You’ve read about how outsourcing your IT or software development is beneficial to your business. Hiring offshore primarily cuts costs, and gives you access to a larger pool of specialists who you won’t have to train. Depending on where you outsource, their pay is usually smaller than local employees.
You’re probably already sold to the idea of outsourcing as well.
But have you ever wondered: when you contract out your programming/development/QA/other IT-related functions, what specifically can your $6-7/hour professional do? Here are 50 tasks you could delegate to your IT virtual assistant.
#1 Write code in a range of computer languages
Most IT-focused VAs are professionally trained to write code for computer programs. It’s one of the first things they learn in their discipline, and it’s one of their primary roles. You can hire a generalist who writes code for various types of software or someone who specialises in one language.
#2 Edit source code for software programs
Like any written piece of work, source codes can be edited to make them more readable and efficient. You can assign your VA to revise any set of program instructions to optimise its performance.
#3 Test code for in-house software programs
Your programmer VA can test whether your software works or not. Testing your program’s source code is necessary because it results in clean, reusable and easy-to-maintain code.
#4 Debug code of software programs
“Debugging” is a multi-step process that involves pinpointing, isolating and correcting errors in your program. It’s an integral part of software development, but it’s also tedious. Fortunately, debugging is something you can delegate to a skilled offshore programmer.
#5 Find and address performance issues in software programs
If your program is running a bit too slow for your liking, have your remote programmer/developer take a crack at it. They can optimise performance through various levels, which may include the software’s design, algorithms and data structures, source code or build.
#6 Prepare training manuals for users
If your company uses custom software, your users will need training manuals. Your VA can create it to:
- Help teach new employees how the system works.
- Make your business more scalable, allowing you to implement the same procedures at a broader extent.
- Save everyone’s time (it lets new hires consult the manual instead of asking experienced employees).
#7 Teach users how to use software
Similarly, instead of hiring an external trainer, your offshore IT specialist can teach other employees how to use a program, provided that they’re well-versed in it. To set up teaching sessions, the specialist can host a webinar that members of the team can join.
#8 Provide users with technical support
Unless your company has a dedicated IT department (in-house or otherwise), your computer-competent VA could also provide your other employees with some tech support. Your VA could help via a video call, email, chat or remote access software.
#9 Document your company’s procedures
Your business becomes more complex as it grows, which means you’ll eventually have to record its procedures. Doing this will help in training employees, improving existing systems, preserving company knowledge, and maintaining operational consistency.
Because of your IT-focused VA’s computer background, they can help document your procedures, and can even analyse and help improve it.
#10 Troubleshoot emerging system issues
Your IT-focused VA isn’t just capable of looking into performance issues (see #5). Because of their technical knowledge, they can also identify and (depending on their forte and skill level) correct issues that may turn up with company software.
#11 Manage your company’s database system
Businesses need a good database to stay organised and keep their information (e.g. customer data, inventory) accurate and easily accessible. You can designate your VA to enter, sort, analyse and update the information in your company database.
#12 Implement a build system
Build systems are software that automate the conversion of source code to machine code. They’re necessary, especially in complex programs where several source codes are used. Your VA can help implement the use of a build system that will compile only parts of the code that have changed, and test to see if it works.
#13 Review code by other programmers
Sometimes called “peer review”, code review is a useful QA practice where a programmer evaluates another’s code. Your VAs can check each others’ code to:
- Ensure code quality.
- Look for errors (if any).
- Learn and think of new ideas on how to address problems.
#14 Simplify code
The more features on your software, the more code you have, the more places for errors to manifest. To keep your source code easy to maintain, ask your VA to simplify it through various methods like refactoring or unit testing.
#15 Use CASE tools to generate code
You can instruct your VA in the Philippines to generate code by using computer-aided software engineering (or CASE) tools. The generated code is usually limited and may need to be edited, but this will help your team save time and to focus on creating quality code for crucial areas of the software.
#16 Create a website using HTML/CSS
If you instruct your VA to create a website, tell them to use HTML/CSS, which are still better than website-building services like Squarespace or Wix. Your VA will also need to connect the site’s front end (i.e. everything the user directly interacts) with the back end (i.e. everything that runs on the server).
#17 Maintain software documentation
If you’re developing software, it also needs to have documentation on various details such as:
- System requirements.
- How the program operates.
- How to use the software.
But because programs evolve over time, the documentation needs to be maintained as well. You can ask your VA to create and maintain the documentation.
#18 Develop contingency plans in case your website goes down
A website can go down for various reasons (e.g. DNS issue, expired domain, networking problem, server crash, programming error). Unless your company website already has a contingency plan for downtime, you should assign your VA to implement a plan for what to do in such occurrences.
#19 Fix your website when it goes down
If your website does go down, you can have your VA stay on top of things and get it back up again. This would generally involve:
- Troubleshooting the cause (e.g. pinging the site, checking the server software).
- Contacting the website’s hosting provider (if you’re using one).
Tip: In the meantime, you should also have someone in charge of communicating with customers about the problem.
#20 Update your website’s plugins and/or themes
These days, updating one’s site’s plugins/themes is a simple enough task that anyone can do, but it would be smarter to get your IT-focused VA to handle it. Why? Because new versions can sometimes cause compatibility issues.
If this happens, you’ll need someone to troubleshoot the issue/s – or have someone knowledgeable carrying out the updates in the first place.
#21 Test your website using multiple browsers
Designing a website? Tell your VA to test it on several browsers to ensure various computers can properly see your content. Remember, web browsers render pages differently. Furthermore, tweaking your site on multiple browsers ensures fewer errors.
Tip: Make sure you also indicate which browsers your site supports. This tells your audience which they should use to get the best experience.
#22 Perform software testing
Software testing is a tedious but critical phase of software development. You need it to
identify and fix your program’s defects. Fortunately, you can delegate the task to your VA, allowing you to focus on other aspects of development that make better use of your expertise.
#23 Regularly back up website data
It’s vital to back up your website data (files, content, media, databases) regularly. You wouldn’t want to lose all the work you put into it. Plus, you’ll need the backup data to keep the downtime short. Yes, backing up site data is easy, but doing it regularly keeps you from focusing on more pressing projects, so assign it to your VA.
#24 Create wireframes for web pages
A wireframe is a skeletal framework of a website which shows:
- The layout of its content.
- The functionality of the web pages.
If your VA has experience in web development, you can task them to create a wireframe for your site, especially if you’re planning to redesign it or build one from scratch.
#25 Create a website mockup
Likewise, you can assign your web development VA to create a mockup for your website. A mockup is a diagram showing all the parts of a site (using accurate colours and placement of elements).
#26 Create a website prototype
You can also assign your web developer VA to make a website prototype, which is different from a wireframe or mockup. A website prototype is a clickable and functioning product you can actually test.
#27 Create website templates
A website template is a pre-made website that includes everything needed (e.g. HTML, CSS and any other essential code) for it to function. If you ask your web development VA to make one, users with minimal/no programming experience can create and customise their own website.
#28 Write reusable code and libraries
Tell your front-end developer VA to focus on writing reusable code, because its benefits are pretty significant. At the very least, reusable code reduces costs and shortens development time. For instance, you can just call software libraries instead of coding all the functions from scratch.
#29 Optimise a CDN for static/dynamic content delivery
A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers that deliver web content to users via the closest servers. You can instruct your front-end developer VA to optimise a CDN to speed up the delivery of:
- Static content (e.g. images, CSS, PDF files), or;
- Dynamic content (e.g. e-commerce site w/ changing product recommendations).
#30 Reduce the number of JavaScript and CSS files on your website
Every JavaScript/CSS file used on your website increases the number of its HTTP requests, basically slowing the whole site down. To speed up your site, ask your front-end developer VA to reduce the number of JavaScript/CSS files. There are several ways to go about this, such as:
- Combining JavaScript/CSS files.
- Setting your site to load JavaScript files asynchronously.
- Inlining JavaScript/CSS files.
#31 Implement prefetching techniques to speed up your website
Website speed is crucial. If yours takes over 3 seconds to load, 40% of users will abandon it entirely – and that’s just one of several reasons. To speed up your site, ask your front-end developer VA to implement prefetching techniques such as:
- DNS-prefetch
- Pre-render
- Pre-connect
#32 Define your website’s technical and design specifications
If you’re planning to build a new website, assign your back-end developer VA to establish its technical and design requirements beforehand. An e-commerce website, for instance:
- Should indicate what technologies it’ll use (e.g. web tools, database, networking).
- Should have design requirements like responsiveness (to various screen sizes), search word auto-fill, and product videos.
Having these specifications gives direction to the website design process.
#33 Improve server-side applications
“Server-side” refers to actions that occur on a web server. These are the mechanisms that process requests from user click. You can assign your back-end developer VA to optimise these server-side applications through various methods like:
- Increasing the TCP retransmission timeout
- Ensuring the server isn’t doing reverse DNS lookups.
- Setting up mirror servers.
#34 Integrate a suitable API into your website
Application programming interfaces (or APIs) enable different programs and devices to connect with each other. If you have a website, you can tell your back-end developer to integrate an API into your website, allowing your users to place an order, book a flight or enjoy any other product/service you offer with just a few clicks or taps.
#35 Create a custom CMS for your website
With so many open-source options out there, why should you assign your back-end developer VAs to make a content management system (CMS) for your website? Mainly because your business needs a custom approach that free options don’t provide.
#36 Generate a custom analytics report of your website’s performance
Your company has its own unique needs and goals. Instead of using your analytics software’s default reports, have your VA put together a custom report that shows all the pertinent information that will help you make the right decisions. Plus, custom reports let you easily keep track of certain segments of your business.
#37 Implement test scripts using automated test tools
There are generally two ways to run test scripts: manual and automated. You can task your developer VA to do the latter, which allows you to:
- Increase the scope of software testing.
- Save time and money.
- Spend more time on other projects.
#38 Perform various types of testing methods
There are many ways to test software, including unit testing, integration testing and usability testing. To make sure yours can run effectively in multiple environments and platforms, have your application tester VA use the many different approaches available.
#39 Document testing phases
Never relegate testing documentation to a team member only when they have the free time to do so. Instead, tell your VA to record each phase because people forget. Careful documentation will save you time, effort and money in the long run.
#40 Log all defects found during testing
You also need to have your web application tester VA record defects encountered during development, specifically during the testing phase. These logs will allow you to keep track of all incidents and monitor what your team is doing to correct each issue.
#41 Do a root cause analysis to determine the origins of each defect
A root cause analysis (or RCA) is a problem-solving method for identifying the main cause of an issue. For best results in your testing efforts, have your VA perform an RCA for each documented defect to definitively address them and produce quality software.
#42 Create a conceptual design for a planned database
Another task you can assign your VA, especially if they have a background in databases, is to develop a conceptual design (i.e. a high-level description) of a database you’re planning to build. This may include:
- A data model of all the information to be produced.
- How to arrange the attributes of entities specific to your business.
- The physical design of the database (e.g. base relations, file organisations).
#43 Install and test new versions of your company’s DBMS
A spreadsheet program isn’t enough to monitor and organise your company’s key information, so tell your VA to install a database management system (DBMS) to help you oversee your data.
If there’s a new version, your VA should update your DBMS to maximise its new features. Just make sure you schedule the upgrade as it can disrupt your operations.
#44 Manage the access control of your company’s database
Access control is a way to protect sensitive data in your database, which is carried out by limiting who can view or use information. Your company’s DBMS comes with security measures designed to protect your data, and you can assign your VA to manage this access. Such measures may include:
- Password protection.
- Granting appropriate permissions to users.
- Revoking permissions.
#45 Perform risk-based validation to ensure data integrity
Data integrity is the accuracy and consistency of information in a database. One of the ways to ensure it through risk-based validation, which your database VA could perform. This sort of validation is about:
- Understanding your business processes.
- Defining how your company’s DBMS interacts with those processes.
- Identifying the risks associated with using your DBMS.
#46 Review your company’s audit trails
Today, companies are required in various countries to provide audit trails about everyone who comes in contact with any of their recorded data. With audit logs in place, you can assign your database VA to review them, especially when looking into suspicious behaviour or critical events.
#47 Develop a business continuity plan
To ensure your data’s integrity, you’ll also need to put together a business continuity plan (BCP), which you can assign to your database-focused VA. With a BCP in place, you can ensure your data is protected and stored redundantly during power outages, network downtime, or times of emergencies/disasters.
#48 Create a software design document based on user requirements
A software design document is a written description of the software. You can entrust your VA to make one based on what your users need. Such documentation typically includes:
- An explanation of why the project is necessary.
- Goals of the software development project.
- A breakdown of the project’s scope and milestones, with a timeline for each.
A software design document would provide your development team direction on what needs to be done.
#49 Gather user feedback for your mobile app
Knowing what your users think about your mobile app can help you understand how to improve it. However, Apple and Google have privatised customer information so your VA will have to get creative when you assign them the task of gathering user feedback. This may include clever ways such as:
- Adding in-app requests for reviews.
- Creating off-app communities (e.g. social media, forums, blogs).
- Running beta tests.
#50 Design mobile interfaces to improve the users’ experience
The mobile app’s interface is the means through which users interact with an app. If your company is making a mobile app, you can entrust the design of its interface to your VA, provided that they have experience in mobile development and design. For your VA to create a good user experience, the interface needs to be:
- Attractive.
- Intuitive.
- Clear.
- Concise.
- Efficient.
Note that this is by no means a complete list; you can certainly assign other related technical tasks. The bottom line here is that assigning your VA to take on IT functions (as long as they have the corresponding skills for it) will enable you to work on your business as its chief strategist, and not in the business as merely one of its cogs.
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