Many software projects fail — and you don’t want to add to the numbers.
Increasingly, startups and established businesses work with one-stop-shop software development companies that can handle the entire project from start to finish, rather than simply hiring software engineers to code the software.
What are the advantages of this — and how do you choose the right software developers to work with on your project?
What is one-stop software development?
Software development is highly specialized. Many software engineers focus on specific coding languages and specific types of software — such as web development, mobile development or fintech.
In one-stop-shop software development companies, dedicated teams are built according to the project and the specific expertise required.
The team will then handle the entire software development project life cycle from the initial idea through to deployment.
Typically, the software development life cycle includes the following series of defined steps:
● Needs analysis, ideation, and planning: a critical step that ensures that the idea is viable and coincides with the business goals and that the project runs efficiently.
● Product design: the development team presents the scope of work in the design documentation.
● Development and coding: the software developers work on delivering the source code to meet the design requirements.
● QA and testing: the product is placed in a solid testing environment to ensure that the source code is perfect, bug-free and fit-for-market.
● Deployment and maintenance: apps are published to app stores, application installers created and the software made compatible with different operating systems/platforms.
Software development is not just about coding. To be successful, a project should be managed from end to end. That often requires the type of comprehensive approach offered by one-stop-shop developers.
What are the benefits of hiring one-stop software developers?
The right software development partners may be more than just developers, helping you manage future upgrades, enhancements and other technology needs for your business.
The outsourced team may interact closely with your in-house team and, once they understand the full range of your business processes and goals, can often add value to your business beyond the initial software solution.
Other benefits provided by a one-stop-shop development team often include:
● Extra efficiencies: custom software is purposely designed to productively support processes and having the entire process managed by knowledgeable professionals can create extra efficiencies.
● Reduced hiring burden: if you hire an outsourced team of one-stop software professionals you don’t need to spend time and money on locating and recruiting the right people.
● Frees up time: your attention is best focused on your core business, which is not developing software. A one-stop-shop developer helps you focus your time where it’s most needed.
● Smoother communication: rather than juggling your time between several “suppliers” on a custom software project, you can communicate with a project manager or small team to ask questions, raise issues, solve problems, and check progress,
● Fewer integration issues: depending on its intended use, new software may need to integrate with existing systems. This can cause issues and delays unless you work with professionals who understand your business and are actively involved in the problem-solving process.
Most software development projects require a highly specific skillset. By partnering with an established and reliable one-stop shop, you not only get access to the required skills but also many other benefits outlined above.
But how can you be sure that you work with the right software developers?
7 steps to choose the right software development partners
Your software development partner must understand your business and help you create a solution that works towards achieving your main goals. That’s no easy task.
So, what should you be looking for in a custom software development company? How can you increase the chances of finding the right partners?
The seven steps outlined below are a great start:
1. Detail your ideas, needs and expectations
Before you start searching for a software development partner, you need to know what you’re looking for.
All stakeholders should have input into this stage, where you write down your ideas, needs and expectations of the project and the prospective software developers.
How does the software fit into the overall business vision? Is it mission-critical? Have you already generated ideas from brainstorming sessions? What are the must-have qualities of the software development team? What’s the available budget?
When you start meeting with potential partners, you can use this list to outline the full scope of the project and act as a guide for the partners you choose.
2. Select an internal team to drive the process
You’ll need to identify a core internal team in your organization to drive the software project.
Whether you’re after a one-stop-shop software development company with multi-disciplinary professionals or a small outsourced development team, you’ll need at least one internal contact who can either oversee the entire process or communicate with the project manager remotely.
Can you work across different time zones if necessary?
Can other roles in the project be filled internally or does the entire project need to be handed to an outsourced partner?
3. Research a shortlist of candidates
Once you start your search for the right software development partner, simple Google searches will probably reveal several candidates that tick many of the boxes — according to the claims made on their websites.
These claims should be researched and verified because many software developers have marketing teams just like any business — and some make unfounded claims.
To sort out the “wheat” from the “chaff”, you’ll need to evaluate their track records. How long have they been in business? What is the focus of previous work and what are their main accomplishments? How do their technical skills stack up?
You may be looking for specialist mobile application developers or embedded systems developers. What similar projects have the development team worked on?
Evaluate case studies to see whether the team has experience in your industry, your services and your types of clients (if applicable).
4. Meet, ask questions and evaluate
If you’re hiring a development team for an important new software project, you’ll want to know exactly who you’re partnering with.
Unless that team invests the time into understanding your business and your precise needs from the start, keep a wide berth.
Most major software developers will offer a free consultation to kick things off. You can use this session to ask questions that get to the heart of the project and what you want to accomplish.
Find out about the key skills of the development team, how they would approach your project and overcome challenges, and learn more about their credentials. Do your values align? Will your people be able to collaborate with theirs? How are their communication skills?
During this meeting, you can assess the shortlisted developers as you move toward a decision.
5. Evaluate pricing/budget
Price is certainly not everything with outsourced software development — but it must be right for your budget.
If you have the budget to hire a one-stop-shop development team, you may enjoy many “hidden” cost savings because you will have access to a team of experts who can advise on multiple solutions for your business without hiring other specialists.
Find out how the candidates’ services are priced and be sure to compare “apples with apples”. Not all software developers provide the same range or level of service. Make sure that change orders are priced in, for instance.
Add the pricing details to the shortlist of candidates you’ve made, along with other key details/attributes so you can compare development teams side by side.
Generally speaking, sacrificing a few dollars for a drop in expertise, quality or reliability is a false economy that may come back to bite you.
6. Check what past and present customers say
We all know the importance of reviews these days. It’s no different with software developers.
If they have a long track record of success, there should be plenty of clients willing to say so and back up the claims.
What do the reviews/testimonials say? Try to speak to references from the same industry as yours to understand more about how the developers handled the project.
Are any red flags raised by comments from past customers? Do client experiences tally with the claims made? Can you trust in the transparency and accountability of the development team?
7. Address QA and timelines
To avoid any issues with quality or timelines, make sure that commitments to testing/QA and project timelines are agreed on before any contracts are signed.
Most software projects are both quality- and time-sensitive. Failures in either area can cost many thousands of dollars so you’ll want to ensure that the software development partner you choose can deliver in both areas.
The best software development companies will include regular testing and validation stages, including prototyping, user testing, and daily scrums to ensure the solution remains on track at each stage.
Start ticking the right boxes with your software project
Whether you’re a startup entering the digital space or an established business looking to offer digital services, there are many boxes to tick when hiring a software development partner for your project.
Considerations go far beyond the costs quoted and whether the developers have the necessary coding skills.
Will the team fit well with your overall vision, project priorities and preferred communication styles? Are they experienced in project management or do they normally only handle the coding? Can they meet the required project timeline?
Start by contacting our experienced, reliable and approachable team and asking questions,
As your one-stop software development partners, we’ll help you make the right choices for your business and manage the entire project from start to finish.
Sources
https://www.baytechconsulting.com/blog/what-services-does-a-software-development-company-provide
https://www.tatvasoft.com/outsourcing/2021/10/what-does-software-development-service-company-do.html
https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/choosing-the-right-software-development-company/
