Software development, no matter what you think, is not a small project. And to be successful, the idea is not enough. You need a prospective IT partner that can supply you with anything you need. Technology, quality, leadership, and support are the skill such a partner should possess. Let’s discuss five critical areas you should focus on when choosing a software development partner for your project.
Many consultants on the market may have years of experience in software development, but they should also have skills related to product release, testing, support, and upgrades. Without these skills, your business might miss critical issues and face various risks if your partner won’t address security, privacy, and access issues properly.
5 Critical Areas to Include in Software Development Partner Selection
1. Resources
Any software development project needs a lot of time and resources. The chosen partner must have all the resources available at every stage of the software development lifecycle. Waiting for any resource might be harmful to your business. It would help if your partner guarantees you the availability of the resources you might need (these can be achieved if you are working on a staff augmentation model). SLA or service level agreements are mandatory to make sure you won’t lose your time and money.
2. Access
It doesn’t matter how you work with software development partner: offshore, onsite, or combine delivery models, the team representatives must be available for you and your team and communicate when there are issues or questions arise. When signing the contract with a software development partner, you must discuss clearly how the communication and reporting will be handled. Make sure that the frequency of contacts and methods are talked about. Don’t forget to take into account time zones if they are different.
3. Skills and Training
Any software development project is complex, and you need to carefully select a software development partner with proven references, experienced, and skills in software products creation, maintenance, and support. This should include feasibility studies, methodologies, integration, implementation, testing patching, bug fixing, migration, updates, UI design, infrastructure management, support, and re-engineering. If needed, these might include mobile development experience and skills. You need to make sure that your partner’s environment must make sure that they have up-to-date training of their employees and use the latest technologies for product support and creation. You need to ensure that the software development partner follows the strictest privacy and security procedures and protects intellectual property.
4. ROI (Return on Investment)
Any software development partner should have proven skills and references. There are two most essential aspects: project management and history. The prices should be clear and realistic. If the partner offers a low price, they might cut costs to look competitive. You need to understand what services, resources, and timelines are included in the price. Without such understanding, the issues of budget overruns might appear.
5. Stability
When you plan to roll into a software project development business, the partner you choose must be a stable company with an established reputation. Learn more about this company in the business, its key partners, and how they employ people. Low prices for their resources might indicate that they are hiring seasoned workers. Yet, if you need something stable, you need to employ the business working long-term. The outstaffing model is an excellent idea if you look for a long-lasting relationship and complete dedication of resources to your software product.
To sum up
When reviewing your IT partners’ proposals, run interviews to ensure that the business you are about to partner with is stable and effective. In such short interviews, you may learn how professional their management is, how project development phases are followed, and how these guys can help you achieve your goals. Your collaboration must be built on a foundation of flexibility, scalability, and maximum performance.