A Complete Guide to Outsource PHP Development

Outsourcing PHP development is hiring an external PHP development company or experienced PHP developers to design, develop, and maintain web solutions in PHP.

Established businesses, digital agencies, or funded startups often outsource web development projects from North America to manage costs, fill skill gaps, and need help to scale resources instantly.

According to Statista, IT outsourcing in Canada is forecasted to reach from 5.9 billion to 17.31 billion U.S. dollars by 2028. This stat highlights the increasing reliance of companies on Canadian outsourcing.

So, if you are looking to outsource your project, read this complete guide that has all the information like the step-by-step process of outsourcing to a reliable PHP development company, costs of outsourcing, top companies for outsourcing, and factors to take care of while outsourcing.

Let’s get started with when to outsource PHP development.

When to Outsource PHP Development Projects?

Here are scenarios in which you can outsource your PHP web development project. When you or your:

  1. The organization lacks the expertise or resources to undertake a specific development project.
  2. Limited budgets or time duration to deliver a web-based software project.
  3. Development requirements fluctuate or you require the ability to quickly scale resources up or down.
  4. Need specialized expertise in niche technologies, frameworks, or industry-specific domains to develop your web-based PHP software development project.
  5. Organizations are required to focus on their core competencies and require an external team for their project development.

Let’s learn about the benefits of outsourcing PHP development projects.

4 Reasons to Outsource PHP Development Projects

Here are the reasons why organizations prefer to outsource PHP development.

  1. Access to a Global Talent Pool and Specialized Expertise

    • Hire from a global talent pool of skilled developers with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and domain knowledge.
    • Access to specialized expertise that is not readily available in-house or within the local market.
    • Hire experienced developers who have experience in specific PHP frameworks and technologies.
    • Get access to PHP developers who have niche expertise and technology that is challenging to find or expensive to hire locally.
  2. Cost Savings and Scalability

    • Save cost particularly when hiring resources from regions with lower labor costs or competitive rates.
    • Get the flexibility to scale resources up or down based on project requirements. scaling resources or down based on project demands.
    • Optimize resource allocation and cost management for your offshore PHP development projects without compromising work quality.
  3. Faster Time-to-Market and Increased Productivity

    • Speed up time-to-market for projects by using the resources and expertise of dedicated development teams.
    • Focus on core strategic initiatives, product development, and other aspects of your business, allowing you to improve productivity.
  4. Access to the Latest Technologies and Best Practices

    • Access to up-to-date with the latest technologies, frameworks, and industry best practices in the PHP ecosystem.
    • Access to modern and secure techniques without the need for extensive in-house training or resource allocation.
    • Get quality PHP project development, efficient project management methodologies, and security practices in place.
    • Mitigate risks associated with development projects and ensure adherence to industry standards.
  5. Additionally, businesses should consider potential challenges, such as cultural differences, communication barriers, and long-term maintenance requirements, to ensure a successful outsourcing experience.

    Now, check the complete process of outsourcing PHP projects. Below we have described the entire process.

Step-by-Step Process for Outsourcing PHP Development Projects

Follow this step-by-step process to outsource your PHP web-based software development projects.

  1. Define Project Scope and Requirements

    • Conduct detailed requirements understanding sessions with stakeholders.
    • Document project goals, features, functionalities, and technical specifications.
    • Determine if any PHP coding standards are required to be followed throughout project development like PSR-1/PSR-2.
    • Determine project goals, milestones, and delivery expectations.
    • Specify any PHP-specific frameworks or libraries that should be used like Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, or Yii.
  2. Research and Evaluate Potential Partners

    • Search for PHP development companies with relevant industry experience.
    • Assess their portfolios, case studies, and client testimonials specifically related to PHP development.
    • Ask for examples of past PHP projects that are similar in scope or complexity to your project.
    • Evaluate their technical expertise, team structure, and development processes.
    • Consider their geographic location, time zone compatibility, and cultural fit.
    • Check for certifications, awards, or industry recognition.
  3. Shortlist and Interview Potential Partners

    • Create a shortlist of the most promising candidates based on your criteria.
    • Document PHP-specific technical questions or challenges in the interview to gauge their expertise.
    • Conduct technical interviews to assess their PHP expertise and problem-solving skills.
    • Assess the project management approach, communication abilities, and team collaboration.
    • Request detailed proposals, cost estimates, and project plans.
    • Clarify their intellectual property rights and data security measures.
  4. Select the Outsourcing Development Partner

    • Based on an evaluation, choose the most suitable PHP outsourcing partner for your project.
    • Discuss intellectual property rights, confidentiality agreements, and data protection measures.
    • Establish a clear contract or agreement outlining responsibilities and deliverables.
    • Discuss terms and conditions, including pricing, payment schedules, and project timelines.
  5. At Space-O Technologies, we understand all the ins and outs of outsourcing project development. With 7+ years of experience in developing web development projects, we help clients with each step of outsourcing project development.

    We take care of all these points and provide diverse web development services including building a custom website, web app, or web-based software solution, migrating to PHP technology, or upgrading your existing web solution.

    Want to Outsource Your PHP-based Web Project?

    Let’s talk. We have developed 300+ web-based solutions for our global clients from the USA, UK, Australia, UAE, and Canada.

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  6. Establish Communication and Collaboration Processes

    • Define communication channels like video conferencing, messaging apps, and project management tools.
    • Establish protocols for regular progress meetings, feedback loops, and reporting.
    • Assign dedicated project managers and points of contact from both sides.
    • Set up shared repositories or platforms for code sharing and collaboration.
    • Agree on documentation standards and knowledge-sharing practices.
  7. Define Project Milestones and Deliverables

    • Break down the project into manageable milestones and deliverables.
    • Specify the scope, requirements, and acceptance criteria for each milestone.
    • Establish review processes for ensuring quality and adherence to specifications.
    • Define clear deliverables, such as code, documentation, and testing reports.
    • Agree on milestone timelines and payment schedules, if applicable.
  8. Implement Quality Assurance Processes

    • Discuss and agree on coding standards, best practices, and guidelines.
    • Establish testing methodologies like unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing.
    • Implement code review processes, including peer reviews and static code analysis.
    • Define bug tracking and issue resolution procedures.
    • Discuss measures for ensuring code security, performance, and scalability.
  9. By following these detailed steps, it becomes easy to outsource your project. Additionally, you need to ensure clear communication and expectations for building a strong foundation to develop a successful PHP development project. Recently, following the above steps, we have developed multiple web projects. Here are the web projects we have developed.

Recent Web Apps Developed by Us

Next, learn about the top companies of outsourcing PHP development.

5 Top Outsourcing PHP Development Companies in Canada

To provide you with a list of the best PHP development companies, we have followed the below process.

  • We analyzed and filtered the top PHP development companies on Clutch based on whether each company we list is verified, has reviews above 20, and provides PHP development services.
  • We manually checked and verified the portfolio of each we listed, the services each vendor provides, years of experience in development, location, portfolio, cost, employees, and clients.
Company IconClutch Rating and ReviewsWeb Development ServicesHourly RatesLocations
Space-o 4.8
(61 Reviews)
  • PHP Web Development
  • Web Development Consulting
  • Website Development
  • Web Design
  • WordPress Development
  • Web Application Development
$25–$49/hrgoogle_map_iconSpace-O Technologies
Brainvire 4.8
(230 Reviews)
  • PHP Web Development
  • Laravel Web Development
  • PWA Development
  • Full-stack Web Development
$25 – $49/hrgoogle_map_iconBrainvire
imagexmedia 4.9
(75 Reviews)
  • Web Design
  • Web Development
$100 – $149/hrgoogle_map_iconImageX
Parachute-Design-Group 4.9
(29 Reviews)
  • Web Design
  • Web Development
  • WordPress Development
  • eCommerce Design
$150 – $199/hrgoogle_map_iconParachute Design Group
247-Labs-Location 4.8
(78 Reviews)
  • Web Development
  • eCommerce Development
  • Web Design
$50 – $99/hrgoogle_map_icon247 Labs Location

Cost of Outsourcing PHP Development Projects

The average cost of outsourcing a PHP project ranges from $5,000 to $2,00,000 and beyond.

However, the cost of outsourcing a web project varies depending on multiple factors like the location of the outsourcing company, the complexity of the project, the expertise level of developers, the experience level of PHP developers, and the scope of the work.

To help understand better the outsourcing cost of PHP development projects, here is a table.

Project TypeDescriptionEstimated Cost
Simple WebsiteA basic website with 5-10 pages, a contact form, and a responsive design.$2,000 – $5,000
eCommerce WebsiteAn online store with a product catalog, shopping cart, payment gateway integration, and order management system.$10,000 – $30,000
Web ApplicationA custom web application with user authentication, database integration, and various features based on specific requirements.$15,000 – $50,000
Mobile App (with PHP Backend)A mobile application for iOS or Android, with a PHP-based backend for data processing and API integration.$25,000 – $100,000
Enterprise Web PortalA large-scale web portal with multiple modules, complex functionality, and integration with various third-party systems.$50,000 – $150,000
Custom Software SolutionA tailored software solution with unique features and requirements, often involving complex business logic and integrations.$75,000 – $250,000+

Note: This table just provides the overview of the cost information for PHP development projects. The cost provided in the above table may vary based on the specific requirements of the projects.

Additionally, consider factors like the costs of project management, quality assurance, and ongoing maintenance and support.

    Tip: Start with smaller tasks to assess the partner’s capabilities when outsourcing. Once satisfied, outsource the full project, maintaining proper communication channels for guidance and support.

Next, let’s learn about the basic team structure of a PHP web development team.

A Team Structure for PHP Outsourcing Web Development

Go through the following table to learn about the different roles and responsibilities in the entire cycle of project development.

RoleResponsibilities
Project Manager
  • Coordinate with client and development team
  • Manage project timelines and milestones
  • Oversee resource allocation and task assignments
  • Monitor progress and ensure timely delivery
  • Facilitate communication and resolve conflicts
Lead Developer
  • Provide technical leadership and guidance
  • Architect system design and infrastructure
  • Ensure coding standards and best practices
  • Conduct code reviews and mentoring
  • Manage technical risks and challenges
Backend Developers
  • Develop server-side logic and API endpoints
  • Implement database interactions and data processing
  • Integrate with third-party services and APIs
  • Optimize application performance and scalability
  • Write clean, maintainable, and secure code
Frontend Developers
  • Build user interfaces
  • Integrate frontend with backend APIs
  • Ensure responsive design and cross-browser compatibility
  • Implement client-side validation and interactivity
  • Optimize frontend performance and accessibility
Quality Assurance
  • Plan and execute testing strategies
  • Perform manual and automated testing
  • Identify and report bugs and issues
  • Validate application functionality and usability
  • Ensure compliance with requirements and standards
DevOps Engineer
  • Set up and maintain environments
  • Implement CI/CD pipelines and automation
  • Monitor system performance and handle deployments
  • Ensure application security and reliability
  • Manage infrastructure provisioning and scaling
UI/UX Designer
  • Design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces
  • Conduct user research and usability testing
  • Create wireframes, mockups, and prototypes
  • Collaborate with developers for design implementation
  • Maintain design guidelines and brand consistency

Further, let’s learn about the core challenges that are faced in general when outsourcing PHP projects.

Looking to Outsource Your PHP-based Web Application?

Contact us. We have a team of 50+ web developers who have expertise in PHP, Laravel, MySQL, WordPress, CodeIgniter, Yii, and DevOps.

6 Challenges and Solutions While Outsourcing PHP Development Projects

While outsourcing web development projects, multiple challenges require to be addressed to ensure a successful outcome. Let’s understand and mitigate these challenges to ensure a smooth outsourcing experience.

  1. Finding Skilled and Dedicated Developers

    One of the primary challenges in outsourcing web development is finding skilled and dedicated developers who are invested in delivering high-quality work. It can be difficult to identify developers or teams with the right combination of technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to meeting project requirements and deadlines.

      Solution: Search on Clutch or GoodFirms to find a reliable outsourcing web development company like Space-O Technologies. Additionally, we have created a listing of the top development companies in specific technologies and platforms like web, Odoo, software, SaaS, and design. To find the listing, you can check our blog section.
  2. Cultural Differences and Communication Barriers

    Working with experienced PHP developers from different cultural backgrounds and regions leads to communication barriers and potential misunderstandings. You face challenges of language barriers, varying work cultures, and disparities in communication styles that hinder smooth collaboration, leading to delays, misinterpretations, or suboptimal outcomes.

      Solution: Establish communication tools like Slack, Skype, and Zoom, and encourage cultural understanding through regular meetings and collaborative activities.
  3. Ensuring Quality Control and Adherence to Standards

    Maintaining consistent quality standards like SOLID principles, code formatting and style guides, and design patterns, and adherence to coding best practices, and documentation guidelines is important when outsourcing development. Outsourcing partners may have different approaches and methodologies, which could impact the overall quality of the deliverables.

      Solution: Define and use coding standards, review processes, and automate testing from the outset to ensure consistent quality across the outsourcing and in-house development team.
  4. Intellectual Property and Data Security Concerns

    When outsourcing web development projects, you may need to share sensitive information, proprietary code, or business logic with the outsourcing partner. This raises concerns about protecting your intellectual property and maintaining the confidentiality and security of your data. Implementing robust security measures, such as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), secure code repositories, and access controls, is essential.

      Solution: Sign contracts like NDAs take security measures like encrypted data transfer, and implement access controls to protect intellectual property and sensitive data.
  5. Project Management and Oversight

    Effective project management is challenging when working with remote teams. Ensuring that the outsourcing partner adheres to agreed-upon project timelines, milestones, and deliverables requires diligent monitoring, clear communication of expectations, and regular progress reviews.

      Solution: Assign or hire a dedicated project manager for your project, set clear milestones and KPIs, and conduct regular progress reviews to get high-quality deliverables.
  6. Long-term Maintenance and Support

    While outsourcing may be focused on delivering a specific project or set of features, long-term maintenance, bug fixes, and ongoing support can be challenging when working with an external partner. This can be particularly problematic if the project requires frequent updates or enhancements over time.

      Solution: Negotiate long-term maintenance and support contracts, and knowledge transfer processes, and ensure thorough documentation.
  7. To mitigate these challenges, it’s essential to carefully select a reputable outsourcing partner with a proven track record, establish clear communication protocols, define quality standards, implement security measures, and have a well-defined project management plan in place.

Our PHP Developers Have Expertise in the Following Technology Stack

Check the following table to know which technology stack we use to develop PHP-based projects.

CategoryTechnologies
Back-end LanguagePHP
Back-end FrameworksLaravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, Yii
DatabasesMySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Front-end LanguagesHTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
Front-end FrameworksReact, Angular, Vue.js
Front-end LibrariesjQuery
CSS FrameworksBootstrap, Foundation, Materialize
Web ServersApache, Nginx
Version ControlGit
Dependency ManagementComposer
TestingPHPUnit, Selenium, Cypress
ContainerizationDocker
Cloud PlatformsAWS, Linode

You have learned about all the core information of outsourcing PHP development. However, if you have any questions or want to learn more about PHP project outsourcing, check the following FAQ section.

FAQ About PHP Development Outsourcing

  1. Which are the best use cases for PHP development?

    PHP is a widely used server-side scripting language to create web-based projects. Here are the use cases for PHP development.

    • Building dynamic websites and web applications
    • Developing content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla
    • Creating e-commerce platforms and online stores
    • Building custom web-based applications for businesses
    • Developing APIs and web services
    • Building social networking platforms
    • Developing web-based tools and utilities
  2. How do I select the best PHP development outsourcing partner?

    If you are looking to know how to select the best PHP development outsourcing partner, consider the following factors.

    • Experience and expertise in PHP development
    • Portfolio and client testimonials
    • Technical skills and resources
    • Communication and collaboration abilities
    • Project management processes
    • Security and quality assurance practices
    • Pricing and cost-effectiveness
    • Cultural fit and time zone compatibility
  3. What are the common mistakes to avoid while hiring a PHP project outsourcing company?

    Here are common mistakes to avoid when hiring a PHP project outsourcing company.

    • Prioritizing cost over quality and expertise
    • Failing to clearly define project requirements and expectations
    • Neglecting to thoroughly vet the company’s credentials and experience
    • Poor communication and lack of collaboration
    • Inadequate project management and quality assurance processes
    • Failure to establish clear intellectual property rights and ownership
    • Ignoring cultural and language barriers
    • Overlooking security and data privacy concerns

    By being aware of these potential pitfalls, you can make a more informed decision and increase the chances of a successful outsourcing partnership.

  4. What are the different ways to outsource PHP development projects?

    There are several ways to outsource PHP development projects, including:

    • Hiring a dedicated PHP development team or individual developers
    • Engaging with a PHP development outsourcing company or agency like Space-O Technologies
    • Utilizing freelance platforms and hiring independent PHP developers
    • Partnering with an offshore development center or captive unit
    • Leveraging staff augmentation services to supplement in-house resources

    The choice of outsourcing approach depends on factors such as project scope, budget, timeline, and resource requirements.

  5. What types of PHP projects are outsourced majorly?

    Different types of PHP projects are commonly outsourced. Here is a list.

    • Web application development (e-commerce, CRM, ERP, HRMS, and SCM)
    • Content management system (CMS) development and customization
    • API and web service development
    • Website design and development
    • Migration and integration projects
    • Legacy system modernization
    • Maintenance and support services
    • Quality assurance and testing

Outsource Your PHP Development Project to Space-O Technologies

Outsourcing PHP development helps businesses looking for cost-effective solutions, specialized expertise, and faster time-to-market. By following the steps in this guide, you navigate the outsourcing process and find the right partner for your project.

Space-O Technologies, a leading PHP development outsourcing company in Canada, offers a team of skilled PHP developers, proven processes, and a commitment to deliver high-quality solutions. Contact us to discuss your PHP-based web applications development requirements and take your business forward with our expertise.

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Rakesh Patel

Written by

Rakesh Patel is the Founder and CEO of Space-O Technologies (Canada). He has 28 years of IT experience in business strategies, operations & information technology. He has expertise in various aspects of business like project planning, sales, and marketing, and has successfully defined flawless business models for the clients. A techie by mind and a writer at heart, he has authored two books – Enterprise Mobility: Strategy & Solutions and A Guide To Open311

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