Software outsourcing has blossomed primarily because it yields significant benefits in operational cost reduction as compared to similar work done in-house. Though it is a very well adopted measure in recent times, there are challenges of cultural and language barriers that make delivery models for global software development difficult to execute.

In its simplest definition, software outsourcing is an arrangement where any organisation can choose to hire an external service provider for effective planning and management of all the aspects of a software development project, rather than getting the job done by in-house developers. It is a practice by which the control of a project is entrusted to an external agency who are qualified and experienced to handle the task.

Though the concept of software outsourcing is not new to the software development industry, it is important to understand the basics of the service models. There may be many models of outsourcing the development, testing and maintenance of a software project, however, they are dependent on three critical approaches such as dedicated teams, IT staff augmentation, and project dependent outsourcing. The concept of the best model does not exist and solely depends on individual requirements.

Perhaps you have come across the term SDLC or Software Development Life Cycle when you are into software developing. There are quite a few types of SDLC methodologies applied in software building nowadays. SDLC which also goes by the name Software Development Process is a widely known term of a process in the software industry. The process elaborates the planning part of designing software which is based on various Software Development Models. Before a software developing team begins stepping into a software project it would require a blueprint of the software. SDLC is that cycle of software from its start to its end.

It is a process that is followed by a software development project by a software organization.

The following graphical representation explains the various stages of a usual SDLC.