Question: I’m considering working with an offshore development team. What do I absolutely need to know before going this route?

There are 2 important things you need when working with an offshore dev team. First, you need to have a clearly defined project with a definite set of requirements. Otherwise, there is no real end or goal the team will be working towards. Second, you absolutely need to have a person on your team managing the project. There will always be questions that come up, as well as decisions that need to be made during the project. Without a project manager overseeing these decisions, you run the risk of making incorrect decisions / assumptions, which leads to a loss in time and productivity.