In-house vs. Outsourced Project Manager: What Is a Better Solution for Your Development Team

The role of a project manager is usually the most important in the team as they plan, budget, run, and manage the projects. They also have to be aware of everyone’s work to ensure that the project will be finished in time and successfully.

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between the in-house and outsourced projects managers and when each option will work better for you.

The role of a project manager

Talking about the role of a project manager, they are team leaders who run the development process of the projects and are in charge of it. Their responsibilities are the following:

• Create a strategy of the development process, and build a process according to the one of PM methodologies.
• Plan the budget and make sure that everyone follows it.
• Solve any problems that may appear.
• Collaborate with the client and team members to ensure that all the requirements are met.

The planning stage doesn’t end when the project manager assigns work to developers, oversees the development process, and values the cost and risks of the project. The planning continues throughout the project as there will always be changes in the market, new information from the customer, and other unpredictable issues.

Companies often face the problem of how and where to hire a project manager. Each of them has its own requirements: the developer should work with the team from the beginning, be cost-effective, or be more involved in the company and its processes. These options you can see while hiring outsourced and in-house project managers.

In-house vs. Outsourced project manager

Choosing who is better to hire: an in-house or outsourced project manager may depend on many factors. These could be the development team, your requirements, and the project they will need to manage.

Choosing an in-house project manager is a good option for the in-house development team. Although they may cost more, especially project managers from the US, they have a good connection with the development team, can better organize them, and have good project management.

On the other hand, hiring an outsourced project manager is more cost-effective and has some advantages if the client wants to hire a team of developers to outsource. It is great if the developers and project managers work in the same agency, which increases their collaboration chances.

Let’s find out the pros and cons of each project manager and which is better to hire.

Pros and cons of the in-house project manager

In-house project managers have a close collaboration between team members as they are always on-site and can help and answer any questions developers and clients have. They also manage each process of the development and manage each developer’s work so that all the requirements are met with a high-quality product.

Pros

• They have access to in-house developers, which help them to ask them for help if needed.
• Greater involvement and interest in the company culture.
• Better collaboration between them and in-house developers.

Cons

• Hiring an in-house project manager is not the best option if the project is short-term.
• Usually, they are expensive.

Pros and cons of the outsourced project manager

An outsourced project manager is a great option if you need to search for outsourcing the team of developers who has a manager who already has a good connection with them. It is also cost-effective and good for short-term projects.

Pros

• High level of collaboration between the project manager and the development team.
• New ideas on the development process and business in general.
• Cost-effective.

Cons

• More time for a project manager to learn about your business.
• Ack of involvement in the company’s project.
• More time to get to know new developers and other team members.

Taking everything into account, you should estimate your goals, needs, requirements, budget, and how much time it will take and choose the best suitable project management model.

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