# How to choose software development company for a startup

Software development companies may lack the quality of service delivery, despite the good programming skills of developers. That is why your task is to weed out irrelevant candidates and find exactly what you need. You need to make a list of software development companies that have strong business skills and understand the specifics of your business. After all, you need a software company that can create software based on your needs, business functions and the specifics of your industry.

Thus, when choosing a company, pay special attention to the industries it works with. Geographical location also plays a huge role, so if you have chosen a foreign company, make sure it is ready to work with foreign markets. In addition, it would be wise to choose a software development company with stable growth and rich experience in your industry.

Having highlighted the most suitable candidates, you have to check them in more detail. Various rating sources will become a good help in this matter. One of the most respected in this industry is Clutch.co. All companies on this resource are carefully checked using detailed application forms, customer reviews, personal phone calls, portfolio and many other factors. In addition, there are dozens of other online catalogues of software development companies. These include Goodfirms.co, Extract.co and Glassdoor. Although their mechanisms for verifying companies are somewhat less thorough than those of Clutch, they are clearly trustworthy. If you just want to just sit there and browse the offers from software development agencies or third-party developers, post a question on Quora. In recent years, various companies have been using this platform for indirect advertising.

The development of any project is a complex process that requires a comprehensive review. It includes not only writing a high-quality code, but also preliminary business research, ensuring and monitoring a high level of quality, assessing and reducing risks at all stages of development, and also post-release maintenance. A software development company that provides the most comprehensive range of IT services will be able to help you realize the idea of ​​your startup in the best possible way, offer a non-trivial solution and advice in the development process, and in the long term create a product that will have a number of competitive advantages and will take a decent place in the market.

It’s great, if the company's services include:

IT consulting

A clear action plan is important for developing a technology startup. That is why it is better to choose a company that is ready to discuss in detail the plan for a future project. Consulting services may include strategic consulting, that is, assistance in adapting future software to a business model and creating launch plans, as well as tactical consulting - planning of architecture, operation and implementation, which will allow a startup to gradually develop a detailed plan and create an MVP, as well as a full-fledged application.

Software Development

The process of developing and deploying custom client software itself. This stage includes software development, design, testing, as well as launch and deployment of the application. Each of the points listed above is extremely important. All in all, the development process - this is the embodiment of your idea. Find a software development company that will treat it with all responsibility, ensure reliable cooperation and data protection, and also describe in detail all its obligations in the contract.

Maintenance

Proper maintenance and support are an important part of the software life cycle. During this stage, improvements, features enhancements are made, new versions of the product are developed, as well as corrections of possible defects and errors discovered during use. In addition, user experience and feedback are collected at to further functionality improvements. A good company is one that will not abandon the project after its release.

Assurances of professionalism can’t replace a well-designed portfolio and cases with strong projects. Looking at the company's recent projects, you can see if the software development company has tried a certain technology in practice, whether it has experience in solving business problems, and problems that may arise during the development process. Additionally, a good startup application should be user-friendly, have a good design and interface. It will be clearly seen that the software development company dealt with all of the above on rating resources like Clutch. In contrast to the “Portfolio” section on the company’s website, such resources often require confirmation from the customer, and also describe the essence of the project and the technologies used in its development.

So, you want your project to be implemented according to your plan and at a reasonable price and time. The language barrier and cultural differences can reduce all efforts to nothing. In such circumstances, you should pay attention to the language skills of your supplier and cultural compatibility. Some companies have their own YouTube channels with interviews and video materials where you can judge about the cultural and linguistic component of the team. In addition, a good software development company understands how important it is to keep in touch and adapts to customers' time zones to answer their questions as quickly as possible. Also pay attention to the number of communication methods on the software development company’s website, for example, the availability of popular messenger apps and chat bots. By the way, managers of good software development companies are ready to cooperate even 2-3 hours after the end of the working day to ensure intersection with the client’s working hours.

All of the above is just the minimum. After all, no one forces you to make your choice, and therefore it makes sense to look for a company that offers something more. Let us explain with a specific example. Professional software development companies are obliged to work under the contract, because it is the contract that bears the legal force and is the main document that can be referenced when conflicts arise. However, how exactly this agreement will be drawn up highly depends on the company. If you are going to work with a foreign software development company, the contract should be drawn up according to an internationally recognized template. In addition, the terms of cooperation, the obligations of the contractor and the customer, the terms for developing the software and its cost must be spelled out in it.

Good software development companies make pricing as transparent as possible, write down the application architecture in the contract, leave the rights to the written code to the customer and back it up with a warranty. If you are worried about the safety of your corporate secrets, protect them with a non-disclosure agreement and access rights only for direct participants of your project.