In-House Team, Freelancer or Agency: Team Structure for Mobile App Development

An app development team should be composed of individuals with different backgrounds and expertise in order to create a successful product.

App Development Teams

Why is it important to talk about team structure for mobile app development? When you take the next step and start working on a mobile app for your business, you choose to improve your brand. So you must invest in an app that says “my brand is what you need.”

To build this app, you have to choose the best app development approach. Every approach shares one requirement: high-end specialists from different fields. You need people who know what they are doing and are good at it. But do you need to build a team within your business? Should you hire an agency? Or can freelancers do the job? The answer to that answer depends on two factors: app size and budget.

Learn more about each mobile app development team structure to know which approach is best for your business.

The Ideal Team Structure Depends On The App Size

In-House Team

In-house app development relies on building a team within the company that can focus entirely on a project. Ideally, HR hires a specialist who can build an efficient team to develop the mobile app.

An in-house team is the most comfortable option. It allows you to manage the team and keep up with their work. Furthermore, it conveys a stronger sense of security as the specialists are 100% focused on the success of your business app. At the end of the project, you will be able to count on the team for tech support.

However, you should avoid employing this approach in complex apps because it is not the most resource efficient. In fact, putting together a competent team for one specific project from scratch is very time-consuming, and employment-associated expenses can be costly, even with a small project.

Agency

Hiring an agency – or outsourcing – means that you welcome an external team of app developers from a third-party provider to work on your business mobile app.

That is the best-suited team structure for big projects. An agency can provide you with a solid, highly effective, and specialized team that works with tried-and-true methods and is ready to start working as soon as you hire them. This approach is also the most cost-effective, as it does not involve business charges, and is less time-consuming than building an internal team.

This external team takes over the app development process from start to finish and thus does not need in-house management. Even though you, as the client, have access to information, this approach limits your control and visibility over the project. Having an “out-house” team handling a corporate project can result in friction between both parties in moments of disagreement.

Freelancer

If you have a small, short-term project, hiring a freelancer can be a suitable option. Freelancers are easy to hire. They are always in direct contact with you, constitute an inexpensive approach, and can be extremely effective with simple projects. A freelancer can work together with permanent employees or with an in-house team. You can hire one or more specialists to help the current team in several fields, such as design.

But the project size has to be very small, that is, the app must be as simple as possible – standard features, plain design, and few buttons. A freelancer does not have the means to manage a whole project. Moreover, there is also a chance you hire someone who is not as qualified as they appeared.

Conclusion

When choosing the best team structure for your mobile app development, you must consider app size and budget.

The app size, scope, and complexity are key factors when it comes to hiring a mobile app development team. For complex apps that offer plenty of features, elaborate design, and smart options, hiring an app development company in London is the safest option. In-house teams and freelancers are most adequate for medium to small apps. The former has the capacity to handle a medium level of difficulty, whereas the latter should be hired specifically for short-term projects. Budget-wise, in-house teams are the most expensive approach, whereas freelancers are the least costly.