Whether you plan to develop an enterprise application, CRM, big data software, or SaaS-based solution, the development challenges are bound to appear. Typical software takes 4-6 months on average to go live but that’s only if a talented team of programmers is engaged.
It’s common knowledge that businesses that outsource software development often come across a lot of challenges while choosing the right software development partner. That’s because they are not sure what to keep in mind while making the hiring decision. That’s why we decided to create this post!
Big Kitty Labs brings a list of guidelines and actionable tips to help entrepreneurs hire the right programmers for software development, integration, and deployment.
Table of Contents
How to Hire a Software Development Company?
Understand your requirements
Your first step while hunting for a software development company should be to understand software requirements. Ask the below questions before going offline or online to look for software development companies:
- Why do we need the software?
- Who will use the software?
- Will it work online or intranet?
- What features are critical for the software?
- Can the software be launched as MVP?
- Which technology and framework you want to build with?
Answer the above questions to get better clarity of your software, team, and programming requirements.
Finalize your budget
While the average software development cost for small businesses is $5000+, enterprise-level software can easily cost $50,000+. It costs so much money because programming talent is expensive.
Before looking for a software development company, it’s a good practice to finalize your budget. It will help you in choosing the software development talent, technology, and make the decision about outsourcing as well.
Gather referrals
There is nothing better than getting a recommendation from someone you trust. Ask your team members, friends, and business partners for software company referrals. If no one in your personal network has hired one, reach out to your LinkedIn network for recommendations.
That said, don’t just take someone’s word and sign the agreement. Do your share of vetting to make sure that you are making the right decision.
Shortlist the companies
Now that you know what kind of software you want and how much money you have, it’s time to shortlist companies for developing your software. Here are a couple of places from where you can get software company recommendations:
- Directories like Goodfirms
- Tech talent discovery platforms like Clutch
- Gig platforms like Upwork
- A simple Google search (if you want to hire locally)
Shortlist at least 10 software development companies as per your basic criteria!
Check online reputation
Ask any software programming firm and they will say that ‘we are the best in the market’. So, rather than asking, you need to find out yourself. Check review sites like Google My Business and Trustpilot to read client reviews and learn about the online reputation of the shortlisted companies.
By the time you are done with this, 3-4 companies will drop out from your initial list.
Ask for client references
It’s time to make contact with the software development companies that survived the purge. Tell them briefly about their software goals and what you are trying to build. If they say that they have the talent and time to deliver the same, ask them for client references.
The companies with a proven track record love to share details of successfully delivered projects. Ask for client email, LinkedIn ID, and phone number to gather intel on programming skills, team support, and overall experience. Ask for some case studies as well!
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Interview them
This is a no-brainer. After confirming expertise from prior clients and reading case studies, it’s time for a detailed interview. Request a virtual discussion with the complete team that will be involved in your software development project.
Make a list of questions for all team members. Ask questions related to the development process, frameworks, methodologies, technologies, coordination, support, timeline, and everything else crucial to the project.
Talk deadlines, again
We already mentioned discussing timelines in the previous point but since it’s super important, it makes sense to talk a little bit more on it. Don’t settle for just a project completion deadline. Divide the software development into multiple phases and set up deadlines for all of them.
The most reputed software programming firms out there operate with multiple deadlines. So, go ahead and demand the same!
After delivery support
In the first few months, every software comes across bugs and requires multiple adjustments after project completion. Why is that, you ask? It’s because software is a complex piece of code that’s the result of human labor. That’s why you will need the software development company to render support for bugs, errors, and future enhancements.
While most software companies give a few months of support for free after project completion, businesses have more power to negotiate the support duration initially. So, make the most of it!
Get quotes
After all the above, you will be left with only a couple of software development service providers. Now is the time to request quotes and decide which one makes the most sense financially.
Go through the quotes carefully. Look at all the conditions and parameters to make sure that nothing is skipped from what you requested. If everything looks good, go ahead with the paperwork!
Do paperwork
Your software development project will take both time and money. It will also involve a lot of people. So, there are a lot of things that can go wrong during the project lifecycle. That’s why you need to do the paperwork.
Create a detailed agreement and proposal that covers everything related to your software development project. Document timelines, responsibilities, quality parameters, support, and guidelines to make sure there is no conflict later on. This is very important if you are outsourcing the project!
Hire software development company
As a team of experienced web designers, analysts, and programmers, we understand how tough it is to identify the right talent for your project. We hope that the above software talent-hiring guidelines and tips will help you in choosing the right development company for your software.
Still have questions on your mind? Drop them in the comments to get a quick reply from experts. Email us at contact@bigkittylabs.com to clear all your doubts about web and software development.
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