Top 17 Things to Look Before Choosing a Software Company
Choosing a software company can become a tough row to hoe if you do not follow a methodical approach. At times when outsourcing software development is thriving, here is how you can simplify the process to search and find the best software development company for your business needs.
It is expected that by 2027, the IT outsourcing market would reach $937.6 billion USD. As a business looking to outsource software development, if you carry out a simple Google search, you will be exposed to a vast ocean of countless software development companies.
Choosing a software company has thus become a tough challenge for businesses when each company markets itself as one of the best software development agencies.
The question, of how to choose a software development company that can meet my business’s requirements keeps haunting CXOs, as the need for having a proven shortlisting framework becomes more acute.
Ensuring consistency throughout the software development lifecycle, employing certified QA practices, and offering uninterrupted post-development support requires proven skills and a dedicated infrastructure – all possible with a good financial standing. Any deficiency in fulfilling these requirements can render your software development initiative ineffective.
So, here, we have compiled a list of all those criteria that will come to your assistance when choosing a software company.
How to choose the best software development company
How to screen and select best software agencies is often the toughest question facing businesses. Finally, screening and selection of the software agency is a meticulous process. If you have been trying to find the best answer to what to look for in a software development company, then here is a criteria for choosing a software company.
Understand what the portfolio speaks
The portfolio of a software development business is the first important parameter to consider. Examine the past projects that the company has executed, the number of projects they have successfully completed so far, and the clients they have served. The best way to ascertain if the software development company has expertise in your domain is to read through the company’s software development portfolio.
It is generally believed that software development companies with more experience have a proven methodology for executing projects while those with less experience are still in the development stage. However, this is not always the case as you may come across software developers that are still relatively new but do have an impressive portfolio, and the reverse is also possible.
What’s the delivery time
Pick a custom software development business that has a track record of delivering projects on time. Not only will this provide you and your team ample time to test the program and report defects (if any), but it will also allow your staff to get trained and oriented so they can utilize the application more effectively.
It is advised that during the first round of negotiations, determine the deadline for delivering the application. Deadlines must be considered based on the time that would be required for training and troubleshooting.
Does the partner offer first free consultation
First-free consultations allow you to understand the potential of a software development company. So, you mustn’t miss confirming that the software development company offers the first free consultation. Remember, it is with only the preliminary consultation that the pilot implementation of your project can begin. You can determine whether the identified software development company is best suited to your project.
Receiving first free consultation on your software development project helps you develop a successful plan to complete it swiftly and without any hassles. You can premeditate the steps that must be initiated from your end for the successful completion of the project on time.
Don’t ignore communication skills
The effectiveness of communication skills is an important criterion when choosing a software company. Every stage of the software development process, from identifying requirements to figuring out input and feedback from stakeholders, brings challenges.
Remember, effective communication is the foundation of a high-quality software product as it facilitates a successful working relationship between the software development team and the business team. You must be sure that the software development team and you are always communicating clearly.
Pay close attention to how the team interacts during the initial phone or video calls as well as via email. This should help you determine whether their communication style matches your preferences.
Be focused on User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX)
Choosing a software company that lays a strong impetus on user interface (UI) design is a key focus of businesses for ensuring great user experience (UX). Today, UI/UX is as critical to your software application’s success as the technical performance of the application. As a result, selection criteria cannot be imagined without UI/UX as its part.
You must choose a custom software development business that applies design thinking methodology in software development and possesses the knowledge and resources necessary to offer outstanding user experience (UX). Even if you have to spend more dollars on an extremely well-designed user-friendly application system, you should have that readiness. This will only prove beneficial to your business in the long run.
Post-development maintenance and support is crucial
Maintenance is important to accommodate all types of improvements required for developing an utterly perfect software application in accordance with the shifting wants of the consumer. Therefore, maintenance is crucial in the process of developing an application because your investments may go waste if, on the account of poor maintenance assistance, the software fails to adapt to the changing needs. Since maintenance accounts for a significant portion of the entire lifecycle cost, a robust app maintenance strategy is absolutely necessary for cost management.
After an app has been created or made available to the public, support includes all of the tasks that are carried out by the app development business. The maintenance support team also makes sure that the resources are available, can quickly fix any errors, and can adjust the program to meet the user’s evolving demands.
Technical Skillsets make a difference
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for product development, therefore businesses that are serious about IT outsourcing should steer clear of software development firms that solely focus on a single type of technical architecture.
If the project’s leaders haven’t already done extensive study and settled on a preferred technology, they should consider all relevant criteria during the discovery phase before selecting the best technology to serve the project.
Skills and practices are equally as crucial as technological options when choosing a software company. So, you should look for proven technical expertise in a range of fields that are pertinent to the development of products similar to the one that you want to develop.
Do they follow Agile or DevOps principles
Choose software development firms that adhere to the DevOps and Agile philosophies. By doing this, you can make sure that the software development companies you’ve chosen have the necessary expertise, can fulfil your needs, and can complete your project on schedule.
The majority of software development companies now adopt an Agile methodology and DevOps philosophy since they are well aware that it takes collaboration to create software that fully meets client expectations. Additionally, they give you more control over the management and execution of the project.
A software development company that uses Agile frameworks might provide a one- or two-week free trial, letting you assess their workflow and communication throughout the early stages of development.
How’s the quality assurance
A reputed software development company proves its worth through the effectiveness of its quality assurance framework. Consider if the software development company follows ISO quality management system and GDPR regulations.
As we saw earlier, approaches like agile development and DevOps that emphasise iterative development rather than developing in a bubble must be implemented by the software development company. Such concepts introduce a continuous feedback loop and help maintain the quality of the desired outcome i.e. the best product for user demands.
Prototyping, user testing, and daily scrums should all be included in an enterprise project’s continuing testing and validation stages in order to gradually improve and scale solutions and keep the business moving forward.
Consider Recognitions
Businesses should verify the promises and performance of the software development companies before finalizing a software development company as their partner for their needs. Being recognized by agencies like Clutch, Inc., and Goodfirms is a mark of a reputed software development company.
Next, businesses ought to request certifications from reputed partners like Microsoft, Oracle, Amazon, Google, Adobe, and other companies that uphold high quality. In addition to ratings on search engines, and reviews on social media handles, accreditations from independent third parties like Forrester or Gartner helps businesses to get unbiased perspectives on the reputation of the company.
Security is critical
You’ll want to understand what security mechanisms a software development company puts in place to ensure that neither your concept, offering, solutions, nor any confidential materials, are subject to any threats.
Security is the mark of the best software development agencies. It needs to transcend the information exchange and the solution being developed. Here are two important questions you must consider in this connection:
- Has the software development team made use of the necessary security procedures?
- What level of security do you want for your project?
Raise relevant questions because not all development agencies will approach security issues in the same way.
Check reviews
Visit well-known review sites like Clutch or GoodFirms when choosing a software company to glean actual insights on client feedback. Also, it is equally important for you to read through the reviews on the social media handles of the software development company. Understanding what customers are saying about a firm is just as important as looking at the ratings.
Note that you must check reviews based on three criteria viz. quality, scheduling, cost, and desire to refer. This will allow you to find out what the clients of the software development are saying about its services. Also, you can check the list of winners by reputes agencies like Clutch and Top Developers that rank technology companies.
Consider time zone advantages
Seek information about the locations of development operations. Choose software development companies that are located in a time zone where you feel comfortable doing business. To improve your chances of success in company, learn about their regional business culture. This will enable you to assess if you will fit in or not.
Visit their websites to learn more about their guiding principles and see whether they align with your own. Time zone advantages must be critically evaluated before forging a partnership. Remember if you are a US business, outsourcing to companies that operate from a different time zone (countries like India) can give you a remarkable advantage.
What is the Company Size
When choosing a software company, the team size of the prospective partner and the scope of its projects are very important considerations. The size of your software development partner has a significant impact on your ability to scale the development team up or down. Some vendors have have a larger internal talent pool and a wider external candidate pool. To accommodate the growing workload, they can simply expand the development team, and if necessary, they may switch out personnel for another project.
For instance, Finoit has a talent pool of more than 200 software development experts, who bring expertise in technology, domain understanding, and project management. We easily scale up or scale down as the project requires at a given point of time.
You must pay attention to Engagement models
You should have a clear understanding of the project’s scope and its ultimate purpose to prevent your spending from soaring through the roof. The engagement model you chose will affect the project’s budget, so it should unquestionably be one of the factors for choosing a software company.
You need to evaluate different engagement models if an hourly rate or a monthly rate model suits you. Businesses that have a comprehensive understanding of the product benefit from the Fixed Price method. In contrast, a dedicated development team model is the best option for lengthy projects with shifting requirements. You get a group of experts who are totally committed to working on your project.
How are the knowledge transfer plans
Make sure the best practices are transferred to you and that project knowledge is effectively recorded. This helps in transitioning seamlessly to product usage during the application handover.
Knowledge transfer is important but depends on a number of factors, including people, processes, and a product. Without knowledge transfer, it is hard to meet your expectations without a thorough understanding of what the product does, how it works, and who is in charge of what duties. Therefore, take this into consideration when choosing a software company.
Does the company understand your business goals?
For software development companies building a web presence is not a big deal these days. However, it’s the experience and expertise that sets many apart in the market.
As a business, you must keep one thing in mind, today’s corporate environment is significantly more dynamic than it was ten years ago. Knowledge of the product alone is no longer sufficient.
To help a company reach new heights, a software development companies should comprehend the organization’s objectives as well as how it plans to develop and evolve over time.
What should you avoid while choosing a software company?
Having looked at the factors you must consider while choosing a software company, now let’s understand the most common mistakes that you must avoid when shortlisting the best software development agencies.
Searching for a bigger partner than your own company
When deciding between choices, the size of the company is not always the most important factor. However, you should still consider it. There is a good chance that a smaller software development company may be a better choice than some of the larger, more established businesses if it has a dependable and experienced tech team and a sizable customer base.
Preferring pricing over other parameters
If you are preferring price over quality then you are committing the biggest mistake when choosing a software company. The lowest rate does not necessarily equate to the lowest overall cost. The lowest hourly rate could be alluring, but it excludes the duration of a job. And it’s very likely that the least expensive developers lack experience and expertise.
Ending up finding a jack of all trades
When you hand over your projects to trusted hands it means you are handing over your project to software developers who are industry experts in a certain technical skill that your project requires. While having developers with a wide array of programming skills is always desirable, it is equally important that they bring an advanced and equal level of expertise in applications and languages.
Trusting a non-performer
Trusting a company with a poor web presence, no or low-quality testimonials, and no significant portfolios can be the biggest mistake when choosing a software company. The performance of the company is proven by its visibility and transparency. Businesses must thus first identify each software development company and gather data from them when choosing a software company.
What outsourcing software development model to use when choosing a software development company
The choice of outsourcing software development model is vital to the process of choosing a software company. You can choose to go with any of the following three outsourcing software development models for your project.
Location-based model
This model focuses on how far the team is geographically located from you. Location-based model is suitable when you are looking to hire a software development team from a particular geography.
Relationship-based model
This outsourcing model focuses on how the customer and the software development company handle both ownership and responsibility during the course of the collaboration.
Project-based model
Here, you entrust a software development company with the completion of the full project. The project management team from the outsourcing company will need to be briefed on the project’s complete requirements before they can build the software development team and oversee the project’s completion.
Sources to use for choosing the best software company
Listed here are some authentic platforms that will help you find good and trusted software development companies.
Clutch
Clutch.co is one good platform to search and find reputed software development companies. There are verified, sponsored, as well as reviewed records. Clutch itself conducts research to ascertain the standing of a software development company in the market.
Goodfirms
GoodFirms.co is a research-based B2B company that recognizes the best software development companies. It lists software development firms based on various criteria, such as hourly pricing, ratings, and reviews.
TopDevelopers.co
You may get a well-researched list of the best Web and custom software development companies at TopDevelopers.com. Their reviews help you to choose an ideal software development partner for developing your application.
Extract.co
You can shortlist the best software development companies using Extract.co. It provides you the examined software developers based on metrics and quality standards.
Wadline.com
It assists businesses to discover the best companies in web, mobile, and software development for various countries across North America and Europe. You can discover software development companies based on technologies, platforms, and services.
Digitalogy.co
It is a marketplace which helps you to hire and build the best custom software development team. As a technology sourcing and matchmaking platform, Digitalogy connects businesses with the best talent from across the world.
Google Search
Yes, carrying out a Google search is always the easiest and the best way to search for a software development company with the experience and expertise you are desiring. Also, you should miss searching on other search engines like Bing and Yahoo.
You can try to find a reputed software development company through your network on LinkedIn. Devote some time to connect with experts from various software companies and go through the official LinkedIn pages of the company to make a choice.
UpFirms.co
Service seekers can choose the ideal software development company using UpFirms, a comprehensive research, rating, and review platform.
Meticulously choosing a software company – the only way
Needless to say, that choosing a software company for your business, based on your needs, is a time-consuming and cumbersome process. You will have to carefully screen each software development company using the aforementioned process.
Outsourcing software development will enable your business to grow and run efficiently while saving money. You may quickly improve your company’s operational efficiency as time goes on to stay ahead of the market’s fierce competition.
However, remember, you cannot afford to make any errors while choosing a software company. And so, using a proven selection framework is imperative to realize the aim that you have envisioned to accomplish with the software product.
