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There is always a catch-22 situation in your mind when you are looking to get an app develop, and this is about whether to get it developed in-house or outsource it to a development company. Well, this is because all your success depends on how your app is being developed and how well it has captured the essence of your idea to serve your customers. And this eventually depends on the type of developer you have hired for your project. Which mostly proves to be practical and sustainable when you go with the outsourcing option and hire the right app development partner to work on your project.
As every project need is different and business situation associated with it is different, you need to shortlist service providers prudently. There are a few criteria that should cover the most of it while you make a selection out of the shortlisted developers. And these are listed in these check points to ensure if the development partner you consider working with is perfect for your project or not.
Effective communication is important for any project to execute successfully. Every idea, thought or instruction you share is all based on communication. More so, when you are remotely engaged with an offshore development company. So, it is of utmost importance to check your development partner for communication skills to make sure your project moves smoothly and effectively without any confusions taking place.
In this attempt you would find many companies with fluent sales teams who are generally involved in the initial communication. But when you talk to the programmers they fail to communicate as effectively. Therefore, it is always advisable to check the development team or the project SPOC for their proficiency in communication to make sure you achieve best results.
Before you start, communicate with the developer who will work on your project to make sure of their talking and interpretation skills.
Many technology firms focus on a few technologies and services and only provide certain solutions. This makes them confined in terms of scope and reach. So, if there is a company that only provides solution in Core PHP and open source and not in mobile technology, it will restrict them to allow you an all-round solution, which you might require later, if not now. Therefore, it makes sense to look for a development partner with all-round development capabilities. This will allow you to get a solution that is served with best of technology options and it will make it easy for you to maintain and scale-up your solution in future without having to look for other partners.
Look for a development company that focuses on the solution, irrespective of its technology.
You have an innovative idea that drives the concept of your app and you need to keep it all secret so that no one gets to steal your idea or knowledge resources for their benefit. Here, you need to get NDA signed with your development partner in order to protect the novelty and exclusivity of your app idea. So, before you disclose the details of your project, make sure your app development partner is ready to sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement.
An NDA is an agreement between parties to not to disclose some shared information or knowledge resource to others as per the non-disclosure clause mentioned in the supporting confidentiality declaration.
Check how experienced your service provider is in the solution you require by looking at their past projects. You can also ask them for client references from whom you can check on their viability and validity at work. See if they have enough expertise in the technology stack you are looking to build your solution and how closely and to what extent they have worked on those platforms in the past.
Prefer the development partner who has worked on projects similar to yours and have enough past experience and expertise working on the kind of solution you require.
Which methodology they follow for development itself says a lot about their practicing efficiency and functional approach. Here you should go with the developers who follow Agile/Scrum methodology. This will allow you to get a better idea of how your product is progressing as you would get to see a whole view of it in each phase. Which easily differs from the outdated waterfall methodology that attempts to build product in fractional parts.
With Agile you get to see MVP (Minimum Viable Product) built in the early phases which gives you an idea of how your solution is being approached and where it is leading.
For every project there is an engagement model that decides how the considerations are calculated and how the efforts are to be compensated. The two most prevalent and followed models are Fixed Price model (Predetermined Lump Sum project cost) and Hourly model (Time and Material). You go mostly with Fixed Price model when the project understanding and scope are clear and sorted. And when things are more time-dependent and need to be handled dynamically it’s the hourly model that works better. So, while you are discussing on your project with the provider, decide on the model that suits you the best.
No matter which pricing model it is, make sure it is all transparent and realistic and you are well aware of the calculations.
Always remember to make it clear with your developer if they would transfer the 100% ownership of the source code. In some cases, clients miss to get it clear upfront and later on things turn into a mess when developers don’t agree to pass on the ownership of the code. Such terms and conditions should be made clear right in the beginning to avoid such unsolicited situations later on.
Get all the important clauses written in the deed and get them signed right in the beginning.
Most of the conflicts between provider and client arise due to improper planning and gap in requirement understanding. Before you even initiate anything and take steps to build the project roadmap, decide upon the scope of work and communicate it properly. Divide the entire project into easy and clear milestones or sprints. Once everything is properly shared and discussed get RUD (Requirement Understanding Document) prepared and signed. This will help you have a better command over the project proceedings.
With RUD prepared well, both the parties can measure efforts and progress with great accuracy.
No matter how well your app is tested for quality and how well it is deployed it will require close functional supervision and technical support, even days and months after it is live. Also, quite possibly your app might report bugs and can show some faulty traits as it is exposed to the user environment. Therefore, it becomes important for you to make sure that your development partner provides an app maintenance solution at least for a year so that it holds its ground well and performs as expected.
Maintenance services are important as your app needs continuous supervision and attentive support to perform well out in the actual environment with real users.
When you are looking for outsourcing partner from other geographical location you need to check their time zone and the resource availability to make sure they have maximum overlapping hours with your work timings. If this does not fit well, you will be facing hard time handling the project and this would go far against your project in the end as coping up with different time zone would be a big challenge for you as a project owner.
While you shortlist your developers, look into the time zone they belong to and check if they can work in your preferred hour bracket.
When you are planning the project make sure you have considered all these points and have provided for enough compliances and strategies to support them. As, if you get these right, you have almost all the chances to take your project to a fine and smooth completion. Here, the best you can do while applying these ideas and practices is to them process and deliver at their own pace and in the manner and order,they best fit your project needs. And you will have the best results selecting the right app development partner for your project, which would eventually lead to the perfect project execution and great returns.
Neeti Kotia is a technology journalist who seeks to analyze the advancements and developments in technology that affect our everyday lives. Her articles primarily focus upon the business, social, cultural, and entertainment side of the technology sector.
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