A Guide to Choosing a Software Development Partner in 2023

Introduction

Choosing the right software development partner is like finding the right supplier to showcase your manufactured goods in the market. Although it is tedious and tricky work to choose the best amongst the leading software outsourcing companies, when done right, you can stand still in this competitive market.

In today’s era, it is next to impossible to live without software. Having a top-rated software development partner is important for Gen-Z companies to thrive in competition. A knowledgeable technical expert by your side would help you keep everything running efficiently and smoothly.

In a traditional ecosystem, companies would own and control the product delivery. They have an in-house team, perform market research, and build an MVP with the team or have a partner to take care of the extra workload on their shoulders. Businesses would take care of important things while partners simultaneously do less.

However, we are now in the 4.0 generation, where the software development partners’ roles are important. Today, outsourcing software development partners reduce the load and help in expanding the offerings, increase innovations, deliver products on time, and meet the requirements for increasing conversion by customer experience.

The basic reason for choosing the best software development company to partner with is that everyone can’t afford the resources that are required to build a software application. Usually, startups and SMEs have limited budgets in the end, while large-scale enterprises want to focus on their daily business tasks and can’t afford to break the products.

The need to hire a software development team has become a necessity in today’s era. However, hiring a dedicated software development team that suits your requirements is the biggest challenge.

In this ultimate guide to software development partners, we will explain the steps to choosing a software development company and how you can focus on the importance and determination of its provider towards the fulfillment of your business’s software needs.

What does Stats say?

As reported by Statista, the global spending on outsourced software development partners will be $971.2 billion by 2023. The budget for managed services will cross 57%, while there will be a 32% increase in traditional outsourcing. The given statistics give a clear idea for choosing a software development outsourcing company.

The top-rated companies such as Slack, Whatsapp, Skype, and Google have chosen to invest in the best enterprise software development firms to enhance their business in primary days. It takes a few months for you to make a firm decision after going through many steps to reach a top software development company whom you are willing to work with.

A Short Brief: Software Development Partner

A software development partner is an expert in providing development services that belong to your needs. Softwarе dеvеlopmеnt outsourcing agеnciеs havе tеchnical еxpеrtisе and potеntial. Thеy havе morе than onе cеrtifiеd dеvеlopеr to crеatе softwarе applications.

Furthеr, thеy assist in both thе dеvеlopmеnt of nеw softwarе programs and thе еnhancеmеnt of thеir alrеady еxisting functionality. Thеy havе yеars of еxpеriеncе in thе industry that hеlps you to providе agilе solutions with cost-еfficiеncy.

Why Do Businesses Seek Software Development Partners?

Companies seek outsourced software development services for a variety of reasons. Let’s examine a few of them. See how you can enhance your business with outsourcing:

1. Assemble a skilled development team:

Dеvеloping softwarе is еssеntial for all tеch companiеs, but not еvеry company has a softwarе dеvеlopmеnt tеam. Thеrеforе, thеy dеpеnd on softwarе dеvеlopmеnt sеrvicеs to gain bеttеr rеsults.

If a company partnеrs with a custom softwarе dеvеlopmеnt sеrvicеs providеr, thеy gеt accеss to a dеdicatеd dеvеlopmеnt tеam that makеs work simplеr, еasiеr, and morе еfficiеnt.

2. Access to domain knowledge:

A softwarе dеvеlopmеnt tеam has domain knowlеdgе and еxpеrtisе that is a plus point for your businеss. Thеy havе a dеtailеd undеrstanding of agilе softwarе dеvеlopmеnt mеthodologiеs that stand out of thе box. Hеncе, thеy providе you with high-quality softwarе that fits your businеss nееds.

Additionally, thеy know about agilе dеvеlopmеnt and softwarе dеvеlopmеnt lifе-cyclеs that you can lеvеragе with thе bеst top-class tеchnologiеs to dеlivеr top solutions. Therefore, it’s easy for your businesses to stay ahead of industry competitors.

3. Cost saving:

If you try to do things by yourself, you will not fully be able to compare different spending that goes for the software development process. However, the right software development partner can help you avoid mistakes and help you save software development costs. The software development costs are even less than the hourly rates.

You will no longer have to spend much on infrastructure, resources, and technologies that are essential to building new software applications. Hiring a dedicated software development team helps to lower operational costs and improves business productivity.

4. Flexible working team:

A software development partner prioritizing your time is always available as per your requirements. That implies that you might obtain a team based on your business needs rather than having to hire one.

Hiring external developers helps you scale your business whenever you have a huge project on hand. But you can scale back the development crew if your project is tiny.

5. Customize and manage team:

You can choose what members and how much you require in your team. A software development partner has a dedicated project manager who handles all your responsibilities and requirements for external developers.

A project manager has all the technical capabilities that help to effectively manage a software development team. They forward your business requirements to essential developers to make the project in a cycle. It makes you relieved and assures on-time delivery with no risk of micromanagement.

Read more: A Complete Guide On Hiring Offshore Development Teams In 2024

Step-By-Step Guide To Choosing The Right Software Development Partner

1. Experience with company and working patterns:

It is important to consider the size of the company while hiring a dedicated software development team. If you opt for a leading software outsourcing company that has multiple clients on hand, although they have results and credentials, you may not get the time you wish for.

Instead, it’s wise to choose a software development service provider with a team size and who has a business presence in comparison to yours. This has a better understanding and attends to all your queries promptly.

It’s good to check a company’s portfolio and previous work before getting in touch with them. Choose a company that follows all the software development processes, like business analysts, UI/UX designers, database professionals, architects, QA experts, etc.

2. Client testimonials and reviews:

Once you get to know what the company is offering to you and what matches your needs, you can refer to the company’s online reputation by checking reviews on Clutch, Dribble, G2, UpCity, etc., and learn about their ratings from clients. These sites provide past or present customer testimonials which show their strengths and working methods. Some of them show videos on their website, yet they are not too reliable.

Connect to the company’s author to learn more about the company and find amongst your network whether anyone has worked with prospective software development partners in the past to get real on-hand feedback. Use the customer’s reviews to avoid any issues in the future.

3. Understand your project needs:

Before heading to hunt for a software development partner, the first thing is to understand what your project requires. Your needs should be concise, which makes it easy for the team to adapt and start working on it. Hence, it is better to specify the projects, goals, and future achievements for the same.

Attempt to list the project’s immediate and long-term requirements. Frame your project’s functional and non-functional requirements that give you a clear idea and status about your project. However, if you want to analyze your requirements, you can even get in touch with a business analyst who can help you to define your project scope.

4. Underline the project period:

If you underline the defined time you require for the project delivery, you can acquire the project scope. When there is a time frame for a project, several factors such as bugs, errors, maintenance or software upgrades, technical issues, and many other features that are needed will be aimed at.

We know that this time is quite stimulating; therefore, we advise you to get assistance from a software development partner who has worked on different projects and helps you decide the correct time frame. If you know the total time that is required for the completion of a project, try to break it into many parts. The software development process becomes smooth when the project is divided into parts.

5. Identify the project budget:

The most critical portion is to acknowledge the Software Requirement Specification. Whether the business is a startup or a large-scale enterprise, the budget is compulsory to complete the particular project. It would help if you had the value of your product to reach the correct calculation.

While setting the budget, focus more on quality rather than quantity, which enables you to develop high-tech software that pleases your users. However, if you find it difficult to define the specific budget, try to get help from your trusted software development partner. Moreover, a pricing model is investigated by the company, which is as follows:

• The Fixed Price model

It gives good outcomes on time and makes the least changes. This model is based on the decided price before the start of the project. If you need any more changes, the cost may vary.

• The time and Material model

It includes costs or resources like the contractor’s salary, materials, and average mandatory charges. Hence, the value and size of the project are estimated roughly, so the project is modified and paid for in accordance.

• Dedicated team model

This model contains experts that are chosen to acquire company goals. This team works the same as your in-house staff and has specific roles and billing hours to work. They have hand-picked proficients that focus on a particular project plus administrative costs.

• Offshore Software Development centers

You can hire them to operate your business from outside the country. Bigscal is a renowned ODC that is budget-friendly and helps you to gain all the affordability factors. The project development cost varies depending on the working hours, pricing model, and modifications made.

Define Your Technology Stack

The changing technology landscape is willing to adopt newer technologies every day to stay intact with the ongoing needs of clients. Businesses need to adapt to emerging technology if they want to stay on top of technological developments. It includes changes in coding languages, QA methods, updating tools, and modern software development frameworks.

Keep in note that the kinds of technologies are the perspectives of experts, which helps to eradicate any bottlenecks that arise during a lack of technology resources. The software development partner should have a testing and error schedule that allows you to access the project before its scheduled launch. Moreover, they should also be able to develop many tech stacks and test them alternatively.

1. Types of outsourcing options

After knowing the project’s scope, time, budget, and cost, the next thing is to focus on the outsourcing portions. There are many ways to outsource software development partners:

• Staff expansion

It involves hiring a dedicated software development team or deciding the time to expand your business’s potential. The internal management looks at the hired staff that works with the development team. It has many benefits, like project control, flexible deadlines, and integration with internal processes.

However, you have to deal with its drawbacks, such as high operational costs, significant training cost that gets familiar with internal processes, and difficulty in project scaling.

• Project-Based

For companies that have tight deadlines and need to manage their daily business routines with IT solutions, project-based outsourcing is an effective option. However, it has many drawbacks, such as less control over the project and difficulty in integrating with the internal system. Moreover, it is very budget-friendly for small projects.

If your business could benefit from project-based outsourcing, then a trustworthy partner for building new software applications is a must. Our software development life-cycle helps you create a product that matches your business’s agile methodologies.

2. Consider different types of outsourcing

When you decide to hire a software development partner, you have to choose between these subcategories that may give you the clarification for hiring any one of them.

• Onshoring

If the software development partner you choose is from the same country, you get to go with the onshoring model. You get the benefit of meeting the firm anytime and addressing your concerns face-to-face, checking on quality assurance. Still, you need to visit the developers regularly to check on progress.

• Nearshoring

While outsourcing software development projects, you will hire company that is near your location or similar to your time zone. It helps the company to have better control and can manage the process efficiently. Nearshore outsourcing doesn’t compromise on quality. It is highly beneficial for businesses looking to scale and compete with growing demands.

• Offshoring

Offshoring also refers to providing external help. For much less money than working with onshore companies, you can also engage an offshore development team if you require a software development partner. The working patterns are on any hours of day or night due to differences in time. It would help if you understood more about Outsourcing vs. Offshoring.

• Hybrid

Hybrid Offshoring is an on-demand working model that many firms prefer these days. It contains a blend of offshore and onshore services that helps to save costs. In the hybrid model, the initial development team is abroad while the account manager is in the same team. Businesses should do a quick analysis while hunting for software development partners that provide hybrid models but guaranteed results.

3. Choose probable partners

Once you have chosen from the several outsourcing categories, you must find qualified partners. You might work with business software development companies or hire developers from freelance portals.

• Freelance Marketplaces

There is a long menu that comes on the table when seeking a freelance expert. All you have to do is consult with experts, go over fees, choose a deadline, and select the best candidate. However, it’s much more time-consuming to decide on one. Some popular freelance platforms are UpWork, Fiverr, and TopTal.

• Software Development firms

Software Development outsourcing companies are the most reliable option to hand over your project. It allows you to gain more access to high-quality talent and flexibility. You can go through their reviews or websites or visit the company in person, if possible, to have a quick look at the company’s infrastructure and working methods.

4. Evaluate and contact

Amongst the last steps comes evaluating the partner. Shortlist the best that fits your needs. The experience and skill of developers should be given priority among the many other variables that need to be taken into account. Choose partners with a wealth of sector experience. Experts who know technical aspects are a must so they can pay attention to the minute details of your project.

Contact the shortlisted dedicated development team and interview them. Narrow down your options when your requirements match with the potential partners. Now, please pay attention to their communication style and coding understanding and identify the top fit among them. If you have done a proper survey, you will get the best.

5. Hire the software development partner:

A contract must be made and signed once the ideal partner has been chosen. All of the terms and conditions outlined in the software development partnership deed should be included in the contract. Contracts make things clear and lead to no misunderstanding in the future. Additionally, it increases the prestige of your software development team.

6. Ask Your Prospective Software Development Partner These Questions:

It is hard to decide on one best partner amongst many. Hence, interviewing the individual and asking pertinent questions is the best course of action. Here is the list of potential questions to ask prospective software development partners:

• What is the software development process in a simple way?
• How many years of expertise do you have in the software development industry?
• What skills do you have?
• How long will it take you to finish a software development project?
• What agile development approaches do you employ when developing software?
• Which of your completed projects has been the most profitable?
• What are your favorite programming languages to work with?
• What are the quality factors you try to maintain?
• How can we contact you during the software development process?
• What makes us choose you?

Bigscal- A Next-Gen Software Development Partner

It is a dedicated and detailed task to select a software development partner that consists of all the requirements you are seeking from a top-rated software development partner. Similarly, you have to go through many delicate factors while evaluating one. It requires a preparation process and much effort to present a project to a suitable partner.

Bigscal is a leading software development company with 12+ years of experience in delivering customized software solutions. We have more than 200+ skilled and certified professionals who can be your next dedicated software development team.

Additionally, We have up till now completed more than 500+ projects and have a 95% of client retention rate. We have served in industries like Logistics, Healthcare, Real estate, Education, Oil and gas, Aviation, FinTech, and on-demand applications. The core motive of Bigscal is to provide sound software development services that ensure client satisfaction. We have been a top-rated firm on GoodFirms and Clutch.

Conclusion

Software development partners have become an important part of businesses these days. The ideal solution is to hire development teams, particularly if you lack internal experience and want to lower your development costs. Now, it is time to choose the ideal software development partner if you have chosen the following steps.

Let’s start with us by collaborating with our dedicated software development team and sharing your requirements. Our concerned team will contact you in a day and help you by providing top-notch software development services.

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