For more than 15 years, we’ve grown our presence, our talent, our skills and our global footprint so that we can continually provide critical agile software development and delivery services to the world’s biggest brands.

Today, we continue to make investments in our global delivery capabilities – and we’re thrilled to announce we’ve once again expanded our presence across Latin America – into Mexico – with the acquisition of Inflection Point Systems.

Based in Columbia, Maryland, and with nearshore development center operations in Monterrey, Mexico, Inflection Point provides award-winning custom software development services and digital experience solutions. The firm brings 19 years of experience developing core technology, digital, and enterprise solutions for leading clients across the globe, including within the financial services, healthcare, education, security, high tech, and hospitality sectors. With the addition of their more than 200 talented colleagues to our team, Perficient will expand and enhance our nearshore delivery capacity, strengthen our software development capabilities, and further grow our team and presence in Latin America.

As Chairman and CEO Jeff Davis shared in our news release, “Our multi-shore, fully-integrated, global delivery approach continues to be a key driver of growth, and a compelling differentiator in the market. With the addition of Inflection Point’s award-winning agile software development expertise, we have bolstered our ability to help the world’s biggest brands deliver engaging customer experiences across all touchpoints.”

Accelerating Innovation with Strong Nearshore Development Capabilities

Digital disruptions. Rising consumer expectations. Today’s enterprises increasingly face the challenge to transform their businesses – and fast!

Software development is one of the best ways to not only keep businesses running, but get ahead, and Perficient’s optimized global delivery capabilities – offshore, nearshore, and onshore – provide a compelling, balanced, and powerful model for development.

For companies throughout the world, 2020 was a year that brought digital innovation out of necessity. Executing quickly and effectively against a digital strategy was critical for businesses to survive across all industries, even those that had previously been hesitant to fully embrace digital innovation. In 2021, forward-thinking organizations are continuing to build on the digital momentum from 2020 and accelerate their digital initiatives to outpace their competition with an optimized global delivery strategy.

An optimized global delivery model that is tailored to your organization can accelerate your digital projects in the most cost-effective way possible without sacrificing quality. This often requires balancing a blend between offshore, nearshore, and onshore teams, adapting to the needs of the project as they evolve throughout its lifecycle.

What is Global Delivery?

Now, more than ever, the digital world is global. Global delivery generally refers to software development in which the work is conducted by teams located in different parts of the world. From a U.S.-based perspective, these delivery models are typically categorized as follows:

• Offshore: significantly geographically dispersed teams in different time zones than the U.S. Examples include India and China.
• Nearshore: Teams in nearby geographic locations and/or within a U.S. time zone. Examples include Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica.
• Onshore: Teams within the U.S., often working within centralized delivery centers.

Which Global Delivery Model is Right for You?

The simple answer is: all of the above. Each global delivery model comes with unique challenges and benefits, which we will further explore in this article. A strategic, multi-shore approach to custom software development maximizes cost savings, accelerates deployment timelines, and delivers high quality results.

Striking the right balance with a multi-shore team is essential to the success of the project. Choosing the optimal location for each role depends on the nature of the specific project as well as where that project is within its lifecycle. Let’s take a closer look at the offshore, nearshore, and onshore delivery models.

Offshore Delivery

Offshore software development is often associated with affordability. India, China, and Eastern European countries are popular locations for U.S.-based companies due to some of the lowest price points available. It is often incorrectly assumed that lower price points translate to poor quality deliverables. There are many offshore firms that have neglected to invest in their teams and have failed to modernize their methodologies, both of which fuel these negative perceptions of outsourcing. However, there are also many reputable companies capable of delivering high quality software development, testing, and ongoing support services.

Another benefit of offshore delivery is the availability of talented developers and engineers. The talent pool in offshore locations has been developing over the past decade, resulting in a high volume of skilled professionals. Deep offshore talent pools also enable teams to quickly scale to meet the needs of each specific project.

There are two main challenges to consider when working with offshore teams: time zone differences and industry regulations. When teams are separated by multiple time zones, real-time communication during business operating hours is more challenging. Certain projects, within government or financial services for example, may be explicitly regulated to the United States. In these instances, offshore outsourcing may not be a viable option.

Nearshore Delivery

The primary benefit of nearshore delivery is time zone compatibility. Time zone alignment enables true agility and real-time communication for internal and third-party development teams. Companies in nearshore countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, operate during the same hours as their North American clients, allowing for real-time communication during normal business hours.

Nearshore outsourcing is also associated with an attractive price point. While the cost savings are not as significant as they are with offshore delivery, lower operating costs within Latin America are still one of the primary reasons that organizations in North America decide to partner with nearshore software development companies. Average wages in nearshore countries are traditionally lower due to more affordable costs of living and weaker currencies compared to the USD.

Latin America has been cultivating and educating tech industry professionals for decades, providing a deep pool of available talent. A further advantage is that the skilled professionals within Latin American countries have strong English language skills and an alignment to U.S. culture, enabling seamless communication and fewer instances of cultural misunderstandings.

The biggest challenge companies will face with nearshore software development is compliance with industry regulations. As with offshore outsourcing, certain industries are subject to government regulation which may require specific projects to be entirely-U.S. based.

Onshore Delivery

Domestic, or onshore, delivery is a great option for U.S.-based companies that are hesitant to start with offshore delivery right away or are prevented from doing so by industry regulations. Working with teams in your home country eliminates the risk of cultural misunderstandings and communication issues due to a language barrier.

The greatest advantage of onshore software development is the capability for on-site collaboration. There are many instances in which face-to-face team meetings would be beneficial. This is much easier when your extended project team is domestic, and eliminates the many challenges involved with international travel.

While onshore software development is convenient, it is the most expensive of the three options. Domestic development partners are able to charge exponentially higher rates than their offshore or nearshore counterparts. Centralized onshore delivery centers can help to lower these costs, but will not offer as significant cost savings as offshore or nearshore delivery centers.

Another challenge with domestic delivery in the United States is the occasional shortage of talent. U.S.-based developers and engineers are some of the best in the world, but recruiting and retaining these employees can be difficult given the competitive nature of the tech industry. Domestic talent shortages and increasing costs associated with retaining talented employees lead to overall cost increases for domestic software development projects.

Striking the Right Balance

An optimized global delivery strategy incorporates a balance of all three delivery models to enable agility. Organizing a multi-shore digital project team requires a strategy that takes each role on the team into account. You want to ensure that you are staffing people with the right skills in the right place at the right time.

As a leading global digital consultancy, Perficient takes an “all-of-the-above” approach to global delivery, seamlessly combining offshore, nearshore, and onshore teams to deliver powerful results for our clients. Our agile methodology and digital strategy have been proven and refined through hundreds of projects with leading brands across a wide variety of industries.

For more information about Perficient’s global delivery expertise, subscribe to Perficient’s blog, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Nearshore software development helps U.S.-based companies to accelerate their digital innovation initiatives with greater agility, while maintaining the benefits of real-time communication, cultural alignment, and significant cost savings. The nearshoring industry has grown exponentially over the past twenty years, and there are thousands of custom software vendors throughout the nearshore region. Building a long-term partnership with a compatible, professional, and reliable vendor can be challenging. There are several types of companies to choose from and many considerations to be made during the selection process. Look for a nearshore software development partner with the following traits to ensure successful engagements:

• Industry Expertise and Long-Term Experience
• Face-to-Face Compatibility
• Strong Client References
• Matching Skills, Attitudes, and Expertise
• Ability to Merge with Internal Teams
• Track Record of Developing High-Quality Products

Industry Expertise and Long-Term Experience

The nearshore software development outsourcing industry has been steadily and consistently scaling. There are many emerging companies in the space vying for business, but not all of them will be suitable for your unique project.

You want to ensure that you are working with an established, trusted nearshore software development partner that has long-term experience working with companies in your industry. This is crucial for companies within heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services, as you will need to find a firm that has experience complying with federal regulations for security and privacy.

Face-to-Face Compatibility

There are many benefits to meeting with a potential partner face-to-face and seeing the facilities and environment in which they operate. This helps you to get a feel for the team’s working style and how your teams will collaborate during the project.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person visits are not always feasible. In this case, you should request a virtual tour of the premises and schedule frequent video conferences to build rapport with your potential vendor. It is a major red flag if a company is not willing to show you their working environment or let you meet with potential team members.

Strong Client References

It is always a good practice to request client references from a potential vendor to gain insight into the types of clients they serve and their experiences in working with them. While their existing clients may provide predominantly positive feedback, it is important to inquire about any negative experiences they may have had. You want to learn more about how this potential vendor communicates throughout the project life cycle and solves problems should they arise. You may also find it helpful to inquire about their vendor selection process. Who else were they considering working with, and why did they choose this partner over their competitors?

Matching Skills, Attitudes, and Expertise

In the outsourcing partner selection process it is important to dig deep and ask technical questions, especially when your project is complex and requires a mix of different technologies and platforms. You want to ensure that you are working with a company that has the technical skillset and expertise to build the right custom solution. Ask questions about previous projects they have worked on, specifically what they have learned from similar projects and how they plan to apply that knowledge to your engagement.

Taking this a step further, you want to make sure your company’s attitudes and values are aligned with those of your potential partner. Corporate cultural compatibility is particularly important when establishing KPIs and staffing your project. Ask questions about the project team structure and composition. Is their talent in-house, or will they be hiring new employees or contractors?

Ability to Merge with Internal Teams

The most capable outsourcing firms usually provide skilled professionals as an extension of their clients’ internal teams. Many people falsely assume that outsourcing partners will replace employees with cheaper labor, but in reality the most successful agile delivery models involve augmenting and supporting existing teams to provide top-notch benefits.

When searching for a nearshore software development partner, you want to ensure that their employees will be compatible with your own. It is also a good practice to provide your engineers and developers with reassurance that their jobs are safe, and involve them in the process of onboarding or selecting the team when appropriate.

Track Record of Developing High-Quality Products

One of the most important considerations when selecting a software development outsourcing partner is a track record of successful product delivery. You want to work with a firm that has experience delivering quality, customized software products that improve the customer experience and can solidify your company’s position as a leader within your respective industry.

In addition to verifying industry experience and client references, you should ask for detailed case studies or to see examples of their work if available. This will help you to gain a better understanding of the types of custom software products they are capable of building and their impact on clients’ businesses. If a vendor is unwilling to provide you with examples of previous projects, you should eliminate them from the selection pool.

Building a Lasting Partnership

Software development outsourcing isn’t just about reducing costs or handing off projects to an external vendor. It’s about becoming more agile, gaining a competitive advantage within your respective market, and disrupting your industry with innovative solutions. When selecting a global partner for your custom software development project, it is important to look past pricing and consider the other factors holistically. A trusted nearshore consulting firm brings added value into their partnerships through industry experience, executive leadership, technical knowledge, and strong vendor relationships.

For more information about Perficient’s award-winning global delivery expertise, subscribe to Perficient’s blog, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

U.S.-based companies face increasing pressure to innovate with functional, customized software applications to deliver on their business objectives and outpace their competitors. Nearshore software development presents a cost-effective solution to this accelerated need for digital innovation by helping companies to bring new offerings to market faster and gain a competitive edge with enhanced user experiences.

Many organizations in the United States are just recently discovering the benefits of outsourcing software development projects to third-party providers in nearshore regions. Taking this a step further and developing long-term global partnerships, rather than focusing solely on cost-based short-term solutions, can strengthen your market presence and enable you to execute against a broader digital innovation strategy.

What is Nearshore Software Development?

Geographically speaking, the term nearshore refers to all non-domestic nations that share similar time zones or borders with your home country. From a U.S.-based perspective, the nearshore region includes Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada.

The nearshore software development industry is comprised of hundreds of software development companies headquartered in these nearshore countries. Organizations in the U.S. will partner with these companies to outsource software development projects, a practice known as ‘nearshoring’. The industry continues to grow as more companies in the United States begin to recognize the benefits of nearshoring and its capacity for disruptive innovation.

Why Partner with a Nearshore Organization?

There are many reasons why nearshore development partnerships are attractive to organizations based in the United States. Some of the most impactful benefits of nearshoring are:

• Access to world-class engineering talent
• Time zone alignment
• Deep cultural affinity with the United States
• Attractive price point compared to domestic providers
• Added-value partnerships

Availability of Talent

Nearshore countries have been building strong foundations in the software engineering industry for decades to support the rapidly increasing global demand for digital products. The region has been cultivating and educating software engineers, operations specialists, data scientists, and more thus increasing the number of science and technology graduates each year. For example, Colombia graduates approximately 13,000 software development students each year. Strong English language skills combined with world-class engineering talent yield deep talent pools on par with Silicon Valley.

Time Zone Alignment

Real-time communication bolsters the agile capabilities of the development team and is critical to the success of the software development process. Nearshore companies operate at virtually the same hours as their U.S. clients, allowing project-related discussions to occur in real time. For example, Colombia aligns with U.S. Eastern Time for half of the year and Central Time for the other half, depending on daylight savings. Pacific Time is only a few hours behind most Latin American countries, mirroring the difference with the East Coast of the United States.

Companies that work closely with their outsourced teams in an agile environment will achieve the best results. Similar time zones enable true agility and real-time communication for internal and third-party development teams.

Cultural Affinity

Nearshore development companies have built a strong cultural affinity with the United States through decades of partnerships with U.S.-based clients. Most nearshore partners possess the same work ethic as their customers in addition to a strong understanding of what is expected of them.

Cultural compatibility is particularly important when it comes to selecting a nearshore development team. For example, Latin American culture emphasizes creativity and direct communication. These values regularly lead to impressive innovations and strong partnerships with clients. Lower instances of cultural misunderstandings, combined with strong English language skills, yield faster development times, improved risk management, and increased quality of deliverables.

Attractive Price Point

Lower operating costs are one of the primary reasons that organizations partner with nearshore companies for software development projects. The strength of the U.S. dollar compared to local currencies and lower costs of living in Latin American countries cause the average wages for programmers and developers to be significantly lower than domestic wages. Companies partnering with trusted nearshore outsourcing partners get more for less without sacrificing quality. This in turn yields faster deployment timelines with new software products, giving companies an advantage in competitive marketplaces.

Added Value Partnerships

Nearshore delivery is often inaccurately viewed as a compromise driven solely by cost reduction that comes at the expense of quality. If you are only looking at price or technical skillsets, then you are only focusing on short-term solutions versus building a long-term strategic partnership. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, but it eliminates opportunities for additional value and increases risks associated with the project.

Beyond bringing ideas around methodology, processes, and people, partnering with a global consulting firm brings additional value to your organization. Some examples of these added benefits include industry insights from research, executive thought leadership, technical innovation trends with up-and-coming technologies, and strong partner relationships with industry-leading vendors. The long-term gains that come from a trusted, professional global software development partnership are far more beneficial to your success than simply a low price point.

In Conclusion

Nearshore software development is a powerful solution to accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Companies who understand the clear advantage of tapping into global resources are the ones that emerge as industry leaders in their respective markets.

The high-caliber bilingual teams at Perficient Latin America are proactive, not just meeting the bare minimum requirements, but engaging throughout the process and working to take our clients to the next level. Our teams become an extension of our clients’ teams, creating valuable long-term partnerships.

For more information about Perficient’s global delivery expertise, subscribe to Perficient’s blog, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Nearshore software development empowers companies across all industries to accelerate digital initiatives while reducing cost. Time zone compatibility, real-time communication, availability of skilled teams, and cultural alignment are some of the most cited benefits of working with nearshore partners. However, companies within certain industries may be more hesitant to incorporate a nearshore delivery model into their software development projects due to federal regulations around information and data security. While compliance with industry-specific regulations may dictate that certain work must remain within the United States, companies within financial services, healthcare, and government can still benefit from utilizing nearshore resources strategically.

The Perficient Latin America team has extensive experience developing custom software solutions for U.S.-based companies in a variety of regulated industries. Our unique approach to custom software development prioritizes security in each phase of the project lifecycle and is designed to comply with all federal regulations so that even companies in the most heavily regulated industries can benefit from working with a nearshore partner.

Compliance Considerations

First, and foremost, it is important to understand the regulatory requirements within your specific industry. For example, the financial services and healthcare industries require that client data must remain within the United States. Government agencies take this a step further and require teams to use their specific cloud providers. SOC2 audits may also be required to evaluate an organization’s information systems relevant to security, data processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

While regulatory compliance can make nearshore software development more challenging, it is certainly not impossible. Given the significant cost savings benefits of nearshore delivery, there is value in incorporating a nearshore project team into applicable phases of the project lifecycle while still complying with federal data and privacy regulations.

What to Look for in a Nearshore Team

Security is the highest priority when searching for a nearshore partner. While data breeches are never acceptable, they are particularly devastating to organizations in financial services and healthcare. It is imperative to partner with a global consultancy that incorporates security best practices and regulatory compliance into each phase of the project lifecycle and truly understands the importance of protecting sensitive client data.

Traceability

To regulators, traceability is the most important consideration when working with nearshore teams. Full transparency built into the process yields greater accountability and enables more accurate risk detection. The software development process can be complex which is why tracking all changes to the code is imperative to the overall security and success of the project. You need to be able to see when changes were made, who made them, and why.

Restricted Access to Sensitive Information

It is important for regulators and clients to understand upfront who will have access to the most confidential data. It may not be necessary for each team member (depending on their role) to have access to this information to complete the project. Limiting the number of people with access to sensitive information significantly reduces the instances of a data breech.

Secure Passwords

While technology and infrastructure best practices are vital to keep sensitive data secure, passwords provide an additional layer of security. If even one team member is using a non-secure password, the security of the entire project can become compromised. Non-secure passwords can be easily guessed words or sequences like Password123 or Spring2021. Perficient Latin America implements secure password best practices for all team members and requires frequent password changes to provide an added layer of security for sensitive data.

Infrastructure

Just five years ago there were significant concerns over the security of the cloud. Information stored in the cloud was technically accessible to anyone if strict security procedures were not followed correctly. Today, third-party cloud infrastructure providers have shared compliance policies to keep sensitive data secure. This enables us to deploy the services our clients need on the cloud without compromising data security.

Experience

When it comes to building custom software solutions, you want to partner with an organization that has experience working with similar clients in regulated industries. The nearshore software development outsourcing industry has been steadily growing, meaning there are many new companies in the market that may not have compatible experience yet. It is important to work with a global consultancy that not only has experience working with regulatory compliance processes and procedures but can also provide you with plenty of success stories within your specific industry.

Where Perficient Has Been Successful

Perficient Latin America has over a decade of experience creating custom digital products for companies in financial services, healthcare, and government. Security is in our DNA and embedded in all of our processes. Our unique agile methodology builds confidence in our projects through traceability and transparency in each stage of the project lifecycle. Time-zone compatibility to the United States enables real-time communication with teams allowing for greater oversight and control.

For more information about Perficient’s global delivery expertise, subscribe to Perficient’s blog, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The pandemic has presented a variety of industries with new challenges in the digital realm, but the healthcare industry is experiencing the most urgent need for rapid digital reinvention. While the healthcare industry has long embraced technology, the demand to innovate and adapt quickly has grown exponentially in 2020 and into 2021.

Technology solutions to apply alternative care methods, process sensitive data, and improve the overall  consumer experience have been ingrained in the healthcare industry long before the arrival of COVID-19. Solutions like telemedicine, secure patient data management platforms, and prediction software  incorporating big data and IoT are becoming increasingly integral to the success of healthcare companies, and the pandemic is accelerating their development. This has created an even greater demand for healthcare companies to incorporate more innovative technologies and build custom products to stay competitive within the market. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for healthcare companies to find reliable global technology partners who can implement these solutions quickly without sacrificing quality.

Nearshore software development presents a cost-effective solution to this accelerated need for innovation in healthcare. North American healthcare companies can benefit from working with a global digital consultancy and incorporating nearshore software development.

Cultural Alignment and Collaborative Communication

The cost reduction benefits of global software development are widely known, however, there is a common misconception that any cost reductions from outsourcing are met with sacrificed work quality due to cultural misunderstandings and frequent miscommunications with offshore teams. It is true that productivity and overall quality of deliverables can be negatively affected when outsourced teams do not feel empowered to communicate risks, raise concerns, or propose alternative solutions. This makes it crucial to select a nearshore development team with cultural compatibility to your organization.

Latin American culture is strongly aligned to the United States, creating an environment that encourages collaborative communication between both parties. Lower instances of cultural misunderstandings, combined with strong English language skills, yield faster development times, improved risk management, and increased quality of deliverables, which are essential for healthcare companies in a competitive marketplace.

The high-caliber bilingual teams at Perficient Latin America are proactive, not just meeting the bare minimum requirements, but engaging throughout the process and working to take our clients to the next level. Our teams become an extension of our clients’ teams, creating valuable long-term partnerships.

Time Zone Compatibility Bolstered By Agile Methodologies

One of the most well-known advantages of nearshore software development outsourcing is time zone compatibility, but this goes beyond the ability to communicate with an outsourced team during normal business hours. Healthcare companies need to develop and test their IT-backed solutions faster than ever, and agile software development is the most efficient way to accomplish this.

Companies that work closely with their outsourced teams in an agile environment will achieve the best results. Ideally, internal business experts become a functional conduit for the nearshore team and are readily accessible to the engineers so they can check on their hypotheses, validate new ideas, and address any concerns. Time zone compatibility allows for these discussions to occur in real time, further empowering the agile capabilities of the development team.

Agile has been a part of the Perficient Latin America operational DNA from the beginning. Our global teams are able to operate smoothly and communicate more efficiently because of this unique agile approach that virtually eliminates risks associated with more traditional multi-shore development and delivery models.

Security, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property Protection

Healthcare companies manage large amounts of sensitive information from their consumers, making security and data privacy a top priority when implementing IT solutions. Nearshore partners provide multidisciplinary software development teams consisting of software developers, DevOps engineers, cybersecurity experts, design specialists, and quality assurance engineers. These teams work together with the business experts to ensure that data protection takes part in every step of the implementation process. By implementing top of the line techniques such as Static Analysis Security Testing, Dynamic Analysis Security Testing, Interactive Analysis Security Testing, and penetration tests our nearshore multidisciplinary teams ensure that sensitive data remains secure.

For healthcare companies investing in innovative IT solution development, intellectual property protection is critical. This is often seen as one of the biggest risks of outsourcing software development projects. Most Latin American countries (Colombia in particular) have strong intellectual property laws that are similar to the United States, ensuring the highest security and IP protection standards.

Healthcare Industry Experience

Our Perficient Latin America teams have more than a decade of experience in the healthcare industry across a variety of projects. We have helped some of the largest healthcare companies in the U.S. and Colombia implement custom developed software solutions, improve their processes, and bring new offerings into the market.

In a recent project, we were able to help a leading, U.S.-based biopharma and MedTech company build a cutting-edge, globally regulated digital health platform. By applying practices like software development, DevOps engineering, quality assurance, performance engineering, and data engineering to healthcare projects, we have generated value for our clients and strengthened our position as a leading provider of healthcare software solutions.

To learn more about our nearshore capabilities, click here.

The stakes to evolve your business and adapt to new realities have never been higher. How do you accelerate and scale your transformation cost-effectively? The answer – optimized global delivery. Follow this series and learn more about our nearshore software development capabilities from members of our global consulting team in Colombia.

When coordinating software development projects, you must consider multiple variables at any given time. Tack on virtual collaboration and delivery, and the project is further complicated.

Gustavo Arroyave, Perfcient Global Delivery

Fortunately, our nearshore software development team, also known as Perficient Latin America, has more than 15 years’ experience with successful virtual project delivery. Throughout numerous client projects, we recognize that our deep-rooted philosophy and culture establishes a secure foundation for delivering projects that exceed our clients’ expectations.

In a conversation with Gustavo Arroyave, a technical delivery leader with Perficient Latin America, he shares more about the unique culture that elevates our team in comparison to other outsourcing software vendors. He also highlights successful outcomes with our long-term clients and the ways we’ve exceeded their expectations.

Shining a Light on Our Nearshore Software Development Team

What does collaboration look like within the context of how we deliver projects?

Gustavo: Our culture and philosophy are what make a difference [compared to] other vendors. The pillars for building successful client relationships include:

1. Commitment to transparency with clients
2. Constant communication with our peers on the client team
3. Effective client participation

We don’t see our clients as different from us. We’re all part of a unique team.

For example, when we began working with one of our long-term customers, a product manager told me, “With other offshore delivery teams, it felt like they were either working for us, or we were working for them. But with Perficient, we’re collaborating on the same level – part of a single team.”

Part of our [employee] culture is empowering team members and making sure they’re comfortable communicating with customers to ask questions or provide constructive feedback. This makes a difference in our ability to collaborate and develop a partnership with them.

How do we build a delivery team that aligns our talent with clients’ goals?

Gustavo: The composition of every delivery team depends upon the project and goals of our customers.

Most teams have a similar composition, such as full-stack developers that can do front to back-end development, or front-end and back-end specialists. These delivery roles are key because they involve building the product.

Delivery teams also include testers to verify what the development team builds. While requirement managers work with our developers to clarify any questions related to our customers’ business.

In some cases, delivery teams will also have UX or UI designers, DevOps to support infrastructure needs, and/or Scrum Masters.

However, it’s a discovery process when building a team. We need to understand our customers’ business needs and expectations. That way, our delivery is more transversal to ensure these needs are addressed, and the team will perform as expected.

Once we understand the goals and a specific target date, we have technical people participate in initial client discussions to understand or identify potential challenges. Then, we start defining a small team to begin building the product – usually around six people. From there, we can assess whether or not to increase the team size up to 10 or 12 within the project. It just depends on the client’s needs.

Nearshore agile teams can perform incredibly well if they have competent leaders who understand how to manage a virtual team. Learn more about successful techniques for leading nearshore agile teams.

Delivery in Action from Our Nearshore Development Team

Developing a Modern, Big Data Marketplace Platform

One of our established clients is a marketing technology company that delivers seamless data-driven marketing solutions to its customers. To remain competitive, the company must quickly develop and deploy new technologies and sought help to build a marketplace application.

After earlier attempts to outsource development, our client faced several hurdles to develop a minimum viable product (MVP).

Solution

We served as a true partner, implementing an Agile approach to development and successfully delivering the new marketplace application. The solution features a robust, big data backend that interacts with other parts of our client’s larger platform.

Results

Customers that use the marketplace, including agencies that work with advertisers, can easily access updated data and efficiently communicate with media planners and buyers.

Why did our client choose Perficient as its nearshore partner?

Gustavo: Finding a solid nearshore development partner was one of the key reasons that our client initially connected with us. The company had a very thorough selection process to find the right partner.

The marketplace application was our first project, and it’s still ongoing. This product is very technical and specific to the [client’s] business. Because we built the solution from scratch, we had the opportunity to demonstrate the strength of all our capabilities – not only the technical expertise but also with Agile.

Our delivery team showed how we live and breathe the Agile approach. We built the marketplace application incrementally and through iterations. Our client previously worked through dependencies in the process. For example, for some teams to build the front-end [of the application], they needed to have the backend ready. So then, the backend becomes a dependency for the front-end developers.

Since our client wanted an automated solution, the teams needed the frontend finished for the testers to implement automation. It could take up to three sprints for our client to build a feature.

By establishing an Agile process, our delivery team reduced the time required to build the feature. We started working on frontend, backend, and automation in parallel and within the same sprint. This shows how we brought innovation to the development process. And, this is part of what became standard for the rest of our client’s teams.

How did the client respond to our delivery approach?

Gustavo: The reduced development time impressed our client because we built front-end and back-end parts in parallel and automated them in one sprint.

The company also values our commitment to transparency. As mentioned earlier, this is key within our culture and way of working – to speak up even when things are not working as expected.

For a team to succeed, every person on the team – both our delivery and client team – needs to be committed and prepared to accept the challenge. If we see anyone who is not prepared, then we communicate that to our clients.

This is part of the feedback that we provide. We inform our clients of challenges with the projects, which may include people within client teams who aren’t leading in the way we expect. Similarly, we recognize and speak up if our team is under-performing and not delivering as expected. Then, we introduce actions to help the team improve, or we make changes to our delivery team so that we align the right person to the right challenge.

Paving the Way for Reliable, Safe Transportation

A fleet management company, which grew through several acquisitions, has a vast collection of safety products it develops, manufactures, and sells to public transportation providers. Our client has maintained its outsourcing partnership with Perficient Latin America since 2010.

Our delivery teams support the development of various products for the business, supplying expertise in machine learning, automation, user interface (UI), DevOps, and more.

Solutions

Among the products currently in development is a real-time alert and image recognition system for buses. Using external cameras, the system assesses the speed of passing vehicles near the bus and identifies lane infractions and other nearby cars. Based on data captured and analyzed by the system, an alert notifies drivers of these external risks, so they do not deploy the stop arm.

By applying our expertise from the previous use case, we’re using machine learning algorithms and data science to automate a surveillance system for illegally parked vehicles. In the future, this system will use recognition software that captures the vehicle’s information and automatically sends the evidence to a platform that will fine the violator.

Results

We anticipate that customers (transit providers and cities/municipalities) can improve safety within their communities and simplify their operations.

How has our partnership helped the client’s business?

Gustavo: Considering our client’s growth through mergers and acquisitions, we’ve been working alongside their teams, gaining a deeper knowledge of the business throughout these events.

Over the course of our partnership, some delivery teams are focused on supporting and improving existing products. We’ve removed redundancies and built efficient platforms, which has ultimately reduced operational costs for our client.

Meanwhile, our other delivery teams support the company’s new vision by developing the innovative solutions mentioned earlier. Building these innovations come with challenges at times. However, our delivery approach and commitment to constant communication – not only with the product team but also with executives – are among the many reasons this client values our partnership and continues to bring more work to us.

If you’re evaluating nearshore partners for software development…

Our global delivery teams within Perficient Latin America are committed to a culture that emphasizes excellence, honesty, transparency, innovation, and the concept of failing forward. To facilitate successful virtual work with a nearshore partner, these characteristics are instrumental. Now more than ever, delivery teams must be set up and managed without being in the same room together.

As your nearshore development partner, we make this possible because of our culture that values fluid communication and collaboration.

Our delivery teams have proven experience working with US-based clients on complex, cloud-native product development. Learn more about outsourcing software development and finding the right fit with a nearshore development partner.

The stakes have never been higher for your business to adapt and evolve. But how do you accelerate and scale your transformation cost-effectively? The answer – optimized global delivery. Follow this series and learn more about our nearshore software development capabilities from several members of our global consulting team in Colombia.

In just over 20 years, Agile methodologies have secured its footing in developing software and digital products. Forty-two percent of businesses state that three-quarters of their development teams use Agile practices, according to Forrester.  

Agile adoption tends to be higher among software development and IT. This year’s State of Agile Report reveals that 82 percent of companies do not use Agile practices across their organizations. 

Lía Sánchez, Perficient Global Delivery

Regardless of your business size, there’s an opportunity to expand Agile beyond software and product development. Getting there is easier said than done.  

“Agile is simple to explain, simple to understand, and yet immensely complex to implement,” said Lía Sánchez, head of product development at Perficient Latin America. Lía also serves as an Agile coach, helping our nearshore delivery colleagues understand and implement Agile practices with our clients.  

In a recent conversation, she provided insight about our outstanding reputation with Agile as a nearshore development partner. She also revealed how Agile has helped build trust with our nearshore clients for many years and how it’s eased some uncertainty during a disruptive year.  

The Agile Manifesto emerged more than 20 years ago. With broad adoption of the approach, how many of our clients have already implemented Agile?

Lía: Agile is everywhere. It’s trendy and has become a buzzword. There are pros and cons to Agile, and one of the cons is that it’s not easy. But that’s the reality of our world.  

Many companies see great results with Agile, and other companies still using traditional methodologies want [to pursue] it. These businesses think they will miss an opportunity and ultimately go out of business if they don’t adopt it.  

However, Agile transformations are immensely complex. The biggest barrier is changing the mindset and the cultural elements [of a company]. The mindset has to permeate with individual employees and broader processes of how a company works.

Faster business value is among the top benefits realized by 64 percent of expert Agile firms. These firms also realize greater frequency of releases and more opportunities for midcourse correction. (Forrester)

Most of our clients aren’t truly doing Agile, but they come to us for help. Why? This type of transformation is not easy. Moving away from traditional methodologies and adopting Agile significantly impacts a company. This change may even touch on a company’s founding principles.  

When a client approaches our team and says, “We work with Agile, and we’re choosing you to help us improve because you understand how to work with Agile.”  

The reality is that clients often have a long way to go but that’s why we’re here. This scenario is actually positive because as their nearshore development partner, we build the solution together.

How do we help clients with Agile transformation? 

Lía: The best way to help our clients is by showing results and gaining trust. In any relationship, you can have a lot of experience and demonstrate a lot of knowledge – and that may be enough for clients to choose you. Beyond that, the best way to help them understand new and innovative methods of working is to show how it will work specifically for them.  

One of the most important things to keep in be mind is this – there’s no silver bullet in Agile.  

Agile is based on the adaptability to change and the reality of different scenarios, so you can do what’s right in that situation. That’s why we get to know our clients, understand their needs, and start showing results.  

For example, we started with a small team at one of our clients in marketing technology. With that one team, we first played by their “rules” to understand how they worked. By having that understanding, which also allowed our client to feel heard, we could begin incorporating change.  

Over time, we built trust and then knew how to best incorporate Agile and more innovative methods for creating and developing products. Without understanding the “why,” you’re not going to find a good answer for clients – something that will fit their specific reality.

Which examples come to mind as far as building and maintaining clients’ trust?

Lía: With the client I previously mentioned, we saw the potential to grow. We observed a waterfall approach inserted in its named Agile implementation. It was a great first step, but they had some ways to go.  

On that initial project, we showed them little by little how we could do things differently. Not only did it click, but the team realized how well it was working and wanted to continue it. The client started expanding these improvements to other teams within the company and applying them to projects with other vendors.  

That was the first step. We showed results, and the client was comfortable with the process. The team trusted the process because they saw it worked. We now have several teams working on more projects with them today, which stemmed from one small project several years ago.

In my time at [Perficient Latin America], most clients I’ve worked with have come to us because of our highly-regarded reputation. From my experience, I can tell you that most of our clients recognize how we’ve helped others succeed in adopting and working with Agile methodologies and principles. 

What’s the secret to success with Agile?  

Lía: Agile transformation is a lengthy process and that’s something no one wants to hear. You have to do it slowly but fast. By that I mean, your business must go at its own pace because there are elements you must question. Part of becoming Agile is questioning how it [your business] works and the way you’re conceiving products and services.

For example, Agile doesn’t mean that there’s no planning involved. You still have to plan budgets and forecasts. Planning remains an important aspect, but adopting an Agile framework means that your business can adapt to changing that plan.  

To be successful, we must work together with our clients. Our goal is to be a partner in technology and innovation by working through an iterative process that’s reviewed daily. And our clients must get involved. Otherwise, it’s not going to work.    

Sometimes I’ve heard clients say, “I don’t have the time to work closely with a team to develop a technology solution.” As they start getting involved, they see the benefits of doing so, and they love being part of it.  

Being involved is important to the transformation because it goes faster. It’s also more effective and productive. As a result, the clients understand their role in the process, which is part of our job to ensure a successful partnership.

How has our Agile reputation supported building trust with our clients? 

Lía: When we talk about building and maintaining trust with clients, it’s because they collaborate with us. They might define an initial way to work, but we build on top of it together.  

We commonly describe a good software development vendor as one that is reliable, transparent, and will deliver on what they say they will do. That’s great, but you’re only halfway there. The next level is collaborating with our clients to help grow their businesses.  

A client can tell us what they want, and we can be reliable in our delivery. However, if I go beyond that and sit with you to brainstorm and understand your business needs, then we can evolve in a way that’s mutually beneficial. Now we’re your technology partner. 

We can be partners to support our clients’ success [by taking advantage of] our experience in technology. And that’s what we strive to do.  With that North Star, it’s easier for us to keep on growing and improving their businesses. 

Because Agile is a top priority for our clients, how does our approach stand out from other vendors?  

Lía: There are infinite ways to implement Agile, and as a company, we understand that. We want to build frameworks with our clients that suit their needs and add value.

We want to be partners, not just great executors as a [nearshore software developer]. This is only possible through extensive, fluid communication and collaboration. And nearshore makes a difference regarding this point.   

Whether we’re working with clients in the US, Europe, Latin America, or other regions, seamless communication and collaboration is the goal.  

For example, one of our clients, who has worked with Perficient for around ten years, recently said to me, “You could be here in Chicago or Seattle or another part of the world, and I feel that we are a team. We’re building together, collaborating, and talking all the time.” 

This individual has worked with Perficient’s global delivery teams for many years and has had great experiences. When our clients see that level of collaboration, we take advantage of it. It drives us to build great relationships with them and other onshore team members to deliver that level of collaboration.

With everyone working from home during COVID-19, nearshore became transparent as far as team distribution. You could be next door, in another state, or in Colombia. With a minimal time zone difference and our cultural proximity, it removes an invisible wall that separated onshore and nearshore development.

How have our Agile software development practices helped clients during a disruptive year? 

Lía: We’ve been able to use Agile to its fullest potential with regard to being adaptive. Because we understand our clients’ priorities and business values, we have a framework in place to support that change.  

Those first months were difficult for any business in terms of the uncertainty they felt. It prompted questions such as, “Are my sales going to drop? Are there other products that I should design? Should I stop my projects? Do I need to stop hiring or start hiring? Should I close my offices for a month or forever?”  

This uncertainty affected all our clients. But we were able to work with them and immediately adapted plans one by one. We realized industries felt the impacts of COVID differently. Our healthcare clients were bombarded and forced to react to the new reality. Meanwhile, our retail clients were concerned about customers not coming into their stores.  

We worked with each of our clients and our great teams, which know the whys and the business drivers. Every team member knows why and what they are building as well as how the projects benefit our clients.  

Our ability to adapt – and not just react – allows us to find our footing faster in disruptive circumstances. Then as a nearshore development partner, we can extend that sure footedness to our clients. They rely on our Agile mindset and ability to work with constant change swiftly and seamlessly. Any technology partner or vendor – whether they are onshore, offshore, or nearshore – that lacks the ability to adapt will fall behind.

The adaptiveness rooted in Agile principles allowed us to support our clients through a disruptive time. It’s also what allowed our company to adapt better through these disruptive times.

Our nearshore delivery team has proven experience working with US-based clients on complex, cloud-native product development. Learn more about outsourcing software development and finding the right fit with a nearshore development partner.

Since March 2020, the stakes have never been higher for your business to adapt and evolve. But how do you accelerate and scale your transformation cost-effectively? The answer – optimized global delivery. Follow this series and learn more about our nearshore software development capabilities from several members of our global consulting team in Colombia.

In recent decades, Latin America has emerged as a powerhouse for outsourcing software development. The region’s software engineering talent, cultural affinity with the US, and similar time zone alignment provide a strong case for considering nearshore software development.

David Arango, Perficient Global Delivery

With Perficient’s recent acquisition of PSL, we’ve expanded our global delivery footprint into Latin America. Our newest global consulting team has a 36-year history leading nearshore software development in Colombia, establishing itself as a world-class company and known for its culture of innovation.

David Arango, business development manager for Perficient’s global delivery center in Colombia, discussed nearshore development trends and the value a nearshore partner can add as businesses recover from the pandemic. He also shared what it’s like to work with our nearshore team and the secret to our successful, long-term client relationships.

Would you speak to the market dynamics that have increased the appeal for nearshore software development?

David: Prior to 2020, we observed a trend regarding the political environment, specifically with work visas, that prompted more US-based companies to consider nearshore. These businesses also had lingering questions about whether the extra savings from offshore engagements would offset the work quality, agility, and midpoint of value and costs that nearshore offers.

Now with COVID-19, the digital bonds strengthened for many businesses. The shift to fully remote teams in the US made a stronger case for nearshore. Companies saw how the value of in-person collaboration could translate quickly to digital interactions by working with either remote onshore teams or nearshore [software development] teams. More businesses can see the possibility of significantly optimizing their cost structure [for development] while retaining the value of collaboration.

Working with a valuable nearshore partner unlocks more budget and projects that otherwise weren’t previously considered.

Why is nearshore software development crucial for digital transformation?

David: If anything tipped the scales for accelerating digital transformation across the world, it’s been COVID-19.

Nearshore not only optimizes businesses’ cost structure, but it also increases the speed to tackle new challenges or unresolved priorities. When companies understand these benefits, it reduces the perceived risks of nearshore outsourcing.

This year presented a noticeable change regarding companies’ openness to exploring nearshore engagements. I would dare to say businesses will increase their IT spend throughout the end of this year and into 2021. There’s an urgency to be “digital first” for customers while sustaining new levels of remote work to achieve those goals.

As companies move forward with nearshore engagements and reap the benefits, then it only makes sense to push the gas pedal further and keep going.

Tapping into the talent of a nearshore software development partner releases onshore senior-level staff to tackle ‘backburner’ priorities that need to be addressed now.

What can clients expect when working with our nearshore development team?

David: First and foremost, we strive to be a true partner for our clients. When working with them, we put ourselves in their shoes and make sure we fully understand the outcomes they want to achieve.

Technical challenges can arise in the work, making it easy to lose sight of what we’re trying to accomplish from a business perspective. Our business developers serve clients as their eyes and ears. With the knowledge gained during engagements, we stay open to opportunities or challenges to resolve that will help our clients in the long-run.

Second, the culture of our nearshore team sets us apart. When an employee joins our team, we let them know from the first day that they’re empowered. Each and every person is key to helping clients achieve their objectives. They can raise their hands if they identify any risks or opportunities for improvement.

Finally, we’ve operated as a horizontal company since our inception. This means we can set things in motion quickly when issues or opportunities arise. This approach also allows us to be very agile, which clients see and appreciate. They see proactive employees who possess a sense of belonging and empowerment, which are qualities they might not see elsewhere.

How have we successfully maintained long-term relationships with our clients?

David: As I mentioned already, we consider ourselves as an ally for our clients – not just a service provider. Some companies want a nearshore software development provider that receives the backlog and point by point completes each item.

That’s not how we work. We’re in a partnership, so it’s crucial to have a deep understanding about our clients’ goals, challenges, and long-term business objectives.

By connecting with our clients, the results are evaluated from both a technical standpoint and how team members connect with business-level objectives. This understanding enables team members to raise questions or bring new insights to the table.

[A partnership] also implies room for discussion and pushback at times when we propose alternatives or use a different approach. When clients see that we’re invested – even to the point of risking confrontation – they believe we have their best interest at heart and committed to helping them achieve success.

We’re driven by our purpose to positively impact our clients, communities, and employees. Additionally, our culture of openness, excellence, positive contribution, and innovation motivates us to exceed expectations. As teams add value for our clients, they realize that they can rely on us.

How does our culture of innovation differentiate us as a nearshore software development partner?

David: We strive to be a responsible partner and employer. In that regard, we conduct detailed work to identify technologies that make sense and add value. We’re motivated to stay ahead of the curve so we’re equipped to deliver on clients’ requests.

Our experts developed a technology radar to assess and evaluate tech tools and trends. Adapted from ThoughtWorks technology report, we track our proficiency across multiple skillsets and capabilities. This knowledge allows us to confidently address our clients’ needs and provide complete transparency on how we’re prepared to tackle them. 

For clients wanting to explore cutting-edge technology, we’re very transparent with them. We may delve into proof of concept mode in which we absorb some of the costs. Our Agile approach to development also provides continuous feedback so we iterate in a timely manner.  

In this situation, the client’s perception of risk is low. They know we’re absorbing some of the risk and costs. Both parties have some skin in the game to capitalize on new technologies at niche levels.

Clients that want to innovate with new technologies raises the bar for Perficient’s ability to achieve new levels of innovation.

This new knowledge and increased capabilities make it possible to add value with other clients. And with long-term clients that understand our approach, this instills the confidence to explore similar opportunities with us.  

With more businesses considering nearshore software development, what qualities should they seek in a partner?

David: Companies considering nearshore should first look for a partner that asks the right questions, emphasizes business outcomes [for the client], and can prove its capabilities.

Second, they need to understand how a potential partner approaches its engagements. How do they provide visibility? What’s their track record for deploying a successful engagement in a reasonable amount of time?

And finally, how well does a prospective partner adapt or innovate to bring new knowledge to the client through training?

For example, when we speak to a company that’s exploring nearshore, we emphasize how we view them as a partner and that we’re here for the long run. Additionally, we express how our purpose-driven culture translates to providing world-class, quality service. In our case, service is the confidence and trust provided by many teams, which go beyond the prowess of our technical staff.

Then, we explain our approach to nearshore software development – how we screen engagements to determine if they’re the right fit, how we build our teams, and how we screen projects to find the best mix of talent.

Furthermore, no single partner will have a team on the bench that possesses the right mix of all the technologies a company seeks. With that reality, we share how we ramp up a team to meet the levels of proficiency they expect.

For the third consecutive year, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IOAP) named our firm on its Global Outsourcing 100 List. Read more about this recognition.

What excites you about leading business development within Perficient’s nearshore team?

David: What motivated me when I first joined PSL – and what drives me now that I’m part of Perficient – is that I can be very proactive. My experience allows me to add value at all levels. Additionally, I can actively influence change at a variety of levels – the company level, the client level, and even at the engagement level.

As part of this team, I’m not a cog in a wheel but an interconnected part of a whole. That perspective reinforces my belief that I can make an impact regardless of my background. People will listen and generate healthy, enriching discussions. Obviously, this translates to more learning opportunities, which increases my ability to apply knowledge in ways that add value.

Our nearshore delivery team has proven experience working with US-based clients on complex, cloud-native product development. Learn more about outsourcing software development and finding the right fit with a nearshore development partner.

Despite the downturn of global hiring markets this year, demand for software developers continues to rise, but that doesn’t mean they can afford to become complacent. Nor should they want to!

With its constant, high-speed evolution, the software development industry is more competitive than ever before, meaning that developers and technology professionals must have their finger on the pulse of current trends and be up-to-date with skills, without losing focus on their specialty or area of expertise.

Here are five pieces of advice to help developers retain their cutting edge and stay relevant in this competitive industry, no matter their location or company.

Since March 2020, the stakes have never been higher for your business to adapt and evolve. But how do you accelerate and scale your digital transformation cost-effectively? The answer – optimized global delivery. Follow this series and learn more about our nearshore software development capabilities from members of our global delivery team in Colombia.

Earlier this year, we announced Perficient’s expansion into South America with the acquisition of Productora Software S.A.S. (PSL), a nearshore software development company based in Colombia.

Camilo Gomez, Perficient Global Delivery

This team reinforces our commitment to optimized global delivery and helping the world’s largest enterprises connect with customers and grow their businesses. In a recent conversation with Camilo Gomez Aristizabal, director of business development at Perficient’s Global Delivery Center in Colombia, he revealed the importance of nearshore software development and provided some qualities to seek in a nearshore partner.

He also shared the unique history of PSL prior to the acquisition and the turning point for becoming a valuable nearshore software development partner for leading US organizations.

Why is nearshore software development so critical now?

Camilo: Nearshore is truly a game-changer from my perspective. COVID-19 has changed everything – the dynamics and behaviors of people that includes how we work, how and what we buy, and even what we do for entertainment. Everything in our personal and work lives has forever changed because of the pandemic.

Prior to this event, it was business as usual. Companies’ strategic approaches and cadence for developing digital products happened on their own timelines and perceptions of what was happening in the world. Some businesses outsourced development to teams in other geographies. Other organizations handled development directly with full-time employees working in offices in the US.

When COVID-19 hit, we quickly saw which businesses were “in” or “out.” Those businesses that previously invested in digital were winning all the chips. While at the other end of the spectrum, some companies were far behind and almost out of the game. Many companies fell somewhere in between, of course.

For the businesses that fall between the leaders and laggards, they can’t just increase their IT budgets. However, business leaders have shifted their perception of outsourcing software development. With more teams and staff now working remotely, they see the potential benefits and cost savings for outsourcing.

The pandemic has also affected the dynamic for your business to adapt and act quickly. You have to evolve your digital transformation to account for different consumer behaviors, consumption trends, entertainment, and more. And then you must consider, how will this shape new features or functionalities of my existing product?

Nearshore software development offers a way for businesses to invest budgets wisely and put additional teams in place to evolve products and services that address these new realities. You can tap into great talent, cultural alignment, and similar time zones to accelerate your digital transformation.

What’s at stake for businesses in recovery from COVID-19? And, how can nearshore software development support them?

Camilo: There’s a feeling of a before and after with this pandemic, even if we don’t know when “after” will be. I don’t think we will go back to a “business as usual” – or how we knew it – going forward.

Businesses must evolve faster, but they also have to iterate strategically for this new reality. Business leaders wonder, “How can our company quickly understand these new behaviors? How should we measure and leverage analytics from our current products, services, and ecosystems to evolve faster?”

And to evolve faster, your business needs to leverage more digital anyway. That’s how nearshore adds value. You can work with remote teams geographically located in the same time zones. There’s also better cultural alignment. With a nearshore delivery team, your company will see a [return on investment] that’s two or nearly three times more than what you would spend with onshore teams.

Not only that, our global delivery centers in Colombia have proven experience with leading US companies. You can leverage the expertise of our nearshore team because if you don’t, your competition will – and you’ll be left behind.

What qualities should businesses seek when evaluating a nearshore partner?

Camilo: Beyond the basics, such as process certifications, security, and legal audits, one of the top considerations is a partner that’s purpose-led and wants the best for your business.

When you find a nearshore partner that puts clients’ and employees’ best interests at heart, it means that the people on the ground feel empowered. They feel like they’re an extension of your team, which means less churn and drain of knowledge over the course of the engagement.

We have a clear purpose to become better every day – for our colleagues and our clients.

Building a team in this manner means more velocity and faster time to market. And empowered team members are thinking ahead – questioning and proposing things that you might not see.

You also want to look for diversity. Diverse teams bring different perspectives – not only gender diversity but also geo-diversity and racial diversity. Diversity yields a variety of ideas and perspectives on a product. When you bring in diversity that means it’s also strategic for your product.

Alignment also matters. When you find a partner that’s purpose-led in a heuristic way – from the most strategic decisions to the more tactical ones – the engagement will flow and move faster. There will be more autonomy, more mastery, and deeper engagement. There will also be more motivation.

How did an innovative culture take shape with our nearshore development team?

Camilo: The early 2000s marked the start of our transformation. That’s when our leadership sharpened the focus on building a culture of excellence and innovation.

As the Colombian economy expanded into global trade, companies in the region needed enterprise resource planning (ERP) to take the first steps with digital transformation. Back then, only a few ERP offerings existed. You either had SAP or you didn’t – there weren’t many options in between.

We [PSL] saw an opportunity to develop an ERP solution for mid-tier companies that was more cost-effective and less complex in terms of features.

After two to three years of developing, the first ERP installment did not go as well as everyone hoped. In fact, that version was full of bugs. While we addressed and fixed the issues, the situation raised the question: “Where did we go wrong?”

Upon closer examination, a hypothesis emerged that under-development wasn’t an economical problem but a cultural one. The question then became: “How do we change our culture to become a world-class company?”

Our leadership chose Capability Maturity Model Integration® (CMMI) as the path to changing our culture. Throughout that process, we successfully changed the culture of what was then a 15-year old company. We [PSL] were the eighth company in the world to achieve CMMI Level 5, and the first one in all of Latin America.

Changing our view of software development and taking the necessary steps to transform our culture laid the foundation for our team becoming a powerhouse in Latin America.

What was the turning point for expanding operations as a nearshore software development partner?

Camilo: The three-year investment in earning CMMI Level 5 cemented our purpose and commitment to continuous excellence. The way we leveraged our investment in CMMI was the next step of the journey.

With mapped out processes for building software and products, Jorge Aramburo, general manager and founder of PSL, saw Agile as a game changer. He recognized the potential of Agile to help transform companies and create better software products.

Jorge also realized that adopting Agile would well-position and differentiate our team [PSL]. But we soon discovered that prospective clients in Latin America weren’t ready – or willing – to take the risk with Agile development. That’s when we had to pivot and focus on companies based in the United States.

US-based businesses were either already using Agile or aspiring to use that approach. But when outsourcing software development to other geographies, they often faced challenges with real-time communication. Early-adopters of Agile in the US wanted development partners within the same time zone, which opened to the door for our team to expand into nearshore.

What have you observed about the cultural alignment between Perficient and PSL?

Camilo: Since my first day [at PSL,] the importance of culture was driven into my head. Technology, code, and processes obviously account for a big part of software development projects. Beyond that, these projects are at least 50 percent about people, their behaviors, and shared values.

In the end, it’s about people. And trust is essential for teams to deliver successful projects. You can’t trust if there’s not alignment in values and principles.

In the five, nearly six years, that I’ve worked here, the focus is on developing long-term relationships with our clients. Those multi-year engagements are the direct result of establishing trust with them.

I’m excited about joining Perficient because of our shared values. With every person I’ve met so far, I can feel a sense of warmth and trust. Sometimes it seems like I’ve been part of Perficient for several years. And I can tell that the trust and shared values will allow us to keep pushing the envelope and continue to become world-class strategic partners for our clients.

Our nearshore delivery team has proven experience working with US-based clients on complex, cloud-native product development. Learn more about outsourcing software development and finding the right fit with a nearshore development partner.