There are software platforms for almost every conceivable function on the market today, but sometimes, even this abundance of options won’t be sufficient to get what you need. In this case, the best course of action is probably hiring a custom software developer.
But how do you choose the right custom software developer in such a crowded market?
Identify and Outline Your Needs
The first step of the process is to identify and outline your needs. There are hundreds, or even thousands, of worthy software developers that could be a good fit for your organization. However, some of them will be a better fit for your needs than others. If you don’t know what your needs are, or if you haven’t fully solidified them, your search is going to be fruitless, or at the very least, inefficient.
You may not have an understanding of everything you want your software product to be, and you may not know exactly what type of software developer you want to hire. That’s acceptable, but you should still take some time to identify and outline whatever needs you can. Think about things like budget, scope of work, preferred working style, and delivery timeline.
Shop Around
You might have a few ideas of custom software developers you could work with already, either because you know their names or because you’ve gotten referrals in the past. However, it’s still a good idea to shop around. There are many different types of custom software developers, and not all of them are going to be a good fit for your project, even if they have an excellent reputation and amazing examples of prior work.
What to Look For
When you start evaluating different custom software development companies, these are some of the top qualities you need to study:
· Specialties.
First, think about the specialties offered by this specific organization. Do they specialize in building certain types of software products, or do they specialize in serving specific industries? Do they have core competencies in specific programming languages, and are those programming languages appropriate for your project? Most clients benefit from working with a specialist who closely aligns with them, but you can also choose a generalist who does a little bit of everything.
· Location.
For some organizations, location isn’t much of a consideration. For others, it’s everything. Depending on the nature of your project and your preferred working style, you might want to choose a custom software developer in your location. Failing that, you might still want a custom software developer in your country (to avoid issues with time zones and communication barriers). Of course, there could also be an advantage in working with a custom software developer in a more remote location so you can save money.
· Experience.
As you might imagine, experienced custom software developers tend to be more reliable and competent than their less experienced counterparts. However, you’ll also pay more to get access to that expertise. If you’re torn between very similar options, you should generally choose the more experienced one.
· Work philosophy.
There are many different philosophies governing software development, and not all of them will align with your vision for the process or the final product. Be sure to investigate work philosophy before choosing a custom software development partner to work with. Do they employ a waterfall style or an agile style? How closely do they work with their clients? How do they collect and deal with feedback? How do they approach quality control? Even if you’re a relative newcomer to this field, you should be asking these questions and carefully considering the answers.
· Results.
What types of work has this company done in the past? Are there examples of software products they’ve developed for other clients, and do you have the opportunity to try them for yourself?
· Timelines.
How much work is this organization currently dealing with, and how much space can they make for your project? Also, how big is the team? If you’re trying to develop this software product as quickly as possible, you may be limited in terms of who you can work with.
· Prices.
Creating software from scratch can be expensive. It often costs more to work with quality teams, but you’ll still need to keep your budget in mind.
· Communication style.
Finally, don’t neglect communication. You deserve to work with a custom software development partner who can clearly and consistently communicate with you.
Summary
Choosing a software developer is arguably the most important part of the software development process, since your choice will eventually impact almost every aspect of your project, including its scope, quality, cost, and delivery.
The better you prepare and the more you research, the more likely you’ll be to make the right decision for your organization.