How to choose a custom software development company that delivers: key factors to take into account
Tags: offshoringandoutsour, outsourcing, softwaredevelopment
Published: 2021-07-08 11:36:51

---
title: How to choose a custom software development company that delivers: key factors to take into account
published: true
date: 2021-06-08 07:18:48 UTC
tags: Offshoringandoutsour,Outsourcing,softwaredevelopment
canonical_url: https://apiumhub.com/tech-blog-barcelona/how-choose-custom-software-development-company-delivers/
---

Finding the right **custom software development company** that delivers is a complex challenge. It is like hiring a crew to build your new house. Triple check with whom you will work with over the next few months or years as it has a direct impact on your success or failure. As we know at the heart of every successful organization is a quality custom software solution, therefore we decided to create a guide with key factors on how to choose a custom software development company that delivers.

## Key factors to take into account when choosing a custom software development company that delivers

**1.Review Portfolios**  
Explore the prospective software development company’s previous projects. Picking a company with a proven experience in a specific industry, technology or type of project can be advantageous as they are familiar with the challenges that can occur during a custom software development life cycle for a specific product or feature. When reviewing portfolios, also consider the size of your project. You’ll notice if any custom software development company prefers working with certain sized projects.

**2. Ask for recommendations & check testimonials**  
Ask the company for recommendations and look for reviews over the internet, for example in Clutch, Glassdoor, etc. Dig deeper into a local community – ask them about their opinions about the company. Look at LinkedIn and which of your contacts have someone in common with the company – ask them for opinions.

**3. Сommunity Engagement**  
Involvement in both local and global IT community says a lot about custom software development company. Here are the signs you’re dealing with a serious player: company’s employees speak at large-scale IT conferences, company organizes events, workshops and meet-ups, online webinars, shares open-source tools, writes e-books, guides, blog publications, has certifications and awards.

**4. Cultural fit**  
Browse through your prospective partners’ websites or a blog and see whether they talk about their company values and mission. Speak with the team asking the “Why” behind the company.

**5. Partner chemistry**  
Relationship chemistry exists. Once there is chemistry and you are on the same page, this is a clear indication that this company might be a long-term partner.

**6. A partner that understands the business**  
It’s not all about the code and technology behind your product – it’s about the business.  
Your development partner should understand that and challenge the new features you develop, help you focus on priorities, advise you from a technical perspective, and connect with you as partners in their network. Do as much as they can to make your business succeed.

**7. Employer brand**  
The image of a custom software development company on the global and local tech market has a huge influence on how well and fast they can attract tech talent. A business that is looking for a custom software development company wants, first of all, to get rid of the recruitment hassle and split the risk of hiring people.

**8. Understand where the custom software development company possesses expertise**  
Your development partner needs to be focused. Most software development companies aren’t proficient in every language, you’d rather work with a company that focuses on their expertise than one that hopes of gaining a few extra customers by trying to do what you ask without having a solid experience in it. Search for companies that have a proven knowledge base in your area.

**9. Detailed Proposal**  
Your entire software project should be clearly spelled out in a proposal. It should outline the timeline, the team, the chosen tech stack, the team, etc. You should discuss and cover everything from a statement of work, required materials and payment terms.

**10. The cheapest now can be the most expensive later**  
You don’t want to buy the cheapest service, but the most cost-effective. If you focus on spending less money initially, you will normally pay 2-3x times more in the future and in the worst-case scenario – rewrite the app from scratch. It’s like buying products on Ali Express – each time when you buy the cheapest cable, it’s broken after a week or two.The same with buying services. If you choose the cheapest offer, you will ultimately pay more at the end of the project: technological debt, poorly written code, lack of tests, difficult to work on or maintain, lack of documentation, etc. Also, take into account that sometimes if it seems cheap on a short term, make result expensive in the long-term.

**11. Transparent communication**  
Find a company that puts pressure on transparent communication, constant improvement and values retrospective meetings. Constantly showing the progress, adding value and explaining the current status is critical in a healthy long-term relationship.

### Cheatsheet: questions to ask a custom software development company when choosing a partner that delivers

Now, let’s look at the key questions you might ask a customer development company to verify this is a partner you would like to work with because it delivers.

- What is your specialization? 
- How do you work? Tell me more about your process/approach?
- How do we communicate during a project to know the PPP (progress, problems)? What collaboration tools do you use during the project?
- What are your values? 
- What about the “Why” behind your company? 
- Do you do the discovery session?
- What do you expect from us and what should we expect from you during the cooperation?
- How do you try to deliver the product that will match our and our markets expectations?
- Will the developers assigned to my project work on any other project at the same time?
- How do you ensure software quality? 
- Do you work on technical documentation?
- Could you provide me profiles of the assigned developers?
- Can I talk to the best-skilled person on your team who would work on our project?
- Tell me how you will solve/build a..? (Tip: Give an example of a tricky part of your app and ask the potential software development partner how they will approach it.)
- Could you share with me your best practices? 
- Why are you better than other software houses? What makes you special?
- How easy will it be to scale a team by 1/3/5 developers? How much time do you need?
- What is your pricing model?
- Have you done any project similar to mine, regarding the Industry/Technology/Product Features?
- Could you provide any testimonials/references from your previous clients?
- What do you do for the software development community? 

I hope you found this article useful! And if you [need help with custom software development](https://apiumhub.com/), let’s talk! We will be happy to answer all your questions and help you with the project.