Why the Bus Factor Still Matters in Modern Engineering
Software teams talk a lot about technical debt, code quality, and futureproofing. Yet one of the most overlooked risks in any engineering organization rarely lives in the repo. It lives in people.
The Bus Factor measures how many team members you could lose before a project stalls. It is a blunt metric, but it speaks directly to resilience. If only one or two developers fully understand a system, the team is running on chance. In a market where engineers move faster than ever, relying on tribal knowledge is a liability.
High-performing engineering teams take the Bus Factor seriously because it highlights weak communication patterns, siloed expertise, and short-term decisions that accumulate into long-term fragility. When a project loses key contributors, velocity drops, onboarding slows, and the codebase becomes harder to maintain. Even a single unexpected exit can turn a well-run cycle into weeks of recovery.
This isn’t just an operational challenge. It’s a strategic one. A low Bus Factor affects the ability to ship consistently, hire efficiently, and maintain trust with stakeholders who depend on stable delivery.
Engineering leaders who want predictable outcomes need to design for resiliency, not hero-driven development. Raising the Bus Factor requires shared ownership, cross-training, clear documentation, collaboration patterns that scale, and a culture where knowledge is distributed by design.
This is where nearshore organizations can shift the equation. When teams operate in aligned time zones, with shared context and a collaborative operating model, the Bus Factor naturally increases. Knowledge circulates. Expertise compounds. And teams build systems designed to survive—even when individuals move on.
Section 1: What the Bus Factor Really Measures (And Why It Fails Fast in Siloed Teams)
The Bus Factor sounds dramatic, but the idea behind it is simple. If the success of your product depends on a handful of people, the risk is structural. Even well-run teams occasionally rely on one “indispensable” engineer who knows exactly how a critical subsystem behaves. Maybe they built the core architecture. Maybe they patched a legacy integration from memory. Or maybe they simply hold context no one else has the time to absorb.
The Bus Factor reveals how easily this kind of knowledge bottleneck can break a roadmap. It measures three core elements:
1. Knowledge concentration
If one engineer understands the deployment pipeline, the domain logic, or the performance model, the Bus Factor is low by default. Context that lives in only one brain isn’t scalable or portable.
2. Process fragility
Teams built around implicit routines and unwritten practices will always struggle when turnover hits. Without predictable rituals around reviews, documentation, and technical decisions, anyone added later is playing catch-up.
3. Communication habits
If collaboration feels ad hoc instead of structured, knowledge transfer is accidental. High Bus Factor teams treat communication as part of the architecture.
A low Bus Factor exposes even strong teams. Developers go on vacation. Life happens. People get promoted. Priorities shift. Senior engineers move companies. The issue isn’t human unpredictability; it’s that the system wasn’t designed to handle it.
When a team with a low Bus Factor loses a key contributor, engineering leaders often see the same downstream effects:
Delayed releases
Reduced velocity
Incomplete or outdated documentation
Overwhelmed remaining team members
Knowledge gaps that surface only during incidents
Lower morale and rising stress levels
Onboarding friction for replacements
Technical teams feel this pain acutely because software doesn’t pause. Features, integrations, and fixes still need to ship. A high Bus Factor isn’t about expecting the worst. It’s about building a system that continues to operate at full capacity even when the unexpected happens.
Comparative Module: Low Bus Factor vs. High Bus Factor
Factor
Low Bus Factor
High Bus Factor
Knowledge distribution
Concentrated in 1–2 engineers
Spread across the team
Velocity
Highly dependent on key people
More consistent and predictable
Onboarding
Slow and brittle
Structured and supported
Risk exposure
High
Low
Team morale
Vulnerable
Stable
Incident recovery
Depends on heroics
Shared responsibility
A high Bus Factor is not an accident. It is the result of deliberate engineering leadership and intentional team design.
Section 2: Practical Ways to Increase the Bus Factor Inside Your Team
Engineering leaders know that redundancy is expensive, but resilience is essential. Increasing the Bus Factor doesn’t require doubling headcount; it requires building a healthier operating system for your team.
Several concrete practices strengthen a project’s Bus Factor, regardless of size or tech stack:
Encourage Shared Ownership of the Codebase
Teams with a strong Bus Factor treat the codebase as a collective asset. Engineers regularly review each other’s work, pair when needed, and avoid territorial ownership of modules. Shared responsibility reduces the risk of knowledge silos and increases consistency in style, patterns, and decisions.
Document Decisions, Not Just Systems
Documentation isn’t about writing encyclopedias. Effective documentation captures the “why”—the architectural reasoning behind decisions. This includes trade-offs, constraints, risks, and rejected paths. When a new engineer understands why something is built the way it is, they contribute sooner with fewer mistakes.
Build Rituals That Reinforce Knowledge Transfer
Agile ceremonies are helpful, but they are only the start. High Bus Factor teams add:
Architecture reviews
Tech talks led by team members
Code walkthroughs before major releases
Onboarding playbooks regularly updated
Postmortems stored in searchable systems
These rituals normalize shared learning and reduce the chance that only one engineer understands a critical function.
Make Cross-Training an Expectation
No engineer should be the only person capable of maintaining a subsystem. Even in specialized domains, at least two people should fully understand how the system behaves. Cross-training also boosts morale because it prevents individuals from becoming de facto bottlenecks.
Build Psychological Safety
Teams with psychological safety ask questions earlier, share concerns sooner, and collaborate more openly. When engineers feel comfortable saying “I don’t understand this part,” knowledge spreads naturally. Silence is the enemy of a high Bus Factor.
Reinforce Clear Communication Across Every Layer
Strong teams communicate in ways that scale: structured updates, transparent decisions, clean PR descriptions, and consistent coding standards. These create artifacts that help future engineers onboard without relying on tribal knowledge.
All these practices contribute to one outcome: a system that doesn’t collapse when someone leaves. But maintaining this level of resilience becomes harder when teams are distributed across distant time zones or built through offshore subcontracting models.
This is where the nearshore advantage becomes visible.
Section 3: When the Bus Factor Lives Across Borders
Remote work is now a default operating model. Distributed teams bring access to global talent, but they also introduce complexity. Hiring offshore teams in distant time zones can reduce cost in the short term and increase risk in the long term.
A low Bus Factor becomes more fragile when misalignment increases. Leaders often face these challenges when working with offshore vendors:
Limited overlap in working hours
Slow feedback loops
Fragmented communication patterns
Specialists who operate in isolation
High turnover hidden behind the vendor’s internal structure
Documentation gaps that widen with distance
Missed knowledge transfer during handoffs
When only one or two people inside a vendor understand your platform, your Bus Factor effectively shrinks to zero. Engineering leaders often discover this during emergencies or scaling cycles, when the partner cannot replace talent without significant onboarding delays.
This dynamic doesn’t happen because offshore teams lack skill. It happens because the engagement model doesn’t support shared ownership. The farther away the team is—culturally, operationally, and geographically—the easier it is for silos to form and go unnoticed.
Why Nearshore Changes the Equation
Nearshore teams in aligned time zones operate differently. They collaborate in real time, join your rituals, and integrate with your engineers rather than running tasks in parallel. This increases context-sharing, reduces communication friction, and raises the Bus Factor without adding layers of management.
Nearshore teams also tend to have lower turnover and greater stability, which reinforces continuity. When your partner invests in cross-training, internal knowledge hubs, and shared tooling, the Bus Factor naturally grows.
In the words of Scio’s PMO Director, Adolfo Cruz:
“Losing key people during development is more than a knowledge gap. It has ripple effects on morale, delivery speed, and a team’s ability to attract new talent.”
Avoiding that ripple effect requires a partner who treats resilience as part of the operating model.
Section 4: How Nearshore Talent Raises the Bus Factor by Design
A strong nearshore partner doesn’t just provide developers; it builds a team that distributes knowledge from day one. At Scio, this operating model is intentional. Collaboration patterns, team structure, and cross-training rituals all exist to raise the Bus Factor across engineering teams.
Real-Time Collaboration in Shared Time Zones
Aligned time zones eliminate overnight lag. Questions get answered quickly. Reviews happen during the same day. Decisions become shared rather than asynchronous. This alignment maintains context and reduces the risk of drift between teams.
Embedded Knowledge-Sharing
Nearshore developers join your standups, retros, demos, and architecture sessions. They participate in the decision-making process instead of just receiving tickets. This integration expands knowledge across both teams.
Cross-Training Built Into the Culture
High-performing nearshore teams don’t allow expertise to pool in one engineer. They cross-train systematically, ensuring redundancy across the stack. If one contributor steps away, another steps in without disruption.
Scio’s Internal Practices (Internal link placement → link to Scio’s blog on Agile or collaboration)
Scio’s teams operate with built-in rituals that reinforce collective ownership. Regular peer reviews, architectural walkthroughs, and strong onboarding systems ensure that no one person becomes a single point of failure.
A Partnership Model Built for Continuity
Unlike offshore vendors that rotate engineers without notice, nearshore partners prioritize stability. They understand that trust, consistency, and shared culture directly affect outcomes. When a nearshore partner invests in workforce retention and long-term relationships, the Bus Factor rises naturally.
Where External Validation Helps (External link suggestion)
For engineering leaders researching risk mitigation strategies, resources like the SEI (Software Engineering Institute) at Carnegie Mellon provide frameworks for understanding operational risk in distributed teams.
A nearshore partner that embraces these principles provides more than capacity. It provides resilience.
Section 5: The Net Positive Outcome
A higher Bus Factor protects delivery, but it also improves collaboration, morale, and strategic flexibility. Teams with distributed knowledge respond faster during incidents, onboard new engineers more effectively, and maintain consistent velocity through organizational change.
Nearshore talent amplifies these benefits. It allows engineering leaders to maintain speed, reduce risk, and expand capability without increasing fragility. When teams operate collaboratively, in real time, with shared context, the organization becomes stronger.
The Bus Factor isn’t just a metric. It is a mirror reflecting how a team builds, shares, and preserves knowledge. Raising it requires discipline, but the payoff is substantial: stability, predictability, and long-term success.
With the right partner, increasing the Bus Factor becomes an advantage rather than a struggle. Nearshore collaboration makes resilience accessible, operationally practical, and strategically aligned with how modern engineering teams work.
FAQ
The Bus Factor in Engineering Teams – FAQs
Why knowledge distribution matters for resilience, delivery continuity, and long-term scalability.
The Bus Factor measures how many team members could leave a project
before it becomes difficult or impossible to maintain or deliver.
A low Bus Factor signals concentrated risk.
Because it concentrates critical system knowledge in a small number of individuals.
Turnover, vacation, or role changes can quickly disrupt delivery,
slow incident response, and increase operational risk.
Nearshore teams operate in aligned time zones and follow shared collaboration rituals.
This enables real-time knowledge sharing, deeper integration,
and broader ownership across the team, reducing reliance on single individuals.
Yes. Documentation, shared ownership, cross-training,
pair programming, and consistent communication patterns
all help small teams operate with greater resilience
without increasing headcount.
Creating software can be compared to solving a big, complex puzzle. A developer needs to take a bunch of pieces (code, algorithms, requirements, deadlines, etc.) and put them together in the right way to create a functioning product that satisfies everyone involved, from clients to final users. And just like with a puzzle, there is no single «right» way to develop software; it depends on the individual developer’s preferences and style, where some may start by laying out all of the pieces and looking for patterns, while others may start assembling pieces and then adjust as they go along.
And the biggest challenge is that if even one piece is out of place, it can throw the entire system off balance. This is why, besides having a good team of developers able to see the big picture and break it down into manageable tasks, a good QA Tester is so critical to obtaining the best possible outcome during development. Only then can you hope to create a successful piece of programming.
That’s why having a good approach to QA is so important; having experienced testers whose toolset matches the requirements of the product, capable of coming up with a plan for how they will test the code as they write it, as well as having a deep understanding of what “quality” means for the project, is a must in any team.
So, in that sense, we want to take a look into one of the most important processes of QA: test cases. Because beyond running automated tests and manual testing, QA involves a systematic approach where developers can avoid costly mistakes and create products that meet customer expectations. And in practice, how can you design the perfect test case? What considerations should you have, and what’s the best approach to document and keep track of the sometimes messy process of QA?
Test cases are simple: Just think of everything
When it comes to software development, well-designed test cases are essential. By carefully planning out each test case, developers can ensure that their code will be thoroughly tested for errors, and taking the time to design comprehensive test cases can save a lot of time and effort in the long run. But how should you approach this task in practice? Is there a trick to designing a good Test Case?
“It depends on the project”, says Angie Lobato, a Quality Assurance Analyst at Scio with a wide range of expertise in everything QA. “The ISTQB already mentions that 100% thorough testing is not something that is possible, so it comes down to the priorities of the team, the requirements, the severity of the bugs, and the timelines set to deliver the product, as well as how much time the person in charge of QA has.”
This is why knowing how to design a test case is so important; considering all the challenges that software development already faces, being able to write an efficient, timely, and thorough test case is a valuable skill, keeping in mind things like…
Thinking about the expected behavior of the system under test. What should it do in various scenarios?
Choosing input values that will exercise all relevant parts of the system.
Designing tests that will detect errors, but also verify that the system behaves as expected.
Keeping track of all tests performed, including pass/fail status and any observations made.
However, saying this is easier said than done; it can be difficult to create comprehensive test cases that cover all possible scenarios, and as software becomes more complex, replicating customer environments to test for all potential issues requires some intuition and minute attention to detail. That’s why the design of your test cases has to start with a script as the basis of the test, documented and shared to see exactly what you are trying to accomplish. For this process, Angie tells us that…
“I first need to validate that the Test Case (TC) related to the specific item I’m checking doesn’t exist yet, and do whatever is necessary, like adding, taking out or updating steps to not end up with a suite of repeated test cases”, she explains. “To design the script, it’s always good to create them in their respective suite, with a link to the requirement so everybody in the team can easily find them (I’ve personally used TFS, Azure DevOps, and Jira) depending on the tools utilized during the project. For the script itself, I define the objective of the Test Case, as well as the preconditions and postconditions it needs. Once that has been taken care of, I start to retrace the steps necessary to reach the item I need to test. I add each needed step to achieve the objectives of the test case with their expected result, and finally, I validate the final results where the change needed to be reflected.”
As you can see, there’s a lot of documentation involved in designing a test case, and having the proper formats to keep everything in order (like this one) helps to make sure that each test is accomplishing what it needs to. And according to Angie, a good test case needs a couple of characteristics to make it good:
A good test case has a clear objective stated and is updated to the latest version of the project.
Has all the necessary testing data to execute it without creating repeated information.
Has defined all the preconditions and postconditions of the product.
And most importantly, don’t try to test more than one thing in a single case.
However, if you need to, changing the parameters of the test is necessary to make that clear.
An ideal test case shouldn’t have more than 10 steps in total.
Ensuring quality at a distance
As anyone who has ever been involved in software development knows, QA is a critical part of the process, and a good test case can help to ensure that the final product meets the requirements of the customer and is free of issues, especially in the current development landscape where remote collaboration is becoming a given.
For a Nearshore development team like the ones at Scio, a well-crafted, carefully designed test case is invaluable, helping to ensure that the team and the client is on the same page concerning the expected results of the testing process, and providing a clear and concise way to communicate those expectations to everyone involved.
In other words, a good test case can help to streamline the testing process and make it more efficient, so taking the time to create a good test case is well worth the effort for any remote software development team.
“Any company that outsources software development knows that collaboration is key to success. A good QA team is essential to ensuring that the final product meets the standards”, says Adolfo Cruz, PMO Director, and Partner at Scio. “In a Nearshore setting, they are especially beneficial because they ensure that any problems are found and fixed quickly before they have a chance to cause major problems. As a result, well-designed test cases play a vital role in ensuring the success of a remote relationship.”
The Key Takeaways
Quality is necessary at every step of the process of developing software, not only a concern in the final product.
A good example is test cases, how important they are to the process of QA, and what good practices get involved in designing one.
A well-designed test case is straight to the point, meticulous, and tries to think of all the context around the product in order to ensure the best quality possible.
Also, the process of designing a good test case is doubly important when working on a project remotely, helping keep everyone on the same page and track all the changes and corrections necessary to bring the best possible outcome.
Scio is a Nearshore software development company based in Mexico where we believe that everyone deserves everyone should have the opportunity to work in an environment where they feel like a part of something. A place to excel and unlock their full potential which is the best approach to creating a better world. We have been collaborating with US-based clients since 2003, solving challenging programming puzzles, and in the process showcasing the skills of Latin American Engineers. Want to be part of Scio? Get in contact today!
The way we conceptualize work is changing, first as a result of the pandemic, and second as a result of technology letting us do something unthinkable a mere five years ago. The result is a landscape where a lot of organizations are more willing than ever to adapt to their collaborators, offering ways to work that strike a better balance between their personal and professional lives.
However, what does this balance mean? Because the more we think about changing our actual practices, the more challenges and conundrums appear in the need of a solution. And the software industry, as one of the leaders in this evolution of the workplace, is experimenting with ideas more than ever to hit the specific balance between work, personal life, and the needs of a given project.
A right to disconnect
A lot of buzzes were heard when France, back in 2018, began to implement the so-called “Right to Disconnect”, a legal framework aimed at protecting workers from retaliation if they choose to not attend calls after their shifts. As proposed, this regulation showed that “work” as we knew it was starting to evolve, as more and more tasks in a company started to need a kind of specialization that sometimes could not be accomplished in the traditional 9-5 office hours.
This fostered a culture of being “always-on”, which could not be healthy or sustainable at all in the long run. After all, a good outcome for any project could come from an exhausted team that always had to be ready and reachable? The Right To Disconnect tried to solve this, with mixed results.
“We have our best ideas in unexpected places, at unexpected times. Excelling in today’s economy thus demands short bursts of intensive thought followed by seemingly unproductive – yet necessary – lulls. Nourishing such approaches requires workplace flexibility, not regulatory rigidity; depriving skilled professionals of these practices by telling them exactly when and how to work also deprives them of potential opportunities to create value”, says this article by the non-profit policy research organization R Street.
So, even if the intent of these legal frameworks is desirable and necessary, it could be argued that they also fail to solve many of the intricacies of working in industries like software, where different dynamics are at play. Programming, for example, is as much of creative activity as it is a technical one, trying to solve complex puzzles as efficiently and elegantly as possible in a given timeframe.
This means that, even if everyone obviously needs time to rest and relax, the idea of rigid boundaries to solve a programming challenge during a project is closer to the idea of “mandatory fun” than keeping a healthy boundary, with some companies even going as far as disabling emails and chat programs to ensure their workers comply.
“While some procedures, like taking the email server offline, will help to ensure that all employees are on equal footing, this approach may have unintended adverse consequences on employees with flexible work arrangements. Many caregivers, for instance, handle family responsibilities during the day and resume work after hours. IT departments will need to navigate these issues with human resources and user departments”, claims the HR blog First Reference in this article.
This same quote, however, points out a solution that can keep boundaries clear, without enforcing a total disconnect that can result in counterproductive outcomes: flexibility. As the pandemic rages on, and we rethink what work is, the idea of flexibility starts to become more than choosing to work from home or going to the office on a given day; is the ability, up to a point, to set our schedules, our times, or to select to collaborate with an organization that closely aligns with ourselves.
We’re here for you
Thanks to the rise of remote work, the possibility of working with clients abroad in tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Austin without having to lose boundaries or sleep is closer than ever thanks to Nearshore development companies like Scio. But what distinguishes a Nearshore, exactly?
Nearshore companies are getting popular lately, and it’s easy to see why: the whole idea is to offer outsourced development services within the time zone that matches the clients as closely as possible. Being located in Mexico, Scio works mainly with clients based in the US, collaborating with tech firms on projects with all kinds of challenges to solve, without needing the odd working hours that might result from working with a client in Europe or Asia.
This results in a close collaboration that still leaves room for boundaries, as the working hours of the team and the clients are the same; in fact, the schedules offered by Scio make sure there’s overlap in the middle of the day while leaving every developer to choose when to begin and stop working.
“Some of our clients realized that their developers not only can come from Wisconsin, Wyoming or Missouri; they are finding an enormous amount of talent available in Mexico and other LATAM countries that have no problem whatsoever connecting remotely to collaborate”,
“We can see that in our more recent applicants, who value these opportunities and are more than ready to join from anywhere in the world. Our focus is on certain time zones that are not too far apart from our clients, but Latin America as a whole has opened as a software development possibility like never before.”
Tells Rodimiro Aburto, Service Delivery Manager at Scio.
This results in the possibility of expanding the scope of things you develop and learn from, while still maintaining real-time communication with clients in other countries entirely, and without having to adjust your working hours to maintain the same boundaries you are used to, because of the idea of a Nearshore company is to offer convenience in collaboration and communication for both clients and developers, giving you the space to work as you feel best, while maintaining the excellence in outcomes that’s expected in these projects.
“So, what Nearshore comes to offer is the flexibility in which a Development Lead can chat in real-time with a collaborator in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, or Honduras, for example, as a full member of their team while keeping the healthy boundaries in hours that having the same time zone brings”, finishes Rodimiro.
We hope that this article has helped to introduce you to the possibilities of Nearshore outsourcing and shown you how Scio can provide a valuable solution for your business needs. Our team is passionate about creating healthy boundaries for our collaborators while still providing the flexibility needed in the modern workplace. If you are interested in learning more, please send us a message. We would be happy to discuss our services with you and answer any questions you may have. Thank you for taking the time to read our article!
The show must go on: Developing a venue booking app with UPick
As the year winds down, it’s time to look back and celebrate all of our achievements of 2021, the challenges and the goals we conquered, and the clients whose projects we helped to become reality.
This time, let’s take a look at the story behind the development of the UPick app, which had the goal of creating a useful and reliable booking tool for both venues and artists, and how we helped them bring that dream from concept to a product you can use today. Enjoy!
What goes into making a good idea into reality? For the creators of UPick, it meant finding a reliable team that could build upon their idea, understand the concept completely, and offers the best technical know-how to bring it from paper into every smart device you can imagine. The beginning was simple enough; back in 2020, a couple of friends were looking into an area of opportunity no one else seemed to be exploring yet: what if you could simplify the process to book a show for a venue through an app?
The pandemic gave them a wide-open window to implement a solution for an industry that felt the consequences of this crisis deeply. Live shows account for nearly 50% of the music industry’s revenue, so six months into the pandemic, according to the World Economic Forum, shutdowns had already cost venues around the world 10 billion dollars in sponsorships and ticket sales, with no end in sight.
But with vaccination rates increasing, it was probably a good time to try and bring shows back, and UPick’s creators thought that an app that offered a quick way to reconnect performers with venues had some fertile ground to grow.
So, in February 2021 they started considering Scio as a partner, looking for developers who could create this app from scratch, decide the full scope of the final product, and make important decisions about the direction of the platform.
This was the first time our clients worked with Nearshore developers, and the advantages of having a fully experienced team equipped and ready to roll inside your own time zone became invaluable, keeping the costs of development down without sacrificing quality.
Since our clients had never been involved in a project of this size, constant communication to decide the specifics of UPick was critical, going from things like how to monetize the service, to the best hosting platforms to use.
Typically, development at Scio consists of a 5-step plan designed to arrive at a solution in the most productive way possible. Understanding users and their needs, as well as the objectives and constraints of the app itself, was Step 1. Step 2 involved analyzing the requirements of the app in order to trace a plan for the UX/UI and architecture of the platform. Then, Step 3 is pure Agile Development, up to the official launch, which was Step 4. And after the kick-off, is a matter of support to ensure the quality of the app, giving ongoing maintenance and adding features as a Step 5.
The Scioneers chosen were a Programming Lead who developed the architecture of the app, a UI designer tasked with creating a comfortable and stylish interface, another one assigned to create a search bar and review functions within the app, and a QA lead who would make sure everything worked perfectly.
Communication was key. Thanks to daily scrums, a core pillar of our process, we walked our client through the progress of the project, needing nothing more than 15 minutes every day to discuss the changes and challenges that surfaced, as well as what we accomplished, every week.
Here, we solved tons of questions born during development, like “how will a band schedule a show?”, “how will refunds work?”, and “how will the venues and bands make deals?” to more technical matters, like choosing a cost-effective hosting solution (AWS in our case), implementing login credentials from Apple, Spotify, and social media (including some necessary workarounds), to selecting the best payment processor.
Also, as we briefly mentioned, the business plan of the app had to be revised entirely once the booking process was decided, as Upick could easily be cut out from the deal between venue and performer, and our team took care of that.
The biggest breakthrough was deciding to make UPick a “progressive application”, where a web portal could function as an app with consistency across devices, like desktops and smartphones, making it as convenient as possible.
Then features were added, like the ability to share photos, videos, setlists, and even playlists from Spotify, and we had to rethink the way bands could contact venues as our understanding of these deals grew.
Progress went smoothly until finally reaching our Minimum Viable Product, where one of UPick’s users, whom the client showed a preview, managed to run all of their bands through the platform before it was 100% finished, which not only showcases the talent of our team but also made the customer base excited about the final product.
All in all, by September the app was ready to be launched, a whole project contained within the chaotic year of 2021, where Scio was able to offer the exact solutions UPick was looking for. A learning experience for both our team and our clients, we celebrate the effectiveness of Nearshore development, which can deliver no matter the circumstances.
The Key Takeaways:
Since communication is crucial to make a product succeed, choose a development option that can communicate with you at the best time possible.
It doesn’t matter if the details of your idea haven’t been ironed out yet, a good team will help you with those decisions.
Development time of an app, depending on scope, doesn’t have to be too long. It took us around nine months to bring UPick from concept to reality.
Some APIs are not very friendly, but there are always workarounds to any obstacle.
If better ideas surge during development, it’s good to always voice them. The schedule might need to be reworked, but the final product is always going to be better.
Contrary to popular belief, software development isn’t just a Silicon Valley thing. Mexico has exploded onto the tech scene with game-changing companies creating software across the full spectrum of industries.
With a rapidly growing talent pool and shared timezone, these companies can easily integrate into your day-to-day processes, save you money, and deliver top-quality software. When it comes to software development, Mexico stands tall by helping engineers and devs accomplish some truly remarkable tech innovations.
1. Scio
Founded in 2003, Scio’s passion for creating world-class software combined with their desire to provide a full lifecycle approach earned them a Top 10 Places to Code award, a 5-Star Web App Development Services review from Liveli Enterprises, Top Software Development Companies Of 2020 according to DesignRush.Microsoft, AT&T, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield are just a few of the Fortune 500 companies that trust Scio to deliver their software needs. Scio’s specialty is working with established companies looking to augment their staff or scale-up existing software. Whatever your needs, Scio has the development team in place to quickly bring it to market, within budget, and precisely to your specifications.
The Scio Advantage:
Deep technical knowledge and experience that scales with your business. True agility in the form of real-time collaboration and faster review cycles. Flexible engagement models to help you build and support your application in unique ways. High-performance collaboration with aligned goals so both teams can achieve greatness.
Services:
Staff Augmentation
Custom Software Development
Software Testing & QA
Mobile & Web Development
Maintenance & Support
Customer Quote:
“Scio offers a team of well-vetted, professional developers. In addition to being timely and proactive in their approach, their unique backgrounds make for a professional relationship and improved outcomes. They continue to be a great long-term partner.” — Manuel Romero
Self-described “purpose-led” software development company that aims to provide top quality agile development services nearshore in Mexico and Latin America. They are Colombia based with four offices there and have satellite offices in Mexico City and New York City.
Services:
Agile Custom Software Development
IT Outsourcing
Comprehensive Outsourcing of Quality Assurance Support
DevOps Transition
Cloud Architecture Design and Implementation
Software Reengineering
Customer Quote:
“They have an advanced software development process, and I like the fact that they are an employee-centric company like we are. Their reliability, quality, and technical ability is excellent” — Tom Holt
A San Francisco based technology solutions and software development company founded by developers back in 2009. They recognized a wealth of IT talent growing in Latin America and quickly expanded operations to Argentina, Columbia, Brazil, and Mexico. Their mission is to help get companies talent they need at the right time so they can scale quickly. Time to market is something critical to their core values.
Services:
Custom Software Development
Software Testing & QA
Cloud Computing
Mobile & Web Development
Maintenance & Support
Blockchain Consulting
Customer Quote:
“BairesDev has helped us develop a secure bitcoin-based cryptocurrency platform with engineers that are qualified and proficient in crypto. We are extremely satisfied with their collaboration and achievement. We are happy to have given BairesDev a chance to earn our trust” — Willie Wang
An Inc. 5,000 fastest-growing company, Unosquare bootstrapped their own growth on the idea that talent, transparency, quality, availability, flexibility, and value matter most. They have a global presence with offices in the US, UK, and Mexico and specialized in BFSI, life sciences, and high-tech industries.
Services:
Software Development
Technology Project Consulting
Digital Transformation Strategies
Customer Quote:
“Not only did Unosquare give us solid guidance on the project, it innovated on its own” — Nick Cutillo
ATX based iTexico bridges the gap between Mexico and Texas with their nearshore specialization. Founded in 2010, iTexico has found its footing through offering cheap labor and real-time collaboration. They advertise talent available “right now” and strive to make the hiring process as quick and painless as possible.
Services:
Software Development Services
UI/US Design
QA
Mobile
Cloud
“The main impact was their speed and quality of delivery.” — Michael Baron
When looking for top-notch software development, Mexico has a world-class talent pool and the technical expertise you need to get your software developed on-time and under budget. You have many choices, but a review isn’t enough to find out if a company fits your budget, culture, and software vision. For that, you have to dig deeper and ask the right questions.
There are multiple methodologies that can be applied during software development, and one of the most popular is the concept of Agile software development. In an Agile environment, applications can be created through the implementation of individualized steps, with each one working toward a common goal. And while Agile methodologies (Scrum and Kanban, just to mention a few) have many benefits for developers, they are also advantageous for clients as well. Here are several ways that Agile development helps clients:
Client Engagement
Perhaps the foremost benefit of using Agile software development methodologies is the ability to keep the customer involved in every facet of the project. Commonly, Agile development progresses in stages known as Sprints, and it is after the completion of each Sprint where both developers and clients can make assessments and implement changes. This helps to promote a fluid exchange of information leading to an increase in project transparency. In addition, the fact that each Sprint represents a small piece of the development cycle means that clients can be frequently updated on the progress of the application.
Adaptability
It is not uncommon for a client’s needs to change during the development process, and with an Agile environment, these changes are relatively simple. While there is usually a formal plan as to how the finalized application will function, by building it in individualized steps, clients are able to refine specific functionalities while the software is still being created. In this way, these updates can be put to use during the next Sprint, after which the results can be retested to ensure client satisfaction.
Predictable Costs
Software development can be costly, and in many cases, these costs can fluctuate significantly as programming obstacles are encountered. However, through the use of Agile methodologies, developers have the ability to more accurately predict the costs that will be incurred throughout the process. This predictability comes from the fixed duration of the Sprints that separate each development phase. By knowing exactly how long a phase will take to complete and the amount of work that will be required, developers and clients will be aware of the costs before the next Sprint begins.
Goal-Oriented
The Agile development process allows clients to set their own goals for the project and this can help the development team better understand the specific needs of the client. Through this added level of understanding, programmers and developers will be able to make recommendations to the client which could have a positive effect on the final application.
In Summary: Agile Development is…
When it comes to meeting the needs of the customer, Agile software development offers many advantages to the more standardized ways of building applications. Through Agile development, programmers and clients can easily engage and collaborate throughout each phase of the project, and this level of transparency helps to ensure that all team members are working toward a single goal. In addition, by breaking the development process into stages there is a greater ability to predict the costs that will be involved in the creation of the application. Furthermore, Agile phases, known as Sprints, allow for coders to make adaptations even as the software is being developed. Remember to keep these points in mind when looking for hiring a software development company.
