You’ve probably noticed that our world is constantly changing but the one direction that we’re headed towards seems to be digital solutions. It’s no wonder that this trend is currently going viral, after all the global economy is still recovering from last year’s global shutdown. While in 2020 it was all about surviving, 2021 is about making an overall change of your business mindset, adopting a digital strategy and finding suitable technology partners.
From my experience working in a bespoke software development company, I can see how custom software helps businesses grow in a sustainable way and scale easily as they expand.
The decision to invest in software development are multifaceted but the advantages are clear: our world is slowly but surely becoming digital native and easy to use, secure software solutions that make our lives easier, integrate complex processes and deliver fast services will be in demand more than ever in the near future.
Here are 5 essential aspects to keep in mind when choosing a custom software development company to work with on your next business project:
1. The Agile Methodology
When you’re in the process of interviewing companies to work on your next software project development, consider the methodologies they’ve chosen to follow and the arguments in their favour. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, Kanban or Crystal come with successful and scientifically proven project management approaches. At the core of the Agile philosophy lay 12 principles that revolve around the idea that people are more important than processes, following a strict plan has less priority than reacting to sudden changes and that working closely with clients is fundamental for a project’s success.
This 2020 McKinsey research on enterprise-wide agility captures powerful insights into what are the main performance drivers directly linked to Agile methodologies. The results show fascinating business implications for companies that have adopted Agile practices in three central aspects: 30 to 50% better operational performance, additional 20 to 30 pts in regards to employee engagement and 10 to 30 pts leaning towards enhances customer satisfaction. All of these also possess a financial reflection of 20 to 30% improvement. So, prefer to work with established Agile companies with trusted processes excellence and outstanding technical performance.
2. Give, Take and Succeed
There his 2014 book, Adam Grant shares key takeaways are that people basically fall into three categories when they are part of a team - takers, matchers or givers. While asked for their help, takers tend to constantly look for a personal benefit they can extract from others, while matchers wonder if the other side will be able to return the favour at some point. Givers on the other hand are always willing and happy to help without anticipating anything in return.
It turns out that givers are associated with both the highest and the lowest success rates and in their careers. The fundamental difference is why, when and for whom they give. Successful givers are intrinsically motivated to contribute to the greater good of the company through random acts of kindness. That’s why it is important to familiarize yourself with your prospective vending partners before signing with them. Take a look at their company profile, testimonials, success stories and culture. For example, we at Dreamix believe that sharing is caring and are devoted team players, willing to give support to each other in order to achieve mutual success. That’s what we don’t have clients but partners: because we acknowledge that we can grow only through giving back in a meaningful way - to each other, to our partners and to society.
3. Look at the Hardcore Metrics
All good intentions and cultural values aside, when choosing a custom software development company to trust your next software project to, take a closer look at hardcore facts and metrics. Nowadays it is easier to find out essential publicly available information that might interest you such as years on the market, ergo domain experience and credibility. Don’t forget to look into the number of projects they’ve already accomplished and whether they nourish long-term relationships with the clients, awards they might have won, etc.
Additionally, look at the number of employees that work in the company. In fact, in case you prefer to do a stringent background check, you can also dive into reviews from ex-employees on what they have to say about the company on websites designed for this purpose. If you can about their social media reputation, take a look at their online presence. Which platforms are the preferred ones? Do they have lots of engagement? Which topics do they choose to discuss and why? These quality questions will reveal a lot and will help you shortlist only the right fits.
4. Research Their Technologies
Finding the right partners might be a hard task given the ever-growing talent pool on the market. Even a quick Google search will show you the wide variety of international software development services. However, in order to be confident that your partners will deliver the high quality you expect, be sure to evaluate the technologies they use according to popularity, stability and setup + maintenance costs.
You can use this 2021 ranking list as a quick reference point as it combines 11 of some of the most influential technology sources such as GitHub, Stack Overflow, IEEE and others. As it turns out, the 2021 winners are Python with an unbeatable score of 100.0 in the categories web, embedded and enterprise development. The winner in the mobile app development is Java with a 95.4 score, followed by C, C++ and JavaScript.
5. Use the Power of Networking
We live in an age of global technological change that is also transforming the way companies employ talent and seek partners. The demand for skilled software developers has never been higher, but the search horizon has never been wider either. Today, your company can collaborate with like-minded developers from anywhere in the world, and you should take advantage of all the networking opportunities our digital era has to offer.
Chances are that somebody you know knows somebody who has either worked with or is friends with someone you need for your next project. This is the famous theory about the six degrees of separation, postulating that it only takes six other people to get in touch with anyone in the whole world. In fact, scientists have researched the likelihood of that happening and the updated theory claims that this number is actually shrinking now that we have access to digital profiles of everyone. So, use your connections well and think of someone who might know and recommend someone else: now you’re closer than ever to finding a trusted custom software development company!
