What is a dedicated development team?
A dedicated development team is an outsourcing model in which an external company provides the developers who build and evolve your software, while you set the priorities. In practice, you get development capacity without building an in-house team: no recruiting, no turnover risk on your side, no overhead of managing hiring. At Devuptime you can hire this way, with developers allocated by month, or as a project with a fixed scope.
Two ways to hire
The engagement model changes the outcome a lot:
- Fixed scope (per project): you know what you need and receive a timeline and price before we start. It works well when the scope is clear and unlikely to change much. It's the model we use most.
- Dedicated team (per month): you hire dedicated developers on a monthly basis and set priorities as you go. It works better when the product will evolve continuously and the scope changes often.
If your scope is still fuzzy, a fixed-scope contract tends to turn into friction: every change becomes a change order. In that case it's more honest to start with a short, paid discovery phase that defines the scope before the main contract.
Dedicated team, freelancer or in-house?
| Model | When it makes sense | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | Small, well-defined project | You depend on a single person |
| Dedicated team / outsourcing company | You need a complete team without hiring in-house | Vendor quality varies; vet carefully |
| In-house team | Software is your core business and will evolve forever | Recruiting, overhead and losing the person who knows the system |
The cost of an in-house team is usually underestimated: on top of salary come benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, recruiting and the risk of losing the person who knows the system. An outsourcing contract moves that risk to the vendor.
If you're looking for a full project rather than ongoing capacity, see how it works to hire a software development company.
How to vet a development partner before you sign
With a dedicated team, what you're buying is continuous capacity, and the right questions are about how that capacity is guaranteed. Ask them of any vendor, including us:
- Who exactly will work on the project, and how many hours? It's common to see senior people in the sales meeting and juniors on the work. Ask for names and hours per week.
- What happens if a developer leaves? The vendor should replace the person and transfer the knowledge without you paying for the ramp-up.
- Can I scale the team up or down? Demand changes; the contract should state how much notice is needed to adjust team size.
- How do I follow progress? Frequent deliveries of working software are worth more than “percent complete” reports.
- Is the source code mine? It should be, in writing, with the repository in your company's name. If the vendor hesitates, expect lock-in later.
- Can I talk to past clients? A reference that checks out is worth more than a portfolio.
How pricing works
A fixed-scope project is priced on the screens, features, integrations and business rules involved, and typically takes 6 weeks to 8 months. A dedicated team is priced per month, based on how many people are allocated and their seniority. Either way, you receive a written proposal with scope (or team composition), timeline and price before any work starts. When the scope is unclear, we suggest a short discovery phase of 1 to 3 weeks first.
How Devuptime works
We have been building software since 2008 in Guarulhos, in the São Paulo metro area, Brazil, and we work remotely with clients in the United States.
- The code is yours. We deliver the source code with the system, by contract.
- Deliveries typically every 15 days, with working software, so you can follow along and change course during the project.
- Written scope before we start, with timeline and price defined.
- Bug-fix warranty set in the contract, 90 days after delivery by default, plus team training.
- Confidentiality. We sign an NDA covering your project and business information.
- Working hours. 9 am to 6 pm Brasília time (UTC−3), one to two hours ahead of US Eastern time depending on daylight saving.
We build business management software, mobile apps, websites and systems integrations. See our work in the portfolio.
Want to talk about your project? Send us a message and we'll reply within one business day.
