It’s likely that if you’re reading this, somewhere along the way you’ve had an unsatisfactory experience with a development partner or you’re searching for a partner. Through working with many different partners, and listening to their concerns and issues, we have realized that there are five main complaints when it comes to partnering up. We've boiled those complaints down to the following:
1. Poor Communication
2. Subpar management
3. High turnover
4. Late Deliveries
5. Budget over-runs
If you’ve experienced any of these, then you know how frustrating it can be when deadlines get derailed, management does not meet expectations, communication is strained or budgets are blown.
At CyberLancers we suggest that when it comes to finding a development partner that you come up with a list of questions to include the five that are listed below as well as any other things you feel you need to know about a potential partner you might work with on a project. Whether it’s short term or long term, you surely don’t want to get caught working with a partner who disappoints.
Top five questions to ask a potential partner:
1. How do they communicate and collaborate? What communication channels do they utilize (Slack, Teams, Skype, email)? The time zone of a potential partner is something to consider as well. If they are halfway across the world or even a couple time zones away, how is that going to affect your partnership? Be sure to find out how often you will have meetings. Will there ever be in-person meetings or will it all be virtual?
2. How well do they understand your requirements? Get a client list and see what solutions they have delivered in the past. Does it seem like they’re offering a “one size fits all” solution? Will they create a Statement of Work or other similar document that outlines all the work they will be doing?
3. How long do their clients stick with them? Knowing how long a potential partner may have been with clients can be a big clue as to whether they meet their client’s expectations or not. Feedback from a current or former client can shed a lot of light and give you a glimpse into how they operate from a client’s point of view.
4. What challenges have they faced with previous clients? It's imperative to know what challenges they have had with other clients and how they handled those challenges. Ask about your prospective challenges. Determine if they've had other clients with similar challenges. Knowing that a potential partner has experience dealing with your exact type of issues can provide reassurance that the potential partner is a good fit.
5. Did their quote include everything or will there be cost add-ons to be aware of? Budget is a huge consideration. Be wary of quotes that are extremely low or extremely high. Ask what their hourly rate is and if you get any cost concessions by committing to a certain number of hours. Experienced software development companies will be able to help you understand how they handle project changes while still staying on budget and sticking to deadlines.
Depending on the type of project you are doing, you may have other pertinent questions, but these are the top five that are important in sizing up a developer who could be a good fit for your project. Finding the right partner takes diligence and time. Don’t rush into a decision that you may later regret. Take the time to check references, look at work samples, compare their rates with other companies and be sure they have a thorough understanding of your project requirements.
If you're looking for the right development parter to help launch your next project, CyberLancers is ready to answer your tough questions! Contact us to get started.