Trouble in Your Software Project? Recognise the Red Flags and Get Back on Track.
- Paul Miles
- May 1
- 3 min read
How to spot the delivery pitfalls when working with multiple vendors and offshore teams
Is your software project is starting to feel chaotic? Do you have misaligned teams, shifting deadlines, often combined with growing confusion about what’s actually being delivered — you're not alone.
These are challenges we see often when clients are working with one or more delivery partners, especially those blending offshore and local teams.
Your organization likely invested in outside expertise to move faster and manage risk, not move slower whilst somehow still carrying the delivery risk. But when multiple vendors, time zones, and unclear requirements collide, the result is often a project that’s adrift — and a leadership team left asking:
“Do we even have a plan ?”
“Why aren’t we getting what we were promised ?"
“We need to increase the budget again, why ?”
Here are the most common signs that your project may be veering off course — and that your vendors aren't being held to the right level of accountability.
1. You’re not clear on what’s actually being delivered — and neither are they
The original requirements were vague, outdated, or open to interpretation. As delivery progresses, your understanding of what’s being built no longer matches what’s being delivered — if anything is being delivered at all.
What this means: Without clear, traceable requirements and acceptance criteria, vendors can claim progress without proving value. And you’re left chasing moving targets. Often no one wants to be the party to tackle the elephant in the room, do we know what we are all doing ?
2. There’s no clear owner
Offshore teams point to the user stories. Onshore leads reference an out of date email or vague word document. When something goes wrong, it's never obvious who dropped the ball — because everyone has their version of the truth.
What this means: The accountability model is broken. Without clear ownership mapped to deliverables, commitments become suggestions, not guarantees – all of this at the client’s expense.
3. You’re doing more of the vendor’s job than you expected
You find yourself rewriting user stories, clarifying assumptions, re-sequencing work, and following up daily to keep momentum - but that’s their job.
What this means: Your vendors may be relying on you to close requirement or process gaps instead of proactively managing them.
4. Vendors are delivering “something,” but not what was agreed
You’re shown completed work that technically meets a spec — but doesn’t meet your needs. When you push back, the vendor says, “That’s what was agreed.” But you never agreed to that outcome.
What this means: There’s a disconnect between requirements and intent — and the vendors aren’t focused on delivering value, just checking boxes and invoicing. This can sometimes be combined with a rush to ‘build something’ because of time pressures without the requirements or designs being complete.
5. Change requests are everywhere — and suddenly it’s all ‘out of scope’
Now that delivery is underway, every clarification seems to come with a new price tag or delay. The original estimate is long forgotten. You’re left wondering if you’re paying twice for the same thing.
What this means: Requirements weren’t nailed down early — and your vendor is using that ambiguity to their commercial advantage.
So, how do you regain control?
Working with multiple vendors and distributed teams can work — but only with the right foundation. That means:
Clarity on requirements and design before a line of code is written
Clear accountability across all vendors, not just the local leads
A delivery framework that gives you visibility without micro-managing
Vendor management expertise that ensures outcomes match commitments
At F-TEK, we help clients untangle complex delivery setups, regain control, and hold vendors accountable — whether you’re mid-project or just starting out.
We can help you:
Align your delivery partners to clearly defined outcomes
Ensure everyone understands and delivers against your requirements
Recover struggling projects without burning vendor relationships
Build governance models that scale across onshore and offshore teams
Be the independent voice to ask the difficult questions without resorting to blame
Your delivery model should work for you — not against you. Let’s make it happen.
Talk to us today.
