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How To Select The Right Developer For Your Web/Software Project.

Choosing the right supplier increases your chances of success dramatically.

Engaging in a software or a web development project is a challenging task for a small business. For many the only option is to outsource the work, and this introduces additional risks. Selecting the right technical supplier is not always easy, and so we have created the following recommendations to help you on your way.

How not to do it.

It is easy enough to find a long list of developers who would be more than happy to offer their services. You could find them through a Google search, using relevant keywords, and then contact some that appeal to you, usually with a message, RFP or brief. Next, you wait to be contacted back, often this will be a sales person who calls you. Then you will select the one that you like best. Have you selected the right company for your business needs?

Maybe... but perhaps you just went for a company with best sales team. However, sales teams do not necessarily have any understanding at what the project involves, how much it costs or how long it will take.

To make sure that you get what you need, it is worth putting in a concerted time and effort before signing on the dotted line.

Here is our advice:

Pitch to your suppliers - Dont wait for a supplier to pitch to you

Get ahead of the game and be proactive. Excellent companies are as choosy about their clients as you are about your suppliers, so prepare what you want to present to them. Provide honest information about yourself, project and business, and this will increase the chances of getting good supplier on board.

Spend time researching the company youve selected.

Besides the required technical expertise, it is important that your supplier is the right fit in terms of size, budget and culture. Research this by asking direct questions, having a good search on Google and looking for mentions, and seeking references from other people who have used their services.

Align in terms of budget:

Are you going to be the "right" client for a potential supplier with the money that youve got to spend? Ask these questions:

"What budget would put me in your mid-weight client list?"
"What budget would put me in your VIP list".

You do not want to be a "small" client, as you are unlikely to be given the best resources. But at the same time if you are spending much more than their average client, then it should also ring alarm bells: can they handle the volume of work you need?

Align in terms of culture: Do you have similar values, communicate and run projects the same way? Can you manage or do you want to be managed?

Make sure that you talk to the people who lead the projects and who you would be dealing with- make sure that you get past the sales team. Do you communicate well in everyday conversations? Engage developers at early stages, so that they input into your spec/brief/planning - this is the easiest way to test if they understand what you are talking about.

Taking references

Do not rely on the references that the supplier gives you. You know that they will be good references! Even an amateur company will have a few contacts/friends who can praise them for their work.

Look at their portfolio instead and call their clients at random, or try to find some genuine feedback on the Internet (places other then suppliers own website).

Value core technical expertise more than similar projects in their portfolio.

If you are searching for software development then look for a good software developer. Developers will need to understand your subject area on a superficial level and understand what it is that you need the software to do.

Core technical expertise is transferable. It is more difficult to acquire good software development skill than to research and learn about your subject area. If they have similar projects in portfolio it does not automatically mean you will get the same people who worked on that project, it does not mean that the experience gained is shared within the company. And besides in can result in a conflict of interest. A development team who demonstrate consistent quality and diversity in their portfolio, demonstrate good core technical skills.

Selecting technology. If you have a justified preference for technology, you can filter potential candidates by their technology expertise. Otherwise select people not technology. A good team will make you the best software using technology they are most proficient with. However, remember to check that this technology is widely used and that they are using standards.

Make sure that you leave yourself an easy way out.

The truth is, you will never know, until you start working. Run projects in small chunks, so that you can learn about your supplier, and if something goes seriously wrong, you can easily get out of the contract, preferably with some of the work that you can use in the next stages.

Remember people are your platform.

Selecting the right people is half art and half science.
Do your research and then trust your gut feelings.

Content written by Magic Web Solutions, UK
http://www.magicwebsolutions.co.uk

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