that is common within the confines of the traditional workplace. Contractors on the other hand, are used to working with few distractions and clear set guidelines so you can rest assured that your project will be on schedule and follow the timelines you have set. You and your team will enjoy faster-paced workflows without worrying about a decrease in efficiency.

3. Contract customization

In addition to scaling the size of your freelance workforce, you can also fine-tune their contracts to meet the needs of your product and the rest of your development team. Instead of burdening your engineers with tasks that are not critical to your product development process, it’s advisable to seek the input of a contractor. Or, if your team is lacking in certain fields, instead of burdening them with having to learn new skills (which will lengthen your project), bring in an expert contractor to pick up the slack. 

For instance, you can hire a writer for your consumer-facing content as a one-time gig or have them create content regularly if need be, same as for other technical hires like quality testers and developers. Or, if you lack an in-house product development team, you can build one entirely from contractors. This points to the flexibility of freelancers and the accessibility of their skills, and shows how they can help you control the capacity of their input to your work.

Regardless of the stage of development you’re in or the field of work you’re involved in, you can hire contractors on-demand to give you that push to cross your product to the finish line.

4. Increased innovation and improved design

Since contractors pride themselves in going against the grain and always being on the hunt for better, smarter ways to solve problems, they always have a lot more to offer than your standard employee. Because the freelance market is chock-full of competition, contractors have to be innovative to be able to stand out from their peers and attract new business. So when you bring them on as a part of your design team, you open your product and operations up to improved performance. 

Throughout your project cycle, your contractor can give you ideas on how to improve your product to better meet the current market standards since they’ve had experience working on similar projects in the past. In the long run, contractors have a positive effect on your in-house team as well, since they’ll benefit from a fresh perspective and newer, more agile ways of going about their tasks.

5. Development contractors are tried-and-tested 

If you’re having second thoughts about bringing on a contractor to your project, here’s why you shouldn’t: A 2020 survey showed that over 70% of businesses owners working with freelance developers had a pleasant experience with them. Many of the respondents cited the economical nature of the freelance market, increased flexibility and improved output as their main reasons for choosing contractors over regular employees. Only 7% reported that they had a bad experience, most likely because they didn’t know how to incorporate independent contractors into their workflows. The numbers don’t lie- businesses that have partnered with contractors enjoy overwhelmed success, and you could too.

And since freelancers work from gig to gig, they’re dedicated to the work they do because they’d like to be rehired, so you’re guaranteed that producing quality output is their priority.

The Takeaway

The success of any project is heavily dependent on the team that works on it. Even if your team may be highly qualified, some instances call for additional help from freelancers from varied backgrounds. If you decide to enlist the help of a contractor, it’s advisable to start small and build momentum for the best results. But most importantly, you must be sure that you source your freelance hires from reputable and trusted marketplaces like Ureed.com, where freelancers abound and are vetted.

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