Let’s say you’re a startup with a revolutionary idea that can change the world. You have the plan, the funding, and all the staff needed to make your dream a reality. All you need now is software for your company to handle operations. But how do you choose the best possible candidate? Whose specialty fits your requirements? Are you sure your chosen company won’t give up halfway? These are just some of the problems plaguing people who don’t know how to choose the right development company for their needs. This article hopes to explain how to choose a software development company for a project.

Step 1: Define goals and objectives

Before you start looking for a development company, you need to define what you want. Your goals for the company should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Your goal must be refined from something abstract into something concrete. It’s not enough to say “I want a good website”. You need to break this goal down into something more functional and quantitative. It needs similar research as you do when you start new business ideas.

This will help you and your team clarify your pals, reduce confusion, and get everyone on track. Not doing this can cloud judgments as team members pursue their interpretations. Planning and being objective can help save lots of effort.

Step 2: Start looking

Once finished setting your goals, you need to start looking for a custom software development company. An easy way to find them is to use online recommendations and trusted domains e.g clutch, intellectsoft, and techreviewer. These sites provide reliable reviews and the companies listed have recognition in the market. When searching, try to keep a few factors in mind:

• Size and structure of the company
• Its specialties and strategies
• Experience with projects similar to yours.
• Average rates and overheads
• Company culture, ethics, and workflow
• Technological expertise
• Services offered

Another good source is personal recommendations. Find someone who has faced an issue similar to yours and ask them which software company gave them the best experience. In addition to getting recommendations, you may receive helpful insights not found in reviews and mainstream media. 

After you’ve selected a few, start contacting them and request a consulting service, especially if it’s free. Request an account of previous projects, brochures, and info packs. When dealing with larger firms, be sure to be as accurate and precise with instructions as possible, as there can be miscommunication between layers of management.

Step 3: Previous projects and specialties

A company can be successful due to a strong grasp of general software development. But it is also possible for a company to be successful based on specialization in a specific niche or field of software. This can leave it open to weakness in other fields.

To do this, you should examine their previous projects, and how successful they were, contact their previous customers for testimonies, and cross-examine their accounts with your goals. If they give favorable answers, you’re good to go, but if their problems were different from yours or the company didn’t perform as required, then you may need to reconsider. Take caution if they claim to have experience but don’t produce information. If they have NDAs preventing them from providing information, then ask them to at least give you a broad outline, development processes, and benefits to the client.

Step 4: Ensure reliability

After making sure the company’s strengths line up with your requirements, you need to make sure they can be trusted. An untrustworthy company is liable to take your money, do a careless job, and blame you for not being specific enough. Sure you could fight them in court, but even if you win, you will still have wasted time and money. It is better to make the right decision from the get-go and choose a reliable company for your project. 

Make sure your choice acts like a true partner, in that they don’t just want to do your job, but also see your company be successful. A good sign of their reliability is if they send business analysts to help define requirements to improve the end product. Don’t get disheartened if they ask a lot of questions. They may simply want to know the project better. If they don’t ask questions, you should be worried.