Outsourcing Your Product Development? Here’s How to Stay in Control

You have a great product idea and decide to outsource its development. But how do you ensure your third-party team is doing a good job? And how can you set them up for success?

Own Your Codebase and IP

The first and most critical step is to own the product’s intellectual property (IP). Get this in writing. The agency owning the codebase rights will surely cause trouble in the long run.

Support the Development Process

Collaboration is key. If your development partner requests that you:
✅ Log issues in a ticketing system instead of emailing—use the ticketing system.
✅ Validate features in a test environment—make time to do it.
🚩 If they don’t provide a test environment, consider that a warning sign.

Feature validation is a chance to give feedback, improve quality and assess how well your partner delivers.

Focus on the Big Picture

Don’t get lost in perfectionism. The goal is to ship features to users quickly. Pixel-perfect expectations lead to delays and budget overruns. Prioritize functionality and usability over nitpicking small design details.

Ask Questions—And Expect Clear Answers

Never hesitate to ask why things are done a certain way. A good development partner should be able to explain technical concepts in plain language.

🚩 If they constantly respond with overly complex technical jargon, take that as a red flag. You should understand the reasoning behind major decisions.

Control Your Infrastructure

Many agencies set up infrastructure under their accounts—but that can trap you.

Instead, insist that:
✅ All services (cloud, repositories, databases) are registered under your accounts.
✅ You manage the billing directly.

This ensures you retain control if you need to switch partners or vendors.

Secure Access to Documentation

Documentation is critical, but many agencies neglect it. Here’s what you can do:
✅ Set up your Confluence, Notion, or documentation platform and grant them access.
✅ Regularly review the documentation—this helps you assess quality and completeness.

Regularly Review Your Strategy

Every 3–6 months, take a step back and ask:

• Is the agency maintaining a clean codebase?
• Are they delivering on their promises?
• Do you still feel in control of your product?

If you have doubts, consider an external tech audit—a small investment that can prevent costly mistakes.

Outsourcing doesn’t mean giving up control. You can empower your development partner with the right approach while ensuring long-term success.