Most companies use outsourcing for one thing or the other. Outsourcing work to an offshore company is many times called as offshoring. It is a big trend for companies based in the US/ Europe to do outsourcing of software development to companies in India. While many other activities can be offshored, Acism's expertise and experience lies in the arena of software development, and that's what this guide will cover.

Companies go for outsourcing for the business benefits it offers to them.Outsourcing can be a powerful weapon offering great strategic advantage to a business. If you do not do outsourcing and your competitor does, then you risk being put at a disadvantage. This guide will cover why companies do it, explore whether it's right for you, and give you the background for doing it successfully.

Section I - Motivation

• Benefits of outsourcing – Why to outsource your work to an offshore company?
• Challenges – Is outsourcing right for you?

Section II - Background Information

• SDLC - Software Development Life Cycle
• Chaotic Development – One extreme of software development process
• Waterfall Model – Another extreme of software development process
• Iterative Process – The middle path
• Effort and Scope
• Project estimation – How much will a project cost and how much time would it take

Section III – Recipe for Success is Balancing the Parameters

• Right Process Orientation
• Right Communication
• Right Trust and Right Control

Section IV – Summary

• Summary