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Businesses are beginning to learn the many benefits behind mobile app and software development. The more they learn, the more inclined they are to start a project of their own. While this is all good news for their business, the key to a successful project is having a quality development team working by your side.
To ensure your development team can effectively meet your goals and satisfy your standards, you’ll first need to know what it is you’re looking for in a developer.
Chances are you’ll meet with a wide range of developers all from different walks of life. Some will be the right choice, while others will only bring disgrace to your project. Spotting the good from the ugly can be difficult, but not if you know the right questions to ask.
Before you hand your new developer the keys to your project, we’ve outlined the 15 most important questions you should ask. They are grouped into four different categories — their track record, your vision, development, and maintenance.
We’ll dive into more detail on each category below!
Confirming Their Track Record
The first step in the mobile app or software development process will be finding the right developer. Since a lot of developers will talk big game, it’s always important to request some of their past work. This will give you a clear idea of what you’d be signing up for if you chose that developer.
To ensure your developer is capable of delivering on their promises and guarantees, you should ask them the following questions:
- Do you have any past examples I can view?
- Have you primarily worked with small or large companies?
- Can I have a list of your past clients and do I have permission to speak with them?
- Do you have experience working with companies in my field?
By asking these questions, you’ll be able to effectively create a persona and portfolio for each developer. These can be utilized when easily comparing one developer to the other, making the good ones stand out from the bad.
Confirming Your Vision
Once you’ve shortlisted several candidates for further review, you’ll want to start asking them questions that are more specific to your project — not so much what they’ve done in the past. You’ve already confirmed they can deliver a quality project, now you have to figure out which one can deliver your project.
To confirm your developer is right for your project, ask them the following questions:
- Do you understand what I’m looking to accomplish with this app/software?
- How important is UI/UX design to you and how will you implement it in my app/software?
- Do you have any monetization strategies for my app/software?
- Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Following the same method as the last group of categories, compare their answers to find the one — or group — that stand out. There’s no need to rush yourself, so take your time and consider all the different factors to your decision. You still have plenty of questions to ask before arriving at your final decision.
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Developing Your App/Software
The development stage of your app or software will be the most crucial to the success of your app. It’s where all the planning, ideas, and creativity is put into action — it’s where your app or software becomes reality.
To ensure this stage of the app and software development process is as seamless as possible, you should ask your developer the following questions:
- Will I receive frequent updates on the progress of my app/software?
- How many developers will be working on my project?
- Will your developers be working on other projects at the same time?
- Will my app/software receive proper quality assurance and testing?
As the business owner, you’ll want to know where your project currently stands at all times. It’s also important to know who’s working on it and whether they’ll have other responsibilities outside of your project.
The fourth question is highly important. If your developers don’t offer quality assurance and testing, your project will be vulnerable to crashes, bugs, errors, and disruptions.
Maintaining Your App/Software
Piggybacking off the importance of testing, the success of your app or software could very well depend on your ability to maintain it once released. In fact, you’ll likely need assistance officially releasing it — especially since that can be a difficult process.
If you want a developer that will stick around after the development stage and provide value for years to come, ask them the following questions:
- Are you able to submit my app to the appropriate app store?
- Will I have ownership rights of the app/software once it’s launched?
- Can I count on you to provide maintenance and updates to my app/software?
When you ask your future mobile app or software developer the 15 essential questions listed above, you will effectively set your project up for success. You’ll need to know all the answers one way or another, so it’s better to find them out now.
As a result, you’ll end up with a developer that checks off all your boxes!
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