Tips to choose the right development company for your software development project

Hiring a software development company can be a daunting task for many businesses, and honestly, it doesn’t need to be.

This post can be extremely beneficial for businesses that are looking to revamp their existing software landscape or plan to hire a software development vendor.

In this blog post, we will list out tips to choose the right development company for your software development projects. We will give you clear insights about the cost, delivery time, quality, tools, and business models that are required to hire a perfect software outsourcing company in India. Let’s dig in.

Choose your preferred business model

The success of your project greatly depends on choosing the right software development company for your software development project.

Based on your business requirements, timezone and budget, Software outsourcing can fall into various categories such as Onshore, Offshore, Nearshore, and Hybrid. We will explain all of these in detail.

Offshore: When your vendor is outside your country.

Onshore: When your vendor operates in the same location, or near your city.

Nearshore: When your vendor operates from a neighboring country.

Hybrid: the combination of both Offshore and Onshore software outsourcing.

If the United States or Canada based company needs software for their business, offshore software development may be a perfect option. Hiring an offshore software development partner from Asian countries comes with a lot of perks such as cost efficiency, higher code quality and if you are having an in house team, you can even start a 24×7 software development. Many software development companies provide offshore software development services to global enterprises cost-effectively.

The following table will give you an idea about the type of outsourcing you need for your project.

We have compiled the pros and cons of these outsourcing models into it. This will help you in making more informed decisions in choosing the right outsourcing model for your project.

Hiring Model	Pros	Cons
Offshore	Highly cost-effective: The overall cost of hiring an Offshore company is 30-40% less when compared to an Onshore company. Highly scalable development team. Time zone advantage, that allows 24X7 development, which results in rapid project completion.	Language barriers Cultural Differences
Onshore	Clear and timely communication. Better integration of software development methodologies.	More expensive Lack of skilled resources
Nearshore	Cost-effective for smaller projects More effective communication due to the same time zone.	Lack of skilled resources
Hybrid	Faster development cycle Cost-effective Efficient communication	Asynchronous working hours lead to delays in development

Get familiar with Software Development Life Cycles (SDLC)

You have to choose a vendor who is well versed with the latest software development methodologies such as Agile, Extreme Programming (XP), kanban, etc. Generally, Agile is preferred as the best framework for software development projects that require extensive collaboration.

With the Agile development model, your vendor will execute daily standup meetings and sprints based on your requirement, or even on a daily basis.

If you are not familiar with any of the SDLC, it would be difficult for your in-house team to effectively collaborate with the dedicated developers during the daily sprints.

You must clearly discuss with your vendor about the project management methodology that they are going to implement in your project. They will implement a suitable methodology for your project by analyzing the size and complexity of your project. The below table will give you better insights to make informed decisions to choose the right project management framework for your project.

	Project Size	Pros	Cons
Waterfall	Small to medium projects with clearly defined requirements.	Clearly defined project timeline	Less flexible Delays in project delivery Less client involvement
Scrum	Medium to large projects with highly dynamic requirements.	Highly Efficient Easy to make changes Highly flexible Matches customer expectation Highly Adaptive	Time Consuming Less predictability Lack of proper documentation Requires an experienced scrum team for its smooth functioning.
Lean	projects of any size with limited resources and time.	Maximized profit Improved client interaction	High implementation cost.
XP (Extreme Programming)	Medium to large projects with changing requirements.	Rapid project completion Clear project progress Reduced cost	Software quality could be compromised due to tight deadlines & scheduling.
Kanban	Projects of any size with a strictly defined workflow.	Visualization of work steps results in clarity of work Highly Efficient	Lack of a clear strategy

Run a background check on your prospects

We usually run a background while hiring an employee, such as an inquiry of his employment, criminal, and financial records. The same should be done while hiring a software development company.

You should only prospect vendors that have worked on the projects that are similar to your vertical.

Apart from analyzing their previous projects, a thorough investigation of their financial stability is also required. “In the end, no one wants to keep their stuff on a sinking ship.”

Evaluate your vendor’s communication

An active relationship between you and your client is only possible with effective communication, so it is highly essential to choose a vendor that has excellent communication skills.

The greatest mistake that most businesses do while choosing their software development vendor is that they won’t assess the communication skills of developers. Having developers that possess good communication skills can rev up collaboration, which leads to faster completion of the project.

Ask about their developers

Ask about the availability of developers that are experienced in your preferred technology(Web development, IT modernization, mobile apps, etc, whichever that suits your project requirements). Feel free to ask the CVs of the developers. This will give you a clear picture of their experience with a specific technology and the projects that they delivered.

Examine their Security Measures

Security is an important aspect of any software development project. Ask your vendor about the security measures that they follow during your development. Ask how they will secure your intellectual property? Knowing the process of their security implementation will give you enough confidence to outsource your project to them.

We hope you got some clear insights of tips to choose the right development company for your software development project. Apart from the topics that we mentioned above, you may need to ask more questions to your vendors such as the maintenance and support they provide even after the completion of your project.