When & Where to Hire a Dedicated Developer?
Hiring the right dedicated developers can make or break your software project. This article explores when it makes sense to hire a dedicated developer and where to find the best talent.
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More chaptersDevelopers are the driving force behind any software product. No matter how innovative an idea is, its success ultimately depends on the people who bring it to life. As businesses race to deliver high-quality software faster, having the right development talent is no longer optional but a must to achieve a competitive advantage. This growing demand has led many companies to explore a flexible hiring approach: a dedicated teams model.
Instead of building large in-house teams that require recruitment and management efforts, organizations hire dedicated developers who focus exclusively on their projects to balance between speed, flexibility, expertise, and cost efficiency.
Yet, dedicated teams are not always the ideal solution for every situation. Knowing when this model makes the most sense and where to find reliable developers can determine the success or failure of your app development project. And this is also what this article is about.
Who Are Dedicated Developers?
Dedicated developers are software developers who are solely dedicated to working on a specific project or set of related projects for a company or client. They are typically hired full-time or part-time and are in charge of the entire software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Instead of sitting at the company’s office like an in-house team, dedicated programmers are often remote software developers who work completely remotely.
Dedicated software developers can operate individually or perform as an entire team with full functionality, also known as a dedicated team. This makes businesses more flexible in hiring dedicated developers. A dedicated team might be necessary for larger or more complex software development projects that require a wide range of skills and expertise. On the other hand, a dedicated developer might be more suitable for projects that need consistent support and maintenance for a particular application or software product.
Continuity and consistency are considered to be the most important factors of a dedicated development team model. By working closely with the client to understand their specific requirements and develop customized solutions accordingly, this kind of engagement offers a high level of flexibility and control over the software development process, allowing businesses to make changes or pivot as needed while receiving real-time updates on progress.
For you to better understand the terms of dedicated developers, here are some examples of who they are.
Freelancers (in some cases)
Freelancers are self-employed professionals who are also considered dedicated developers in some cases. Why? A freelancer can be regarded as a dedicated developer only when they work full-time or long-term for a specific project. This type of arrangement is common in the world of freelance development, where a client may have a specific project or need ongoing development work and hires a freelancer to work exclusively on that project.
In this way, the freelancer can be considered dedicated to that particular client or project, even though they are not a full-time employee of the company. Freelancers who work on a long-term basis for a single client can provide many of the same benefits as a dedicated developer, including close collaboration and domain knowledge of the client’s business and technology needs.
Offshore Dedicated Team
An offshore dedicated team is a group of software engineers who work together to provide dedicated software development services to clients from a remote location, usually in a different country. An offshore team typically comprises skilled developers, designers, project managers, quality assurance, testers, and other professionals who work as an extension of the client’s in-house development team. They are usually employed by an offshore web and mobile app development company and work exclusively on a single client’s project or projects. Offshore dedicated teams can offer clients many benefits, including access to specialized knowledge and expertise, cost savings, scalability, and 24/7 development.
Nearshore Dedicated Developers
Nearshore dedicated developers are talented developers who work remotely for clients in a neighboring country or region. Unlike offshore teams, nearshore developers typically work in countries with similar cultures, languages, and time zones, making communication and collaboration easier. Nearshore dedicated developers can work on a variety of software development projects, including web and mobile applications, enterprise custom software, and e-commerce platforms.
When Will You Need to Hire a Dedicated Developer?
You’ve heard of the numerous benefits of hiring dedicated developers team, such as affordable operational costs, flexibility, consistency, stability, etc. Regardless of its pros, you don’t always need such an approach when your business’s in-house software developers are fully capable of meeting all your business needs. In other words, the effectiveness of investing in dedicated app developers is determined by how well the approach matches your project requirements.
Here are some situations where you should think about hiring a dedicated developers team.
When Your Project Requires Long-Term Development
Long-term software development projects require a significant amount of time, resources, and effort to complete. These projects can range from developing a new software application to upgrading an existing system, which typically lasts several months or even years. In this case, hiring a dedicated development team is recommended as they provide the expertise and all the necessary skills required to meet the project’s business requirements.
Unlike regular freelancers who may divide their attention across multiple clients, dedicated developers only focus on developing one project at a time, resulting in higher work efficiency. Dedicated software developers bring a new level of collaboration, focus, and dedication to the project. By working exclusively on a particular project or client, they can consistently deliver high-quality work while ensuring the progress of the project is uninterrupted.
When You Need to Build a Custom Software Solution
Off-the-shelf software does not always align with specific business workflows or long-term goals. Custom software applications in this situation come in as a new alternative, offering users a high level of convenience and customization. However, building complete mobile apps requires more than development costs and technical effort. It involves ongoing collaboration, product understanding, and long-term ownership - factors that are hard to find in task-based hiring models or situations where in-house expertise is lacking.
Things are different when you hire dedicated remote developers. As engineers working as an extension of your business, over time, they develop a close connection with your product: they understand the system architecture, they know what users need, and they anticipate operational challenges. Beyond simply executing isolated tasks, managed teams are able to grow and develop alongside the business. There are no more constraints of rigid contracts or frequent team changes. This continuity is particularly suitable for companies that value long-term partnerships to better deliver tailored solutions.
When Your In-House Team Lacks Domain Expertise
Technology information is a huge field with lots of different programming languages and sub-arrays. What you know today may become outdated tomorrow. It is possible that an in-house development team lacks the necessary knowledge and experience for a given project. However, this is unlikely to happen for dedicated programmers, as this is their specialty, and they come into contact with it every day.
If your business is struggling to fulfill project requirements due to a need for qualified in-house developers, hiring experienced dedicated developers can fill the gap. Dedicated developers have specialized skill sets and experience in working on complex coding problems. They can work collaboratively with your in-house team, providing the expertise and knowledge required to complete the project successfully.
When You Want to Eliminate Developer Hiring Burden
You cannot hire a full-stack developer and expect them to shoulder every stage of the development process. Overloading can cause the existing team to burn out and complete the work behind schedule with poor quality. Software development is a difficult and highly specialized industry. People in marketing executive positions can often take on the role of content writers, but this is not feasible in developer positions. The lack of necessary roles leads to hiring needs. However, recruiting, onboarding, and retaining in-house developers can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
The quickest solution is to hire dedicated developers from outsourcing companies, as this approach alleviates much of the burden associated with recruitment, HR management, and administrative tasks. With a vast global talent pool, businesses can collaborate not only with dedicated web developers and dedicated mobile app developers located within their country, but also with offshore programmers who are remote team from various regions at affordable rates. While English communication is no longer a barrier, differing time zones can often provide the advantage of 24/7 responsiveness.
When Cost Efficiency Is Your Priority
Building and maintaining an in-house development team can be expensive due to recruitment, salaries, benefits, and infrastructure costs. Hiring dedicated engineers, especially from offshore or nearshore regions, helps businesses control expenses while maintaining high development standards.
While initially, it might seem like hiring a dedicated developer is an expensive option, it can actually be an affordable cost in the long run. By signing the contract from the very beginning, the dedicated extended team is committed to the quality of the output products in the shortest time and does not incur any additional costs for customers.
Hiring multiple developers to complete the same project can lead to miscommunications, conflicting viewpoints, and a lack of proper coordination. A dedicated development team, on the other hand, understands your business needs and can deliver results that exceed your expectations, leading to better project outcomes.
When Security and Data Protection Are Critical
Information security is a critical concern for every business. As industry security standards continue to evolve, senior leadership is often responsible for ensuring compliance. However, implementing frequent changes across development teams is not always easy.
In this case, businesses can hire dedicated developers to better ensure security for future products as well as within the company itself. The extended development team specializes in software development, which means that they consider security as a separate aspect and prioritize it. By continually learning and adapting to new security threats, web app developers update their protocols to address them more quickly and effectively than the client’s own team.
Besides, the customer and the third party often sign a type of contract called a non-disclosure agreement when it comes to hire dedicated programmers. In the context of dedicated developers, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) acts as an agreement between a business and an outsourcing company or dedicated web app developers. By signing this contract, the client can rest assured that the outsourced team only accesses and uses confidential technical and business information necessary to complete the project while maintaining its confidentiality.
Where to Hire Dedicated Developers?
There are plenty of ways for you to connect with this dedicated remote developer, whether through friends or professional networks.
Referrals: Referrals are a great source to hire dedicated web developers who have provided quality work to someone you know. If you have a reliable colleague or friend who has worked with a developer who fits your project needs, feel free to ask them for their contact information to discuss the project in more detail.
Freelance Market: As mentioned above, freelancers, in many cases, are also counted as dedicated developers. Remember to take advantage of platforms like Upwork, Toptal, etc., to access the large pool of talented developers worldwide. With publicly available information about domain knowledge, past development projects, and previous clients’ reviews, it’s easier for project managers to meet business needs in the hiring process.
Job Board: By allowing users to create and post job advertisements that cater to the project requirements, you are more proactive in the recruitment process of dedicated programmers, as they are the ones who will come to your business if the need arises. On job boards, you can also monitor the engagement trajectory and directly communicate with developers who have shown interest, saving time in the pre-screening process.
Outsourcing Companies: If you don’t have time for complex hiring of developers and need more time to focus on key tasks that create value for the company, a software development company is the optimal choice for you. These vendors offer bespoke software development solutions, deploying their team of experts by reviewing your project requirements and assigning dedicated developers who have the necessary knowledge and experience in the required technology stack.
It is a big deal when a business intends to hire a dedicated web developer, as they will be directly involved in the output quality of the product. A dedicated development team brings many benefits, but it also brings incalculable negative effects when you choose the wrong one. As an experienced software development company, Orient advises letting this process go as slowly and thoroughly as possible!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the benefits of hiring dedicated developers?
By optimizing the dedicated teams hiring model, businesses, in these cases, clients/customers, gain greater flexibility, control, and long-term efficiency compared to traditional hires or short-term outsourcing models. Specifically, this approach offers benefits including:
- Exclusive focus on your project: Dedicated developers work solely on your product, ensuring consistent attention, faster decision-making, and a deeper understanding of your business goals.
- Greater flexibility and scalability: You can scale the dedicated team up and down flexibly based on your project's changing needs without committing to any long-term engagement.
- Faster onboarding and time-to-market: With an available talent pool, outsourcing vendors help accelerate the employee onboarding process, further speeding up the development and release of products.
- Access to specialized technical expertise: Without investing in training, clients can gain immediate access to top talent with a proven track record and specialized skills.
- Cost efficiency and predictable expenses: Hiring dedicated developers reduces recruitment, infrastructure, and operational costs while offering transparent and predictable pricing.
- Reduced management and hiring burden: The development partner handles recruitment, HR, and administrative tasks while you focus on strategy and growth.
How much does it cost to hire a dedicated developer?
The cost to hire dedicated developers varies depending on their location, experience, and technology stack, ranging from $20 to over $150 per hour. These charges are often billed either on an hourly basis or as a full-time monthly rate, depending on the outsourcing company's service options.
When organized by the location of developers, which includes offshore dedicated developers, nearshore dedicated developers, and onshore dedicated developers, the projected costs will be as follows:
| Hiring Region | Typical Hourly Rate | Estimated Monthly Cost (Full-time ~160 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore | $20-$50/hr | $3,200-$8,000/mo |
| Nearshore | $35-$75/hr | $5,600-$12,000/mo |
| Onshore | $80-$150+/hr | $12,800-$24,000+/mo |
Is the dedicated team model suitable for startups?
Dedicated development team is highly suitable for startups, especially when they need to build and scale a product quickly without the cost and time required to hire a full in-house team. For more startups, adopting a dedicated team approach offers the essential flexibility needed when budget constraints truly matter. The model allows companies to launch an MVP faster, iterate based on user feedback, and scale development resources as the business grows.
However, startups should only choose dedicated teams if they can provide clear product direction and maintain regular communication. Selecting a reliable outsourcing partner is also one of the safest ways to get the best results from the partnership.
How to choose the right outsourcing vendor for certified developers?
Define your project needs clearly: Start by outlining clearly your actual needs, such as the tech stack, number of developers, seniority level (junior/mid/senior), and timeline, to more easily find the best fit vendor.
- Review their portfolio and industry experience: Look at previous software projects similar to yours to initially evaluate the third party’s experience and quality of work.
- Evaluate their recruitment and screening process: A reliable software vendor should have a structured process for vetting developers, including technical interviews, coding tests, soft-skill screening, and background checks, instead of just providing available developers.
- Assess communication and project management approach: Check how the vendor handles daily communication, reporting, meetings, and team coordination for better upcoming collaboration.
- Confirm security standards and IP protection: Ensure the vendor offers NDAs, IP ownership agreements, access control policies, and secure development practices to protect your data.
- Request a trial or start small: Consider starting with a short trial period or a small scope project before committing long-term to evaluate quality, delivery speed, communication, and team fit with minimal risk.
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