Should developers be encouraged to participate in Seminars and conferences?

"Everything comes with some advantages and few disadvantages! Nothing is perfect in the world neither our concern about Seminars and Conferences. Should a developer attend them? It is really a complicated debate. There are lots of benefits and few demerits of Seminars or Conference. The thing is what is our priority? Is the seminar relevant for the developer or not? So, it all depends upon the situation and the topic and if it is really related to a developer then, the 2-3 days period will change the life of developer else the same will happen but in a negative manner!”

Let’s come straight to the point, we often need expertly guidance or suggestions for steady progress no matter what industry our business is in. And likewise, developers who constantly search for improvements in their products or intend to incorporate creative blends into their projects would feel a dearth of an industry conference or seminar (at times, if not every day). Here, we are listing out some of the main reasons why developers should actually take some time off their schedule and attend seminars and conferences –

Learn Something New: It’s of paramount significance for any developer to expand their horizon of knowledge. Seminars and conferences play a huge role in helping people learn something new about their specific area of interest. They are empowered with an opportunity to learn a whole lot more from interacting and grasping the ideas of professionals. Seminars where experts are sharing their experiences and growth modules will help developers hone their skills. The new knowledge on their domain will definitely keep them ahead of others. In fact, it builds a confidence within them and this is really vital for any professional especially if he belongs to technical field. In the competitive and ever changing environment it becomes essential to remain up to date and confident enough so that you can advocate with your client for their benefit which in turn give prosperity to you and your company.

Get Inspired: A break-point from the one above! Yet, conferences go a long way in instilling new ideologies and concepts into the minds of creative developers. They not just help add something valuable to one’s business, but also help change the way one works. The concepts when get executed by the developer, he gets awesome output that will definitely bring reputation of your company in the industry. In fact, up to date concepts and futuristic methodologies are way better than that of traditional system. So it is always welcomed by the industry and attending seminars and conferences can inspire developers to get better and design more creative concepts, helping them achieve greater success in their respective fields.

Stay Connected With Industry Trends: One of the most important reasons why any developer should attend a conference is to know the latest news and trends that hit the market. A field that is highly competitive demands constant knows– hence, seminars help developers stay updated with trends in their industry and stay cutthroat. Industry throws out those outdated stuffs in no time; you can guess it by considering how fast a technology gets depreciated. Every passing day, the industry is gifted with numerous outstanding and brilliant ideas that makes the older concepts outdated. So in order to sustain in the ever changing industry it is necessary to remain updated with new and latest trends and technologies.

Add Value to the Product: Seminars are more like an investment – where a developer could go, learn the tricks, expand his possibilities as a developer, hatch onto some new ideas, and build a better product. Conferences render the skills and knowledge one would need to make his product or venture valuable. Knowledge never get exhausted rather gets transferred to different versions and in different forms. So, from the knowledge that you gained from Seminars and Conferences you can build more productive products for the industry. In fact, the process of development becomes more efficient and the quality of the end products stands out from others. Hence it really helps in adding values to the products or services directly or indirectly.

Networking Opportunities: Usually developers are encouraged to be connected with likeminded professionals through social media networks like LinkedIn. There they discuss with others, shares their thoughts, points and gains knowledge. There are many web platforms like forums that also help in networking with others and gaining knowledge from each other. But, they all are virtual and can never be compared to that of practical like Seminars and Conferences. Nothing better than being introduced to industry professionals in practical! Seminars provide developers with an ideal opportunity to connect and interact with like-minded people. Networking with right people could turn resourceful for developers – where they could meet another professional with the same or better vision, have someone interview their product, or get insights into their developmental plan.

Change the Strategies: A lot of times, seminars or conferences are a way to review the progress or retreat in life. If there is anything that looks off-the-track, seminars could help provide an insight into it and help change the strategies to get back on the right track. They also enable one to be reflective, tweak the turns (if needed), and evaluate their progress. Many times, some mediocre minds came to seminar with their outrageous products or concepts and ask the participants for their opinion. In the process, the participant will not only gains knowledge on a new concept but also gets an opportunity to interact with a concept that may be way ahead of their scope. But, it will definitely bring some excellent knowledge on the new concept; even they can give better opinion to the person to make the concept more effective and efficient.

Have Fun: Last but not the least; developers should attend seminars because they are seriously fun. Being in business should never be a dull chore and hence, industry seminars can bring excitement and enjoyment to dealing with a career choice. It’s more like an ideal amalgamation of educational learning, professional creativity, and fun! So it will rejuvenate the developer and makes him enthusiast enough to focus on his work with more energy and confidence after the seminar is over.

Mindfire Solutions takes all the initiatives that are necessary to include a knowledge based culture at the work place. Employees across the three centers hold seminars on various software development topics. It also encourages employees to attend seminars outside the organization that help a great deal in enhancing the overall knowledge of its employees apart from giving them the required exposure. Are you then sufficiently interested in the culture of knowledge at Mindfire Solutions?

Checklist for outsourcing software development

As globalization increases with every step of the way, companies and major organizations are moving towards the concept of outsourcing and using external contractors to get relevant software and production processes developed. However, outsourcing brings with it an increased amount of security and trust issues. Companies usually have very important trade secrets that they would not wish to be disclosed. Therefore, sharing company sensitive information with a client who is not physically present can be taxing. Over the past years many outsourced projects have taken a turn for the worst, where either due to mismanagement the project failed delivers on the desired results, or due to certain negligence trade secrets or sensitive company information was leaked.

In order to avoid such a scenario, companies must undertake a proper background check of their client whom they intend to work with. Following is a checklist that companies can follow when choosing their outsourcing partner.

Make a criteria list: A list of criteria must be established that the outsourcing partner should follow. By outlining the essentials both the firms doing business together are aware of their rights and limitations. All ambiguities are sorted out, and work can commence in a proper way. By doing so a proper framework is established through which the business venture can move ahead in a professional way. This would reduce the chance of any unforeseen risk and deadline breaches. Furthermore the firm would not have to spend additional amount of capital on contingency plans.

Compile an alternate client list: It is always prudent to have backup or alternate options in case the primary client, either back out or due to some reason is deemed as unqualified for the job. By having a list of alternate outsourcing software developers, the respective organization can reduce the cost of finding clients every time. The alternate list can also be used for future outsourcing plans and would save the firm valuable time on researching upon prospective outsourcing clients.

Background check is a definite to-do: Undertake a credibility check of the outsourced partners. To make sure that the outsourcing company’s software developers are credible and reliable; a proper background check regarding the work efficiency of the partner should be undertaken. It is essential that the following outsourced partners are using legitimate production techniques and have a reputation of delivering on time and are not regarded as a company that is known for slacking. It will be ill advised if the firm neglects doing the appropriate credibility check because there might be a chance that the outsourcing partner usually breaches deadlines or has a reputation of committing some sort of felony.

Narrow down the list of alternates: After the complete due diligence process, the list of potential alternates can be reduced and only those that the company sees as a future partner can be left. This allows the organization to focus their energy on the important alternates and take an informed decision.

Select the best of the lot: The last aspect on the checklist is the selection of an appropriate client/partner. After all the necessary information is collected and the outsourcing software development partner is chosen the respective company can visit their offices and have interactive meetings so that a proper understanding is established between the two partners. Even though the process is only for a temporary time period, yet the cost associated with the project and the sensitivity of it, compels the organization to undertake the entire checklist procedure.

Trust form the basis of any long term relationship but that does not mean one would choose its software development partner based on all that. A due diligence and meaningful interactions could save a lot of time, effort and money in the future. So when you choose your software development partner choose wisely. You may also like to check out a 16 year old offshore software development company who has a reputation for having constantly delighted its clients over the years. If you need a software development partner to help you achieve your business goals, reach out to us at sales at Mindfire Solutions dot com and we will get in touch with you at the earliest.