Do you know that it is important for you to choose the best from top custom software development companies around the world because it is going to play a vital role in keeping your business smooth and flawless? Confused? Well, let us put a bee in your bonnet: you put your heart, money, and soul into your business because it is your dream; you bend backward to keep everything in place so that the business thrives without any hassle; you indeed keep no stone unturned in making your products and services par excellence.
Now, if the digital product, on which your business would flourish, fails then it is impossible for you to overcome the catastrophic damage. Hence, you should carefully opt for software development outsourcing after thinking about every possible aspect because it is going to drive your entire business plan.
Cheap is not always the best deal
You might have come across dozens of articles, blogs, and even software development guide that helps you choose the best resources and further help you through the entire process; nevertheless, there are many who fall for the cheapest resources for their software development projects.
Most businesses think only from the cost perspective and hence assume that the cheapest service provider would be the best business deal for them. Unfortunately, most times, it is a trap. In third-world countries, software development companies grow like mushrooms in rain. They know how to allure you with their gimmicks and you are led by your nose.
Hence, it is of paramount importance that you choose the best custom software development company as your tech partner so that not only for the current project but even for projects in the future, you find a reliable one with strong business relationships.
How to choose the best software development company?
On the internet, a simple search for ‘the best software development company’ in any country would render you hundreds of results, but which one to contact? How to shortlist among the top software development companies? Well, hiring remote developers at an offshore IT company is easy but tricky. You need to check the genuineness of the firm before you sign the deal.
One way to assure that you don’t fall into the trap is to prepare frequently asked questions about software development and shoot them to the shortlisted software company. Also, before hiring anyone, you should also know about software development myths so that you don’t believe anything that comes negatively about outsourcing software development projects.
What is the checklist of questions you must ask software development company?
It is important that you straightforwardly ask some important questions to the software development outsourcing service providing company you choose as it will help you to know the strength of the company and assure you that your project is falling into the right hands.
- What are your areas of technical expertise?
- Which is better -a project-based or dedicated team model for my software development?
- Have you developed solutions for our industry before?
- How do you handle intellectual property and its issue?
- What to do if I’m not satisfied with the product or service?
- What to do after a product is launched?
- What is your software maintenance plan?
- How do you develop project KPIs?
- What is your project management approach?
- What are your go-to tools for project management?
- How do you communicate with clients and customers?
- How much does custom software development cost?
A Glance at Questions to Ask a software company and their Usability
| Questions | Why is it Important to Ask? | What is Ideal? |
|---|---|---|
| What are your areas of technical expertise? | Many companies boast but they don’t have that expertise. | The company should have the technical expertise specific to your project. |
| Which is better? A project-based or dedicated team? | Choosing the wrong model will cost you a lot. | Dedicated model for a bigger and defined project. |
| Have you developed solutions for our industry before? | To grab a project, firms fake their expertise. | Portfolio with a similar project in the same field/niche. |
| How do you handle intellectual property and its issue? | Ownership problems and copyright issues. | IP rights should be all yours and clear. |
| What to do if I’m not satisfied with the product or service? | Half-developed project is difficult to get done even with the other agency. | Clarify all the terms and conditions on receiving an inferior quality product or service. |
| What to do after a product is launched? | There are marketing and technical aspects post-launch. | A complete package of deployment, training, and marketing is helpful. |
| What is your software maintenance plan? | Most agencies fail in post-sales services. | It is better to have a contract so that your product runs smoothly. |
| How do you develop project KPIs? | Poor KPIs will lead to project failure. | It assures you that the software company is serious and experienced. |
| What is your project management approach? | Many companies just grab projects and leave you high and dry. | A robust methodology should be in place to assure the successful completion of the project. |
| What are your go-to tools for project management? | Even great talents fail managing projects without proper tools. | Authentic and licensed tools should be in place to assure smooth management. |
| How do you communicate with clients? | Miscommunication leads to misunderstanding and that results in escalations. | An assurance of flawless communication and regular updates is important. |
| How much does software development cost? | The gloomy estimation will shake your budget. | A proper engagement model and budget estimation should be conveyed. |
Software Development Questions that will help you take a better decision
1. What are your areas of technical expertise?
While you may not face many issues if your project is based on old or traditional technology platforms such as Android, iOS, PHP, and the like, if you are aiming to develop a project that is on a unique niche you must ask the question of the area of expertise. For instance, a software development project based on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or Metaverse may require special expertise.
2. Which is better -a project-based or dedicated team model for my software development?
If you are technically sound, you may take the decision yourself. Nevertheless, if you have no clue which hiring or engagement model is for you, you may need to ask for the experts at custom software development service provider. It is important to decide upon the right hiring model so that your project falls within a specified budget and yet you don’t get a substandard product. The model depends on business requirements, software documentation, standard methodology, and many more factors.
What are the known hiring models for software and app development?
3. Have you developed solutions for our industry before?
Industry experience makes a big difference especially when the project is enterprise-level. Many custom software development companies master a particular niche or industry and they excel in projects based on it. Entrepreneurs who are concerned about their big-budget projects should ask the service provider whether they have any solutions developed for the same industry in the past. The experience from the past helps the service providers to quickly get on to your industry specific project as they understand your business objectives pretty well. Even further, they can also assist or suggest to you what has worked best in the market from their expertise in the industry.
4. How do you handle intellectual property and its issue?
If you are aiming to have a customized software development project, it is important to clarify the intellectual rights or property. Whether the proprietorship is exclusive or restrictive is an important question because most custom software development outsourcing companies have permits to use the product they build.
5. What to do if I’m not satisfied with the product or service?
As it is seen in most cases worldwide, all industries benefit from software development. Nevertheless, it is not all beer and skittles because in rare cases, you have glitches and grudges with concerned teams. Asking the software development partner about what to do if you aren’t satisfied with the product or service makes it a crucial question to avoid hard times.
6. What to do after a product is launched?
Though you have assured a perfect software development life cycle in place, the real challenge occurs once the product is launched and out on the market. Asking for post-sales and post-deployment of software to your tech partner shall help you reach and fulfill your business objectives. Some remote software development agencies offer marketing and training so as to keep your product running smoothly inside and outside your organization.
7. What is your software maintenance plan?
As mentioned earlier, the biggest challenge is after the product is launched or deployed. No software is useful if it malfunctions even once in a blue moon. It is important for any enterprise to make sure that their software product or tool is up and running 24/7. Hence, asking for the software maintenance plan from the software development company that you are thinking to hire makes a big sense. Businesses, be it Startup, SMEs, or Enterprises, must avail the annual maintenance plan through a contract with their IT partners.
8. How do you develop project KPIs?
The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) deliver project-critical information so that you can analyze the software system development life cycle and assure that the final product will be aligned with your business objectives. Asking the outsourcing software development company about how they develop project KPIs shows you their sincerity and project development methodology. It is because KPIs involve starting with building a foolproof strategy, defining questions and answers, identifying data requirements, and ultimately determining the right measurement process and frequency of every project component.
9. What is your project management approach?
Project management is the backbone of any successful digital product. Even though your documentation in software development outsourcing is all perfect, if there is a failure or flaw in managing the project, the entire cycle is at a greater risk. You need to ask this question to assure that there is someone who is taking care of all development by supervising the entire cycle. Generally, software development companies adapt various development models such as agile, waterfall, scrum, and the like. They also deploy a project manager for the smooth execution of the project.
10. What are your go-to tools for project management?
Project management is a complex task and it is not possible without proper management tools. Asking the custom software development firm about what tools they use to manage the software development life cycle is essential because these tools help them keep a keen check on the progress of the project. Also, such tools also possess useful features that assist software programmers and managers to achieve milestones and tackling flaws, if any.
11. How do you communicate with clients?
When you hire a dedicated software development team from a bespoke software company, it is important that the communication is regular and flawless. Miscommunication often leads to misunderstanding and ultimately escalations in projects. It is evident that miscommunication including no regular updates can lead to a big failure irrespective of the reputation of the service provider. Hence, you must ask the tech partner which tools they use for communication and how often they do that.
12. How much does software development cost?
One of the biggest misunderstandings is that clients think that small changes they ask for in their product would go smoothly on the software development companies. Nevertheless, that is not always the case. Even small changes pile up as a big task and then the service providers don’t hesitate to charge them with extra bucks. It is always important to clarify the budget or the total expense of the software development project. There are various engagement models your IT partner may offer so that you can decide the one that suits your wallet. On the other hand, you can also ask the expert software development consultant itself to suggest to you the model that is worth going for.
Apart from these questions, you can also ask about the technology stacks for software development they intend to use for your project.
Asking these general questions to a custom software development company can assure you that the final product you get is up to the mark and it is worth every penny spent.
Avantika Shergil
| Sep 7, 2022
An enthusiastic Operations Manager at TopDevelopers.co, coordinating and managing the technical and functional areas. She is an adventure lover, passionate traveler, an admirer of nature, who believes that a cup of coffee is the prime source to feel rejuvenated. Researching and writing about technology keeps her boosted and enhances her professional journeying.
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