We’ve all heard about Continuous Delivery in software development; it’s become a necessity in our landscape, but it's more an ideal goal than a reality.
Continuous Delivery (CD) is a software engineering methodology that emphasizes the frequent release of software updates to ensure reliability and responsiveness to change. In theory, CD allows developers to design, build, test, and release software quickly and frequently. In practice, however, CD is far more complex than the clean workflows you’ll find in the books.
Look under the hood of any U.S. enterprise, and you'll find tectonic plates of batch processes, overnight jobs, macros in Excel, and legacy software that is difficult to migrate and maintain.
There are exceptions, of course. I've been fortunate enough to experience the most modern practices and innovative platforms planned, designed, and developed from scratch. But even in companies with new software, time is tight, budgets are not ideal, and teams are not large enough to produce software according to best practices and patterns.
As it stands, achieving Continuous Delivery in any environment can feel like a distant ideal. Nonetheless, moving closer to CD is not only possible, it’s essential. And learning to work with offshore teams might just be the puzzle piece that’s been missing.
The Issue With Continuous Delivery
If you examine leading tech companies that have implemented true Continuous Delivery, you’ll notice they share common traits: they are usually software-first organizations with large, specialized teams and mature DevOps pipelines. For most companies, especially those outside the software industry, limited budgets, lean teams, and tight timelines create roadblocks that make full CD implementation difficult.
Yet, there's hope. Even if a company can’t release every few hours, adopting certain practices can close the gap. Many organizations are capable of releasing new features every week—a realistic goal that brings them significantly closer to the Continuous Delivery ideal.
Key Principles of Continuous Delivery
Source Code Management (SCM) Systems
The first requirement for CD is a robust Source Code Management system. These tools allow teams to collaborate effectively, manage changes, and integrate Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
CI/CD Automation Tools
Automation is at the core of Continuous Delivery. Companies must automate the processes of building, testing, and deploying software to reduce human error and accelerate releases.
According to DORA research, high-performing teams automate key stages of delivery to dramatically improve deployment frequency, change lead time, and recovery from failures.
I know automation can be overwhelming, but try starting small, perhaps by building and testing automation using a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tool that will provide immediate feedback.
Explore available options if you have not started yet. There is no perfect tool, it will depend on your company's environment, regulations, familiarity with cloud platforms, security concerns, and, above all, a team that can support it.
[Also check out: GitLab vs. GitHub: What’s the Difference?]
Frequent and Reliable Releases
Years ago, releasing software once a year was common. Today, users expect weekly or even daily updates. Moreover, frequent software releases are critical for addressing urgent security vulnerabilities.
However, releasing often isn't enough. Releases must also be reliable. Ensuring this requires a structured QA process and larger or more specialized testing teams.
A recent report shows that 30% of organizations now report large testing teams, up from 17% two years ago. Still, many companies can’t afford to allocate dedicated QA teams. Instead, developers, product owners, or even support staff get pulled into testing, often reducing overall productivity.
This is where offshore QA teams shine. Partnering with offshore specialists allows companies to maintain a reliable release schedule while letting internal staff focus on core tasks. Offshore QA teams can handle diverse testing needs—from performance and security to accessibility—without straining in-house resources.
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Test-Driven Development & Feedback Loops
Advanced CD practices include Test-Driven Development (TDD) and fast feedback loops. TDD enforces high-quality code by requiring developers to write tests before the implementation. While it slows down initial development, it significantly reduces bugs down the road.
CI/CD provides rapid feedback, but only if the tests are comprehensive and pass consistently. Timing also matters. In standard 9-to-5 workflows, a bug discovered at 4 PM may remain unresolved until the next day. This lag disrupts momentum and can delay releases.
By integrating offshore QA teams that operate in alternate time zones, you can work on a follow-the-sun model. Offshore engineers can test software overnight, ensuring that developers arrive with fresh feedback and ready-to-implement fixes each morning. This dramatically extends the productive workday to 12–16 hours.
Development Velocity and Efficiency
Development velocity (the speed at which new features, fixes, and improvements are shipped) is the backbone of Continuous Delivery. But many of the tasks that development teams must handle, such as environment setup, DNS configurations, and data provisioning for demos, aren’t directly related to writing code.
These operational responsibilities reduce velocity and introduce inefficiencies.
A cost-effective solution is to delegate these tasks to offshore support teams. Offshore developers or DevOps professionals can manage secondary but essential tasks like maintaining environments, updating configurations, or setting up demo-ready databases. Their support frees up core developers to focus solely on value-generating work.
[Also check out: What is Staff Augmentation?]
Why Offshore Teams Are Key in Continuous Delivery
Offshore teams aren’t just about saving costs, they can cover everything, from scaling capability, increasing development velocity, and supporting Continuous Delivery goals.
Here’s are some key points where having offshore developers will boost your project:
- Time Zone Leverage: Offshore teams can extend the workday by taking over after the local team signs off, accelerating QA, bug fixes, and deployment processes.
- Specialized Skills: Access to DevOps, QA, and cloud specialists who are experienced in CI/CD tools and automation best practices.
- Cost Efficiency: Lower operational costs for tasks like testing, environment setup, and maintenance, without sacrificing quality.
- Focus on Core Development: Free up internal teams from secondary responsibilities, increasing focus on feature development and innovation.
Whether you're a startup trying to scale quickly or a legacy enterprise looking to modernize, offshore development and QA teams can be the bridge to full Continuous Delivery.
Final Thoughts
Continuous Delivery is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s a mindset and a methodology that everyone should strive for. With the right combination of automation, agile practices, SCM tools, and offshore support, you and your business can evolve beyond outdated release cycles and move toward faster, safer, and more reliable software delivery, regardless of your resources.
If you’re looking into how you can keep up with software expectations, why not have a call with one of our experts? Our software development and QA teams at OLIANT will be more than happy to help you in reaching your goals.
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