Your organization has a new project, and you need help from a custom software development company. Your search returns hundreds of possible candidates and you have no idea where to start. So, how do you choose a custom software development company? Not all custom software developers are equal, of course. There’s the good, the bad, and the, well, you know the rest. This guide will summarize the top considerations to weigh when choosing a custom software development company.
Here are the top three points to consider when choosing a custom software development company. For the full list, read below.
The top three considerations:
1. Location
2. Capabilities
3. Client Testimonials
1. Location of your custom software development partner
The location of your software development company will have multiple impacts on the development process and success of your project. Software development companies are categorized as either being onshore or offshore. Onshore developers are located in the country of the client, and offshore developers are not. For U.S. clients, the advantages of onshore development are ease of communication, similar time zones, strong IP and patent protection laws, and industry-leading software quality. The drawbacks of offshore development are potential language and cultural barriers, hidden costs (delays, redevelopment), lack of IP and patent protection, timezone differences, and lower overall software quality. Make sure to assess whether or not your potential provider conducts 100% of its development onshore.
2. View their portfolio & previous clients
If you’re trying to figure out how capable a software development company is, a great place to start is by looking at some of their previous projects. Most software development companies will have a page on their site containing work case studies. These case studies can also help you decide if the company’s skills are a good match for your needs!
3. Read client testimonials
The results speak for themselves! Don’t just let software development companies tell you how good they are, view their testimonials to get an idea of what their clients think of them. Searching for the company on Glassdoor will also give you insight into a potential partner’s culture and employee satisfaction. Happy coders = great software!
4. Learn about their capabilities
If you’ve decided that a software development company might be the right fit for you, then it’s a good time to learn about their technical capabilities. What services do they offer? Which software languages and technologies do they specialize in? Who are some of their notable clients? Do they have software architects, UI/UX designers, and project managers in their employ?
Additionally, software development companies should display a thorough understanding of security ‘best practices,’ as this is an essential part of creating safe, reliable software. Lastly, development companies should possess a high level of business acumen. Business acumen paired with technical acumen results in solutions that not only work seamlessly from a technical standpoint but also make sense from a business perspective.
5. Does the developer conduct QA testing?
Good software developers conduct stringent, in-house QA testing on all of their development projects. This process ensures that the product you receive is without bugs or messy code.
The GSI Team
Geisel Software, Inc. is a highly-trained, innovative development team that creates elegantly designed, world-class web, mobile apps, and embedded software that not only works to perfection but scales to fit your business.
At Geisel Software, we do more than tell you how great your result will be; we draw the map, walk you down the path, and deliver a product you’ll be proud of.
Set up a free consultation with our team today!
