Finding the right software development company for your development project is essential for success. It is said that success isn’t an achievement, it is a process. And, to make a process right, you have to plan from the beginning.
So, while finding a development company, you will have to make some observations like:
- How many projects has the company completed successfully?
- How many reputable clients the agency has worked with?
- What are the charges for a website development project?
- What are the reviews about this development agency online?
- Does this agency offer customize PHP development for your Laravel development project?
These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself before settling for a software development company. After all, you will be entrusting your project to a stranger, it is better you know what that stranger is worth.
So, what are the attributes that you should be searching for in your software development partner? Let’s dig them up.
Qualities of a Software Development Company
It is the features of a company that defines its future scope. Let’s learn how to find the right one for business.
- Trust & Honesty
While integrity and uprightness are morally essential for any business relationship, not many consider it this way. So, make sure that the software development agency you are looking for your project is genuine, trustworthy, and engages in fair dealings.
How will you find that out? A simple google search of ‘SOFTWARE COMPANY NAME + Reviews’ will do the trick.
- Development expertise
While companies can be trustworthy, genuine, and honest in their approach. However, if they don’t have the expertise that you require for your project, you can’t work with them. It is dead simple. So, make sure that the company has the expertise in the technology you need for your website. Let’s say you need a project made in Laravel. Now, if it isn’t a Laravel development company, it is of no use to you. Better search somewhere else.
- Previous Clients
Do you need to ask the company if it has worked with many reputed clients previously? In most cases, the companies show on their homepage if they have worked with some big clients in the industry. This builds trust and helps to be more clients to that software house. So, if you have narrowed your search to a selected few, and they have not displayed their reputed clients on the homepage, ask them about it.
- Project Management
While there are companies that are great at project management, not all abide by the deadlines. A workaround to this is to find out how many people are in that company. That is: What is the size of the employees of that company?
When you are paying the company according to their demand, you deserve that they handle your project professionally. You can read about their project management skills on review websites. Websites like G2 Crowd and Clutch offers reviews for software and development agencies. Make use of them to filter out the bad ones from your list.
- Multidimensional Approach
It is important that you also think about the future services that you would need. For example, if it is your project, you will also need regular maintenance and updates. Moreover, if that company offers digital marketing services, you can also use them to launch and scale your business. So, what can be better than finding all these services in a single place?
It is better that you can get all these services from a single entity. Otherwise, tracking issues and getting them managed will require more work and time.
- Client Handling
Does the company allow its clients to directly engage with the developer? Or, does it offer a single point of contact for the overall project?
In most cases, clients need a single, dedicated employee who can handle all the projects and then repeat them regularly.
While most seasoned employees have this mindset, however, the whole sales department must undergo this type of training.
- Track Record
Does the company offer a promising track record? Well, in reality, tracking records of the company is impossible especially if you are hiring them from someone else.
It may seem obvious but look for a company with a decent track record of projects, preferably spanning several years at least.
You can easily find out about these companies online. However, it is even better to ask for recommendations on social media, search engines, and verbally.
- Syntax Understanding
Surely you will be hiring the company for your development project. This means that the company should have good developers on board. Now, this again brings the same question: How to find if the developers they have hired for the project offers better quality? The answer:
Check out the syntax structure of the code that you have purchased.
Make sure they use a central version control system like GitHub and regularly take backups. You can also search for a developer toolbox for building software applications to best practice standards and design guidelines. This ensures code is written in a very straightforward way using established software technologies to avoid the risk of lock-in.
- IPR Policy
Will they keep a copy of your project? To ensure that the company that has developed your project doesn’t take any stake in your business, ask them for an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) confirmation letter. This letter should ensure that the project cannot be developed for any other project/person/company. The reason given is:
- It was assigned by you, so there is a chance that one of the software developers copies the important codes and use them somewhere else.
- Some companies who have the copied code of the project also come back and charge a “license fees”.
- Profitability
How profitable is the software company you are considering for your project in business? In some cases, the company you are hiring for the development is on the brink of going bankrupt. In such a case, it is better to avoid that company no matter how excellent its previous projects were.
Look for a company that is willing to offer a helping hand, a company that can form a long-term relationship with you as the client.
These are the characteristics of a relevant software development company. So, make sure you hire only the one that fits these criteria.
