When it comes to building a software product, the most important and complex part of the process is finding the right partner. Finding the right partner can be challenging because there are so many things you need to take into account before signing that contract.
The partnership is the cornerstone on which your product stands or falls. The success of your new venture largely depends on your ability to find, vet and sign an effective development partner.
If you’re looking for a trusted software development partner, this ultimate guide will walk you through all the partner evaluation criteria that you need to find the right software development partner.
The Importance of Having a Great Product Team
Just because you have found the perfect development team for your product, it does not mean that you’ll get an amazing product. Your product team needs to be aligned with your goals and objectives for the product.
While you’re on the hunt for a product team, make sure you look for and hire people who have the right skills and experience to solve your problems. If you need help prioritizing product features, a team that has experience with your industry will be able to help you make informed decisions.
Ultimately, you want a product team that not only knows how to develop a product but can also advise you on which features are most important and knows how to manage the process effectively.
Qualities to Look for In a Development Partner
There are so many variables to take into account before partnering with a development team. The following are some of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a development partner.
Commitment to User Experience and UI/UX Design
User Experience (UX) design is the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving its usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product. This is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a development partner.
You want to make sure that your development partner has a strong user-focused design philosophy. You want to know that they place as much importance on the users’ experience as they do on the coding and functionality.
The easiest way to analyze this is to check the company’s track record of development. Look for reviews or testimonials from their clients. If their process works on customer experience or there are clues that their clients are seeing an increase in customer happiness with the software, these are clues that a company is focused on better UX design.
Evaluating Based on Platform and Tooling
When selecting a development partner, consider how they approach the various technologies associated with your product. If a development partner specializes in a particular platform, they are more likely to be familiar with the nuances of that technology.
This will help speed up the process of development and implementation. Depending on the industry and product you’re building, you may want to consider certain platforms and tools. For example, if you’re building an eCommerce product, you’ll want to choose a development partner with experience in eCommerce platforms.
Most development companies list the tools and platforms that they work with on their websites. Otherwise, you can ask them about the previous projects they worked on. They can usually tell which tools and platforms they used for those projects.
Evaluating Based on Costs and Timings
Make sure to get a clear breakdown of the costs associated with the product. You want to make sure that the numbers make sense. If you have a fixed budget, you don’t want to be forced to overspend. You should also get an idea of how long each phase of the development process will take. This will help you stay on target with your overall project plan.
Assessing Skills and Capabilities
It’s one thing to look at your product roadmap and another to see if your development partner can deliver what’s required. In order to assess the capabilities of the development partner, you need to provide them with a more detailed outline of what needs to be built.
Let your development partner know about all the software evaluation criteria and program requirements that you need to address, and get their feedback on the feasibility of each requirement.
When it comes to assessing capabilities, there are two things you need to consider:
- The ability to understand your requirements
- The ability to deliver what’s required
You can see this in previous projects, as well as conversations with them on the potential outcome of your project. Development teams should also be able to break down what the expected costs should be to finish the project, helping you get a better sense of how the budget will be managed.
Culture and Mindset
You can have the best development team on paper, but if they don’t fit into your company culture, they won’t be effective. You want to make sure that your development partner has the right culture and mindset to work effectively within your organization.
The only effective way to determine if you and a development team are a good fit is to interview them. Spending time together lets you get a sense of what they are like as people and how well they can work together.
Professional Track Record
When it comes to selecting a development partner, you want to make sure that they have a proven track record of success. You don’t want to partner with a development team that has little to no experience in building products.
Any development team that you consider should be able to produce a portfolio of projects that they worked on with enough detail to show you what the project was about. Take a deep look into the portfolio and ask for more information if you need it. You want to be sure that your development team can get the job done while producing the results that you expect.
Put KitelyTech At the Top of Your List
Ultimately, the most important thing to remember when selecting a development partner is that you get what you pay for. You want to make sure that you are working with a development partner that is willing to invest resources and time into discovering your product vision, who will work with you to create an effective product roadmap, and who will follow through on the agreed-upon timelines and budgets. At KitelyTech, we have years of experience and hundreds of projects under our belt when it comes to software development partner. We work with you to not only build, but to plan and manage your new software so that you get the best ROI. Call us at (800) 274-2908 to set up an interview so that we can get to know your company better and discover the best ways to help you.
