Vishal BhatiaToday, software development is fast-becoming the backbone of most businesses. The software helps to expedite and scale up a company’s operations.
It’s one thing to come up with an idea for excellent software, but finding the right web and mobile development company to bring your software to life can prove to be a different ball game. This is truer for a company looking for custom software development, and not an off-the-shelf software.
The fact that there is literally thousands of web and mobile development companies out there makes even finding the right software company more difficult. In fact, the success of your software development hinges on the ability of the chosen web and mobile development company to deliver and maintain your software perfectly and in good time.
Hiring a dedicated web developer for your software development isn’t a straightforward process. It involves the interplay of variables that can make or break the success of your software development. It requires patience and attention to the fine details of the development process.
The following tips can help ensure that your software development project is being handled by good hands.
Get Acquainted with your Software Specs
The success of your software development decisively depends on how much you know about the software specifications. This is crucial not only to identify the right web and mobile development company for your development but also to the success of your business in general. When you want to hire dedicated developers, you need to be certain that your software specifications adequately address your business needs.
You need to also have the know-how to identify the right quality of coding for your software. This should form part of the agenda of the initial consultations you hold with a web and mobile App development company. That implies that you should be conversant with the ways of dealing with buggy codes, and the ways to ensure that your software is built with more of a lean coding.
Acquaint Yourself with the Various Software Development Life Cycles (SDLC)
Before you hire dedicated developers, you need to hold comprehensive discussions about which SDLC they’ll be executing your projects with. You need to be familiar with the various SDLCs, so you can decide whether the SDLC which a software development company chooses for your development is the best fit.
You also need to acquaint yourself with the various software development technologies such as UNIX and Windows, in order to decide which one is best suited to your software development needs. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to assess the development technology which a dedicated web developer is experienced with.
Presently, about 80% of software development companies have extensive experiences with SCRUM. With this Agile development model, a dedicated web developer executes sprints and stand-ups as frequently as needed, even on a daily basis.
In general, Agile development models are the best models for projects that require extensive collaborations and flexibility. These models allow a dedicated developer to easily apply necessary changes to the project.
Formulate a Strict Budget
Your budget is one of the main parameters for narrowing down your list of software development companies for your project. You don’t need to allocate huge sums for your software development in order to ensure its quality.
On the other hand, you should be wary of cheap quotes from prospective software companies, as cheap development costs might be tantamount to low-quality software. The company’s quote in a way reflects the level of expertise which the company performs with. When assessing the quotes of a software company, you need to also look out for hidden and extra costs, such as maintenance costs, costs of handling paperwork, costs of in-person training, etc.
You need to ensure that the ROI on your software budget is profitable. You don’t have to stretch your finances for a high-quality software that doesn’t guarantee any profitable return on investment. On the other hand, you don’t want to end up with a low-quality software due to a tight software budget.
Consider the Size of your Software Development
The size of your project should also be a key parameter for narrowing down your list of prospective software development companies. Most companies focus on large-scale, long-term developments, while others are specialized in sprints. You need to aim for a company with a profile that’s best suited for the size of your project.
Note that the size of the software company itself does not determine whether they’re best suited to handle your projects with regards to the project size. A small development company can be smart enough to handle a large size project as efficiently as a large organization can. Such companies usually don’t take long to establish their presence as authority brands. Nonetheless, one way of determining the ability of a company to handle the project size is by accessing its history of completed projects.
On Choosing Between a Local or Remote Software Development Company
The choice between an offshore or a local web and mobile development company is another key consideration that you must make when planning to hire dedicated developers.
The biggest challenge in opting for an offshore development company is the difference in the timezone, which will require you to organize your communications. The target audience for your software development also determines if it’s appropriate to use a local based or a remote based software development company. If your target audience is mainly based in your locality, then it’s better to choose a software development company that’s based in your locality, and has a team that’s familiar with your area and customs.
There are also economic factors that can determine whether a remote or local web and mobile development company is the best fit for your project. You can hire dedicated developers from other parts of the world who can deliver first-rate software at a much lower cost than that of hiring local developers.
Hire Based on a Company’s Track Record
It’s common sense to assess the track record of a dedicated web developer before hiring. You should hire a software development company that’s worked on numerous projects similar to yours. A company that doesn’t have a good history of working on projects similar to yours may lack the expertise and knowledge of methodologies which your project requires.
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To check a web and mobile development company’s track records, you can look around on social media platforms or even ask former clients or employees of the company for recommendations and testimonials, or ask the company to provide you with samples of their previous projects. This can help you avoid serious problems down the road, as you’ll most likely not fall for a pretentious face value.
You need to also investigate the financial stability of the company, as this can help you avoid nasty surprises where the company runs out of money while executing your project.
Ask for Tests and Trial Runs
You’ll find many development companies that offer small trials to prove their capacities to deliver the features and utilities which your app development is meant to provide. This is also the phase where the dedicated web developer clears any doubt you might have in mind concerning their capacities to handle your projects within the set budget and in good time.
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Note that if you miss any sign of inefficiency and ineptitude that surfaces during this trial run, you might be setting yourself up for a possible set back down the road, so you need to pay your uttermost attention to this phase.
Insist on Strict Adherence to Development Timelines
When you’re looking to hire dedicated developers, look out for those with a history of timely deliveries. This will help ensure that your project timeline is strictly adhered to and that there’s sufficient time to test and debug the software. This will also give your employees enough time to adapt to the software.
You need to set the timeline for the project during the initial negotiations. You should deliberate on the timeframe with the dedicated developer for all the phases of the development, including the testing and debugging phase. You can also use financial incentives to induce commitment to timelines; you can offer a bonus pay for early completion of phases.
Root for Good Communication
Communication is the bloodstream of an active client-vendor relationship. When you’re looking to hire dedicated developers, you need to make good communication skills a priority that’s as important as good programming skills.
Good communication doesn’t flow in a one-way traffic, where you the client passes down instructions to the developer and the developer does nothing but accepts the instructions. A good communication is a give and take, where both parties can contribute inputs into the development. That implies that all parties involved must have a clear idea of the project’s various challenges. The dedicated web developer you choose must also be able to keep you posted about the priorities and the technical issues of your software development.
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If the dedicated web developer you choose to hire does nothing else but code in isolation, that’s a bad omen that you’ll probably end up with a software that’s misaligned with the goals of the development. There must be a constant communication loop that keeps both you and the developers abreast of the processes that determine the alignment of the project to the overarching goals of the software.
Opt for Excellent User Experience
The main goal of your software development should be to enhance customer satisfaction. This should be a key consideration when deliberating the scale and scope of your software, as well as when choosing a web and mobile development company for your software development. If the software doesn’t enrich user experience, it might be difficult for you to get a good ROI for the software investment.
You need to hit the nail in the head when determining how to address the needs of your target audience through the software.
You need to hire dedicated developers who understand what it takes to deliver an excellent user experience to your customer base. This is why a custom software development will be more effective than an off-the-shelf software solution, as there’ll be more provisions for an enriched user experience in the former than in the later. The web and app mobile development company must be able to create software with an exceptional user interface if your business is to use it to gain an upper hand over the competition.
Iron Out Security and Safety Issues
When you’re looking to hire dedicated developers, you need to deliberate on safety and security issues straight off the bat, including issues concerning data security and the use of sensitive data such as proprietary data, personal information, and trade secrets. You need to ensure that the web and mobile development company you choose is certified to handle systems with high security / high safety requirements.
You also need to have risk management plans on the ground in case the software fails to work effectively as planned. You can use escrow payment methods to protect both yourself and the developers. You can also use workflow screenshots to monitor the work in progress.
Iron Out Maintenance and Post-Development Arrangements
A custom software development is a work in progress that should go on as long as the brand seeks to address the customer’s pain points. The maintenance and upgrade of the software are therefore as critical to the success of the software as the main development processes. All software needs to receive regular updates and patches in order to remain a practical and reliable utility.
You need to iron out maintenance and after-sales support issues with the chosen web and mobile development company right from the outset. You need to get the developers to commit the maintenance and patching / updates of the software in writing.
Conclusion
With these tips, you can make certain that the web and mobile development company you hire has the necessary experience to execute your software development project in good time and implement the necessary maintenance and update procedures needed to keep your software development delivering an enriching user experience. When you’re ready to start your project, be sure to contact us and we’ll work with you to make your project just right for your business and your goals.
