Does your business need to develop custom software – either as products for customers, or for internal use by employees? If you do but don’t have an in-house software development team, your best bet is to outsource it instead.
The good news is that nowadays there are many companies that can help you to develop custom software based on your exact requirements. But the bad news is that there are so many that it can be hard to choose the best one.
So if you’re stuck and not sure how to choose a software development company, here are the best tips that can help you out:
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Define your project and its requirements
Before you look for a custom software development company, you must first define your project as clearly as possible and list out all of its requirements. That should include not only its objectives but also the development timeframe, workflow processes, UI mockups, and so on.
By taking this step in advance, you can more accurately convey what you want to developers. And by doing that you’ll be able to ensure they’re on the same page and get more accurate estimates from them.
Find developers with experience handling similar projects
Try to look specifically for companies who have experience carrying out projects similar to your own. Most software companies will have a portfolio of their past work that you can browse to see if there’s anything that is close to what you require.
If a company does have experience with similar projects, it is definitely a good sign. Based on their past projects you can then gauge their experience, the quality of their work, and gain insights into what you can expect from them.
Assess how well you can communicate with them
One important area that many overlook when choosing a developer to work with is communication. This is a mistake as it is extremely important that you’re able to communicate effectively or it will lead to misunderstandings, a poor working relationship, and possibly a dissatisfactory end product.
Ideally you should asses how well you are able to communicate with development companies from the time you first reach out to them. Make sure that you are able to communicate effectively not just in-person, but also via email, instant messaging, and video or voice calls.
Find out the development methodology they use
Another key factor to consider is the development methodology that companies use. Some may use the traditional Waterfall approach, while others use more modern methods such as Agile, Scrum, or Lean.
Be sure to choose the methodology that fits your needs best. Modern methods tend to focus on documentation, adaptive planning, and frequent updates – which could help you stay better informed during every phase of the development and ensure it is on track.
Ask about security and testing
Needless to say you’ll want the software that is delivered to you to be secure and bug-free. And to make sure that’s the case you should query developers on their security practices as well as the type of tests they’ll carry out to identify and fix bugs and security issues.
Make no mistake this is one area where you don’t want to compromise as it could have a huge impact on your business.
Following these tips should help you to quickly identify the best candidates among the many software development companies that are out there. After that it’s simply a question of talking to each one, getting quotes, evaluating them and deciding which company you think will be able to meet all of your requirements.