Choosing Your Software Development Partner

Part 1 –4 Criteria to Establish a Vendor’s Identity

Your problem persists and now you need to deal with it. The solution involves the development and implementation of new software. And you need it as soon as possible.

In this article we examine the identity of potential software development partners and their possibility to meet your requirements.

As you don't have the resources in your own shop to complete this project, you will look at software development vendors.

A simple search on the Internet reveals thousands of available possibilities. The task looks daunting.

How do you find several short-list vendors and then to choose one to provide the software development service?

Know what you want

Yes, you know you have a problem that needs to be fixed... Now! You also need to evaluate the nature of the problem:

• Business Processes
• Regulatory
• Regular maintenance
• Obsolete technology
• New functionality
• New sites

When do you need this project completed? Some required software changes demand a strict deadline, while others might be more flexible.

Many large companies will create a formal set of specifications for the project. At the very least, you need to write down why you need the software, what you hope to achieve, and when you need it. The more details you can supply, then the vendor can deliver a better proposal.

What is your budget for the project? When you start to talk money, you might find some flexibility, but more often than not, the company has only only so much cash available.

Who, in your company, has signing authority for this project? That also leads to the person to whom the software developer will report. This person will most likely oversee the project to completion.

The Vendor

The vendor you choose essentially becomes an employee for your company, and like any new hire, you want to ensure you find the best fit.

Vendor Company Size

Large software development companies most likely have the resources on hand to take on your project, but if you offer a small budget, you will be a very little piece of their business. Don't expect to attract much attention.

You need a supplier who considers you an important Client and will give you prompt response to your questions. In this case, look for a company that specializes in software development.

At the same time, your vendor might need to be expert in several development technologies. When you start your project, you will likely discover other requirements that your new software must meet.

Vendor Abilities

No one programming language works for every solution. Your requirements might span into mainframe, laptops, and mobile devices. Ideally, you want one vendor to bridge all technologies and platforms.

Check into the vendor's certifications and credentials. Know if they have the knowledge regarding technologies, to take on your project. Do they have the proper people to complete each step of the project?

Depending on your industry, the ideal software development vendor will be able to exhibit their expertise. A vendor who is already familiar with your general business processes can quickly get up to speed on your project, with a higher probability to meet your deadline.

References

Find out what their current Clients have to say. While vendor marketing and sales might gloss over deficiencies, most business will tell the truth about their experiences with that vendor.

• How long have they been a client?
• How well did the solution meet their needs?
• How responsive is the vendor to questions?
• What is the overall experience?

Fortunately, the Internet provides you with many insights into a potential vendor. Check on sites such as LinkedIn or a facebook page for vendor affiliations and Customer recommendations.

Company Background

Other important indicators of a vendor’s viability as your software development partner include length of time in business, company values, currency of skills, good citizenship within their niche, other factors that you deem important.

Review a vendor's website, and perhaps the websites of their Customers, to establish further evidence of credibility. The more information you can discover for a vendor, the higher the probability they will be a good fit.

You might find articles and blog posts written by the vendor as an indicator of the vendor's leadership in software development.

Summary

In this article you learned the importance of knowing your software development partner. Some of the points discussed can be used as criteria for initial vendor selection. Other points will be important for subsequent filtering.

The essence of vendor selection boils down to matching your requirements with the best available software developer.

While in this article we looked at the vendor's identity, the next article in this series explores how the vendor creates your software, and other project related issues.

Yumasoft has been successfully delivering software development services to clients around the world since 2003. Their highly-skilled software development engineers commit to providing the highest possible quality of service.

Yumasoft Software Solutions http://www.yumasoft.com