When outsourcing, some people think it’s as easy as giving the offshore company the requirements and letting them do their thing, then coming back some time later to pick up the finished product. Nothing could be further from the truth. Outsourcing a project to an offshore company can fail due to various reasons, the most common being lack of communication between the buyer and the seller.

Many buyers don’t consider the importance of regular communication at all stages of project development until it’s too late. Many barely speak to the company between the time they award the project and the end of the deadline. And this is a big mistake. Like internal employees, offshore companies need someone to manage their work and keep them on track.

When you don’t communicate, you waste time that could have been spent troubleshooting…and ultimately start losing money if you hang on to a deadline. Remember that when you outsource a project, you’re working with people who may be on the other side of the world: that means time zone differences, language barriers, and communication technology limits.

Ultimately though, miscommunication can start as soon as you submit your project. At GetACoder, the buyer is in charge of opening a public project with clearly stated requirements. Many projects fail because the buyer doesn’t write these requirements well enough and simply assumes that the coder has understood them. The truth is that most programmers just want to win projects and will say anything to convince him to give them to them, even claiming that they know what he wants; they will also waste a lot of your time pretending they have a clear idea about it until they confess they have no idea and drop it, leaving you to have to start over.

It may seem like outsourcing projects just aren’t worth it. That’s not so: thousands of outsourced projects are completed every year, from the smallest application to the most complex website. All that is needed is to keep a few important points:

1) Start with a good project description of what you want. You can take advantage of message boards: use them to discuss the project with companies during the early stages. Make sure they are on the same wavelength as you. Ask them questions about how they plan to develop it, ask them to reaffirm their goals, and encourage them to ask you questions as well. Companies that don’t seem interested in your project can disappear in the middle of it, leaving you stranded.

2) Choose companies that speak English fluently. Yes, they just need to be technically savvy, but you’ll need to discuss unforeseen issues with them, request updates, and suggest revisions, so you’ll want your rep to understand you smoothly. Beware of misinterpretations born of cultural differences.

3) Consider how much time you can spend on your project on a daily or weekly basis; then set a schedule and stick to it with your chosen company. Maintaining a regular schedule, once a day or twice a week, is essential. Make sure the company keeps you updated on project developments. Do not stay away for a long time and do not let the company remain silent: this is a bad sign.

4) It might be better to break your project into smaller tasks, each with their own deadlines; This makes the project easier to control and if interpretation problems arise you can start ironing them out from the beginning instead of letting them grow uncontrollably.

5) Before choosing a company, make sure they have the means to keep in touch with you. Sharing email addresses may be good at first, but soon you’ll need to communicate in real time. Fortunately, there are many cheap Internet-based tools, like Skype, to keep the buyer and seller in touch. Ask them how they plan to keep in touch with you during the development phase and see if their methods suit your needs.

Project outsourcing can be an easy, cost-effective and time-saving solution to your business needs, but never forget that, like everything else in the world, it requires commitment on your part.