Outsource or hire ?

Outsourcing is great. I've used several companies in Eastern Europe and India in the past. When it works, it's brilliant. However, you need to be aware that outsourcing requires a lot of work. With some companies there is not only a time difference, but also a language difference. Technical specifications and plans need to be far more specific than you would require if you had an employee that you could talk to and work with face to face on a daily basis. Also, the issue with some outsourcing companies is that they tend to overstate what they can do. I have had several experiences where people have claimed to have expertise in a certain area of programming, but when I've asked for real world examples, they have not been able to furnish any. The rating system on sites like elance.com is very useful when it comes to weeding out many of these companies, but it is not foolproof.

Nagi is right when he says that finding and building a great team can be time consuming and difficult. My advice would be to use outspourcing to get the idea up and running, and once you are in a position to secure funding or generate revenue, then consider bringing in a member of staff. This will give you time to look for the right person, and will also save you money in the initial stages of your companies lifecycle. If I can help you with any advice relating to outsourcing companies, don't hesitate to get in touch.

يمكنك أن تفوض المهمة لطرف ثالث، لكن إذا احتجت لاحقا لتعديلات أو صادفت مشاكل معينة، ماذا ستفعل؟ هل ستلجأ دائما للطرف الثالث أم يمكنك تدبر الأمر بنفسك؟

مرحليا يبدو أن الاستعانة يمصادر خارجية (outsourcing) لا يكلف كثيرا. لكن على المدى المتوسط والطويل سيغذو الأمر مكلفا جدا.

الأفضل أن تركز على بناء الفريق. يمكنك الاكتفاء بشخص واحد في البداية ثم التوسع لاحقا. أو يمكنك البحث عن شريك مقتنع بالفكرة ليقوم بالتطوير مقابل حصة من المشروع.

On this one, I would have to go with "build a team".

Having said that, a case can be obviously made for outsourcing. You could do it at the beginning just to get a proof of concept out there and get investors excited. You could also do it in a model of outsourcing with an option of hiring the developers after a certain period.

Ultimately, as much as it is a game of controlling expenses (the outsourcing model might be better in the short term) and building a product, it is also a game of intellectual property, and of investing in building expertise and know-how. If this is something important to your new enterprise (and to your potential investors!), building your own team early on is key.

What I recommend is focus on proving the revenue and business model first before incurring fixed costs. Hiring and building an A class team can be a long and challenging process.

الافضل الاعتماد على المصادر الخارجيه في بداية المشروع كخطوه اوليه الى ان يثبت المشروع فعاليته او تتكون لديك صوره اوضح عن التكاليف المستقبليه . فلا تثقل نفسك بتكاليف كبيره في مرحلة البدايه و من ثم يمكنك الانتقال الى مرحلة بناء فريق متفرغ لتطوير المشروع