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How To Choose A Software Development Partner In 2022?

Written by polyuno
Last modified Sep. 30 2021

It might be difficult to find a software development partner that can satisfy your company's demands. How you find and collaborate with a software development partner varies depending on the type of software project you're working on.

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When outsourcing, it's critical to stick to a set of guidelines. You'll be able to keep control over the quality of the job you receive this way.

This guide will cover all the stages involved in choosing the right software development partner, and as well as the outsourcing process in general. Let’s get right into it.

Table Of Contents

Why Companies Look For Software Development Partners

A software development partner is usually a firm or a group of IT specialists who assist you in effectively completing your software project(s).

Software development partners are generally outsourcing companies hired by tech startups to help them avoid the expenses and other hassles of employing engineers of their own.

A fairly priced software development partner will, more than likely, have the resources and experience to construct your app or software product with simply a comprehensive understanding of the project from you and/or your companions.

There are a ton of different reasons a business could be looking for a software development partner. Some of them are:

  • Insufficient resources to supplement your company’s workforce.
  • Trying to build a new business application.
  • Trying to enhance an existing application.
  • The project is short-term and the firm does not want to employ full-time, permanent developers.
  • The company’s in-house team lacks the technical expertise required to complete the project.
  • A software development partner helps ensure that projects are completed on time and under budget.

You have to first decide what kind of an application you want to build - mobile, web, or desktop if you need a software development partner to help you construct a new digital solution.

Then you must decide what kind of services you want your IT outsourcing firm to deliver, such as front-end or back-end development (or both), QA, and so on. Alternatively, you may decide to delegate a complete development project to your app development partner and go with full-cycle app development.

You can also improve an already existing software product or solution.

If your mobile app is obsolete, for example, your mobile development partner may be able to add missing features or cutting-edge functionality to your digital solution. It might entail converting your mobile app to a cross-platform solution, upgrading the app's appearance, and including AI-chatbots, Blockchain, IoT, and other useful features.

Moreover, you might want to explore bringing in some specialized knowledge from your IT outsourcing partner to help your in-house IT staff perform better.

While your in-house team is away from work or concentrating on more business-critical tasks, the outsourcing team you hire can assist your in-house team in developing a specific functionality in your app or handling some operations while your team members are away from work, or concentrating on more business-critical tasks.

How To Choose A Software Development Partner

When you're not sure you can or want to execute a project on your own, collaborating with a software development firm can offer you plenty of advantages. Consider what you're searching for in a software solution partner to ensure success.

Make sure that you and your software partner fully comprehend and agree on the solution's goal, pricing, and day-to-day expectations.

Know and explain the experience you require and will receive from the start to the finish of your project. Make contact with references, ask tough questions, and be aware of red signs. And don't be hesitant to ask the development team for what you need - after all, you know your business better than anyone else.

Step 1: Create A List

First, create a list that will drive the creation of your solution and aid your decision-making. This list will include a variety of items that will define your project's goals, requirements, and expectations, as well as other information that will assist you in making the best option for your company.

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You should think about how you want to expand your business, how you want to deliver services to your clientele, and your entire software solution. In the review phase, your ability to assist your possible partner in comprehending the breadth of your project will be significant.

Select the members of your internal team who will assist you in making and supporting your choice. Make a list of the capabilities that a custom software solution business should have. Conduct some research on alternative methods and processes & discuss them with your possible business partner.

Consider the services that your company will require. Will you need a complete development team, as well as assistance with product support? Consider what sorts of jobs you'll need to create your solution and which you can complete with internal resources and which you'll need to outsource to your new partner.

Step 2: Research & Evaluate Experience

Now that you've defined your IT outsourcing objectives, it's time to choose the IT firm that best fits your company's requirements.

However, it's not easy, and you'll need to do a lot of studies. Many businesses make the same common error while seeking IT partners. They rely only on the results of Google searches.

Google, on the other hand, will just show you the top results and will not offer you answers that are relevant to your project. It does not imply that the businesses you see are the best IT partners for you. You'll need to do a little more digging for this.

Examine the evaluations for the businesses you've discovered. You may find testimonials on their websites, as well as professional developer sites like Quora, and others.

One of the best ways of evaluating your potential software development partners is by researching their prior work. Examine case studies and other documents that explain projects completed by your potential partners.

Bonus points for direct industry experience. If they have business executives or development teams that have previously understood your business, your services, and your clientele, they will be more equipped to help you address the challenges you are facing.

Next, talk to individuals who work for your potential employers; but, don't restrict yourself to the sales department. Speak with each company's development team, management, and others to get the most accurate image of how they aid, support, and satisfy their partners.

Finally, you want to pick a partner that has the necessary experience to assist you in achieving your objectives.

Avoid picking a firm only because they utilize cutting-edge technology or have a long list of services on their website. The number of years they've been in business is essential, but the amount of time they've worked with their own clientele is a better indicator of their degree of competence.

Step 3: Check With References

If you've already narrowed down your list of possible IT outsourcing partners, requesting client references is a good next step.

References are verified testimonials from current and former partners of the IT firms you're looking into. They may provide insight into how effectively organizations are organized, which services and products they've worked with, how they handle client contact, and a variety of other useful information.

Request client references and, if feasible, speak with them directly. Choose clients that are most similar to your company in terms of industry, size, services, or the kind of projects they work on.

Gather the names of current and former clients and compare them to your connections. You may obtain recommendations for your possible IT partners by requesting the contact information of their current or past clients and writing or calling them directly.

You might write down the questions you want to ask before calling them. You'll obtain more thorough replies this way, and you'll have a better understanding of how IT outsourcing businesses arrange their work. It's helpful if you can speak openly with a business acquaintance who has worked with your potential partners.

Step 4: Consider Location

The geographical location of your software development partner might be an important factor in project success that isn't always apparent at first. Nearshore, onshore, and offshore choices all have advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before making a final selection.

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Source: brainhub

Nearshoring

Outsourcing from surrounding nations is referred to as nearshoring. These types of locations have reduced development expenses whilst maintaining identical time zones.

Nearshoring, like onshoring, typically implies that linguistic and cultural barriers aren't an issue. Nearshoring is a good compromise for organizations looking to offshore personnel in a cost-effective and manageable method.

A large number of American corporations have begun outsourcing development to South American nations such as Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. These nations are a popular choice for nearshoring because of their near-fluent English abilities, low costs, and high-quality developers.

Onshoring

Onshoring refers to hiring remote workers from your own country. Those who live in the United States, a country known for its strong currency, will find onshore outsourcing to be the most expensive.

Onshoring, albeit costly, ensures that your company operations will be free of obstacles.

Onshoring is a fantastic alternative for firms with the capacity to employ this form of outsourcing since you won't have to worry about time zones or language difficulties.

Offshoring

Offshoring refers to outsourcing to nations with cheap labor costs, such as India or China.

For technical and/or business managers, this might be an appealing alternative for organizations looking to complete huge volumes of work for a low cost, but it also comes with a number of dangers and obstacles to overcome.

Offshoring, in contrast to onshoring and nearshoring, incorporates time zones and linguistic difficulties. These difficulties, however, do not affect all offshore development partners.

Many of these disadvantages may be less of a concern for businesses that do not require complete control over their projects.

For those that pick an offshore site for their software development partner, project-based outsourcing is a feasible option.

Step 5: Consider Prices

For a business embarking on a software development project, the costs involved are a major concern. You're looking for a partner who can assist you in making the most of your budget. Experienced development firms should be able to properly explain how they charge for their services.

You may not receive all of the features you desire right away, but the best partner should be able to assist you in developing a strategy for your solution construction. They can assist you in determining which features you require right now and which should be included in a future version based on input from your customers and clients.

Your chosen development firm should be able to support the complete concept for your product and focus on long-term collaboration with you and your team. They should be confident in their ability to plan, implement, and adapt the solution alongside your team in order to scale for your company's growth.

You may be tempted to choose the cheapest choice, but be wary. The software business with the cheapest bid isn't always the most cost-effective.

IT services are typically expensive because software development services are highly sophisticated. It takes about five years of study to become a software developer and another 2-3 years to get to the mid-level specialist level.

Furthermore, successful software development projects need a well-organized development infrastructure that incorporates costly cutting-edge technology. All of these factors combine to make software development an expensive service.

You run the danger of selecting a partner who will work quickly but make mistakes, or who will accomplish portions of the task but then have to rework them to meet your requirements.

Don't compromise on quality to save money. Inquire about modification orders—many businesses may underbid a project and then add new charges throughout the project, causing the entire cost of development to skyrocket.

While it is true that certain parts of your project may alter throughout development, competent software development firms should be able to explain how they will handle these modifications while keeping your budget and timetable intact.

Take The Leap Of Faith

We can all agree that outsourcing software development is a brilliant option for any organization, especially in this era of connectivity. After you’ve considered all the factors mentioned in this guide, the final step is to choose your software development partner.

If you’ve done your part right, you’ll find the perfect piece to your puzzle.

A firm that chooses to engage with a qualified software partner is better able to deal with its problems. At PolyUno, we can create your product from start to finish from prototype to full-scale creation of desktop, mobile, or online apps, as well as testing, migration, branding design, sustainability & ESG reporting, and system maintenance.

Our integrated approach, paired with our customer-focused mindset has allowed us to become a top-ranking software development company. So, what are you waiting for? Book a call with PolyUno today.

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