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This Blog suggests the best Application Development Company
When it comes to application development, a lot of founders have been screwed by developers. Resultantly, they had to restart the project from scratch each time.
Actually, these stories are very similar. In fact, almost every other client of ours came to dependable agencies with unfinished software from the previous devs.
So, how on earth can you hire a software development agency to build and launch your successful initial software version (MVP)?
As a software development agency, we have successfully hired more than 60 developers in the past ten years.
And to do this, we have to conduct about 1900 interviews. That is about one interview every other day. Unceasingly. For ten years.
We evaluate candidates based on shared values and their cultural fit. In addition, we test their technical and soft skills. We check their codes and seek references. Among other things, we conduct psychological testing too…
In short, we learned it the hard way: hire slow, fire fast.
All this makes sense when you are hiring in-house developers for a long-term project.
However, you don’t need that complicated process if you’re planning to build an MVP for your tech idea.
You shouldn’t assess agency culture on multiple levels.
Furthermore, the code of the developer is the very last thing you want to check when evaluating an agency.
Instead, consider our six-step fail-safe formula for vetting subcontractors.
Review it with each of the short-listed application development companies in a specific order. But, more importantly, don’t go forward if the previous step fails.
Application Development Company Portfolio
Ideally, you should find an agency with a portfolio of similar projects you want to build. That way, your project will be completed faster and more efficiently.
Admittedly, there are not many providers with similar products and experience.
So, if they have not done the same type of software before, find out if they have done any similar work. For example, it could be online marketplaces, social networks, booking software, SaaS apps, marketing tools, or business automation systems.
Is there an equivalent type?
Check if they have any software designed for your industry – education, healthcare, finance, service agencies, etc.
No same industry?
Then, make sure they created software you can use on the same platform and medium.
For example, if you are interested in SaaS application development, be sure they have already built one. Similarly, make sure they have web-based software in their portfolio if you plan on developing it.
All in all, it’s better to find a project in their portfolio that matches your idea.
However, it’s not crucial to pick a company based on a similar project. Instead, it is essential to know that the agency is adept at developing software for your platform or medium.
Referred People & Previous Work
All our developers are required to provide references and show us their code during the interview process.
It might surprise you, but we don’t look at their code to ensure their software is structured, maintainable, or scalable.
Our agency simply does this to give labels to new employees. Are they junior, middle, or senior?
To gauge the quality of their results, we telephone their previous colleagues, mentors, and clients.
Referred people are asked four simple questions:
- What kind of projects did the candidate work on?
- Were you satisfied with the results?
- Have these projects still been running?
- Do these projects scale, and are they easy to support?
These four questions will give you a clear picture of the candidates without looking at any codebase.
Non-technical founders can significantly benefit from these four questions!
Look over each short-listed agency and ask for a minimum of three references. Then, ask these four questions of their previous or existing clients.
You’ll be able to distinguish between good and bad quickly.
Strive to Achieve Your Business Goals
Whether for sale or your existing business, you’ll need a technical partner who understands your goals if you’re creating software.
Leading brands provide as much context as possible when delegating tasks to developers at agencies.
When developers have more information in their hands, it results in faster, more cost-effective, and higher quality results.
Therefore, it is best to share as much information as possible with your selected agency.
Avoid overzealous agencies with technology but show no interest in your business needs.
Forget Free Work
There’s nothing complicated about this step.
Be wary of agencies that are willing to do free work for you. Whether it be a discovery workshop or a two-hour consultation.
Join hands with a quality SaaS application development company with happy customers.
A company with satisfied clients is always overbooked and short on time. On top of it, a developer’s time is expensive.
Another good sign that the agency operates only with prepayments is that it has many satisfied clients.
The willingness to spend free time on your business idea is not a good sign.
The company probably doesn’t have enough revenue and doesn’t have enough work.
The best way to start your project with a good agency is to wait a few weeks rather than jump right away and fail. Stay away from the “I need this ASAP” mindset.
What is the best way to check?
Set up an initial discovery workshop. If you get a quote, great. But do not contact them if they offer it for free.
Partner with a Company Like Yours
Ever been disappointed with the results of a plumber referred to you by a friend?
Do you know that there are two or three loud complaints about every nine out of ten reviews on booking.com? Do you understand what it means?
It might not work for you what worked for your friend.
Even the best SaaS application development agency cannot satisfy every client.
Apart from the fact that the agency has great clients, great developers, and an impressive portfolio, both sides must align with mindset, values, and process.
Do you think you would hire the top US software development company to build a small software? A solution that will assist your business with inventory management if you had ten employees?
Most likely not.
Firstly, they won’t consider your request due to its small size. Secondly, you won’t get any added value from the premium prices that they charge.
On the other hand, you’ll probably stay away from freelancers as they disappear at any time. Instead, you need a process and a team to support you.
Small business owners prefer a small agency of a similar size.
Enterprises often buy from larger, well-established agencies with long histories.
A market leader purchases from a market leader.
Similarly, many venture-backed startups buy from popular technology companies that have worked with VC startups in the past.
It is important that you work with a company with similar values and approaches.
Therefore, before choosing an agency, review their process carefully.
Try to get a sense of the overall ambience of the selected application development company by talking to multiple people at the company.
If it is similar to the process of growing your own business, then it is a great sign!
New Relationships Should Start Small
Last but not least, if you’re starting a new relationship, start small.
The first money transaction shouldn’t be too big.
A small engagement can be stopped in the middle if things do not go as planned.
The previous step probably introduced you to the process of kicking off development projects.
Would this be a short half-day planning and discovery phase, or would it be a longer multi-day startup workshop?
There may be something more advanced, such as a clickable prototype…
Whatever you end up choosing, make sure it is not longer than one to three weeks and won’t break you financially if it doesn’t work.
In the small engagement, you’ll get a sense of the process, the people, and the first quick results.
After that, you can decide on the next big step, application development Company.
Conversely, if the agency does not offer any kind of small engagement, the only initial financial transaction is to sign a broad contract for the entire project scope. You could then contact the next provider on your list.
Concluding Thoughts
To summarize, here are six criteria you should follow when shortlisting agencies:
- Search the portfolio for similar projects
- Consult two or three references
- Do they genuinely want to know more about your marketing plan?
- Do they accept free work? (Definitely a red flag.)
- Do you share the same mindset, values, and process?
- Does the company have a smaller paid kickoff engagement?
Take advantage of it, and don’t let developers screw you! While we at DFY SaaS like to build stuff from scratch, finishing previous teams’ work is something that we always take
up as a challenge. Our developers love to take SaaS application development projects across the finish line.
This makes us one of the most sought after agencies when one talks about SaaS app development.
