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There are enough software development agencies on the market among which one can choose their business partner. At the same time, the decision making part gets tougher. Whether you’re an experienced IT-related businessman or you have no interest in this subject, choosing your software house is an important step in the delivery of your app. Here are some aspects on which you can base your final decision, looking on both, their side and your side.
To choose the agency that meets your requirements can be something difficult especially if you’re not sure what your expectations are. You have to know the project in-depth to be able to describe it and define the outcome. Only then the software house is able to deliver the exact results you wanted. What’s more important, only then you can undermine the final product as you defined the guidelines to which you can now refer to. The rest of the issues you should consider during the research are listed below.
What’s crucial is to pay attention to the experience in the field. A good software house supports its knowledge with an impressive portfolio. People are more willing to hire a team that worked for a “big client”. However, sometimes a contract prevents the agency to publish any details of the finished project because of confidentiality. That means usually agencies have more to show that proves their quality. Anyway, you should ask questions to be able to justify their knowledge and choose your software house. Also, look at the reviews. Not just on their website (cause let’s be fair, you wouldn’t publish a negative opinion about your company), but on other platforms such as Clutch.co. It gathers reviews of B2B collaborations between companies in one place. It’s a trusted platform where companies create their profiles including a full description of their services, portfolio, and general information. The collected reviews are most realistic as all the clients are interviewed about the previous cooperation.
If you’re unfamiliar with the IT world it would be better for you to schedule a consultation with an expert or reach out to someone who knows more on this subject. Write down what are the most important aspects that need to be discussed with your future team of developers. Also, observe their work on projects to learn how they handle different clients. Ask them about their technological stack. Do they know the chosen technology or how many apps did they make choosing this one. In general, what is their experience regarding such projects and what kind of knowledge they have on different tech solutions? The most used programming language for mobile app development is Java, however, the developers may suggest Ruby or Python that may also be worth listening to.
Everyone has their work mode in which they deliver the best results. You have it too and so the software houses. That’s why you should get closer to their process of delivering projects. How do they coordinate the division of tasks and communicate with clients? It is said that it’s better to work with an agile team. The core of the Agile methodology is the continuous evaluation of the project. At the end of each sprint (a period of time given to finish a certain task) the team reflects upon successes and failures. Doing so they manage their workload and adjust their time to rapidly changing requirements. Yes, choosing the agile team you don’t have to have a rigid plan. It’s possible to introduce changes to it as the whole project is divided into sprints. The developers are then more flexible and ready for your next turn.
Speaking of the requirements, let’s bring up the subject of the agreement. Formulating this document, consider the following points:
It’s important for you to understand that there is no such thing as low budget outsourcing. You may pay a little for a lot but end up leasing the code from developers. Another time choosing a low-cost option you can receive a platform that may suffer from inadequate testing. It happens when a tester didn’t devote enough time, for instance, to double-check the security system or didn’t have enough knowledge on this subject. Lack of formal documentation or even defective software are problems that also put your project at risk. If the software house is honest about every hour spent on your project and the communication is direct, don’t worry about your pennies.
The last two factors that may affect collaboration is the distance and different time zones. If you decide to work with your local companies to have them nearby, the choice may not be that difficult. However, there are plenty of great companies located on a different continent that may offer you high-quality products. The only catch is you will have to devour more patience and trust as the long-distance may sometimes affect the communication. Nevertheless, working with brilliant and talented people from abroad is worth every effort and the top-shelf communication tools will help in keeping everyone on the same page.
The above aspects are essential if you’re looking for a team of real specialists. Define the work mode that suits you best, a timeframe in which the project needs to be ready and describe specifically what your expectations are regarding the project. Apart from that, take care of the contact between you and your software house as transparent communication will only favor your partnership.
