Every day companies across the globe are struggling with the challenges and solutions concerning mobile app development. One of the primary dilemmas companies face is whether to create mobile apps in-house or to contract out development. It’s the classic “build versus buy” scenario.
This choice is not unique to app development - companies can and do choose outsourcing for human resources, marketing, product fulfillment - virtually anything that a company needs to operate on a daily basis can be provided by third parties.
For mobile app developers – really for any software developer – the explosion of mobile smart technology presents a current and long term opportunity, that is if you have the skills and knowledge base to deliver what companies need.
Whether you’re an independent developer contracting out your services, are with an indie shop that provides third party services or work for a company doing in-house development - you need to understand the current app development landscape so that you can prepare yourself for the short and long term future.
To help understand the enterprise current landscape as it relates to mobile app development, Phunware has written an
article titled “Should You Develop Your Mobile Apps In-House? - An Exploration of Development Challenges and Solutions.” The publication is written for companies to help provide clarity on how to approach mobilizing their efforts.
So you might be saying, “Well, it’s not really written for app developers.” And that’s true, however my reply would be this: as a developer, you should understand the challenges facing companies today, so that you can prepare yourself with the tools to meet the needs of these companies.
For example, the report points out that companies are having a tough time finding developers with the specific skills they need. So wouldn’t it make sense to know why that is? And it’s not just the coding. The report points out that mobile app development requires an entire team that really grasps the mobile landscape and what it means for the organization. Shouldn’t you learn what companies are looking for beyond coding so that, no matter if you are working under contract or in-house, you understand the big picture?
It’s not a long read so you won’t be taking up a huge amount of your time, and when you’re done, you’ll have a better understanding of the world that you code in. The
report is available on the Phunware website.