Tips to choose the Perfect App Developer for your Business Growth
Chances are that your app will not require a full team on a full-time basis in the beginning. But how do you select a suitable app developer? India has Thousands of mobile app development companies that offer app development and it is often difficult for newcomers to make the right choice. Although major app clients have seen a trend towards more in-house development in recent years, with investments in their own teams, the vast majority of clients still outsource development to a specialized mobile app development company in India. These steps will take you from longlist, through shortlist, to the selection of a suitable app developer.
- Longlist:
The first step is to list the top ten app development companies that you think would qualify as a future partner. This requires some research, but there are a few points from which to start your search:
- Google - Of course Google is your best friend if you want to discover new suppliers. Search for terms such as 'app developer', 'app development', or 'app development' and you will see pages with possible parties. Also, pay attention to parties that advertise on the search terms you use. Apparently, they are willing to spend lakhs of rupees to get in touch with you as a potential client.
- Network - Check with your network: colleagues, friends, and business partners. They may know a good app developer. Entrepreneurs, marketers, or IT professionals may even have good partners to whom they would like to introduce you.
- Lists - There are several websites with lists of app developers. While those lists are certainly not always up to date and/or complete, they include more than enough names that can serve as a starting point. Examples are the overviews of Emerce and Onedaycompany.
2. Shortlist:
Now that you have made your own overview of the market, it is important to reduce this to about three to five parties. Submitting your quotation request to too many market parties leads to a lot of work on both sides and is therefore unwise. We go for quality instead of quantity. You can reduce your long list to a shortlist by looking closely at the websites of the possible app developers, but it is even better to make a number of phone calls in which you ask more questions.
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You can use the following criteria to thin out the list:
- Organization - How big is the company and what is its history? Dependence on one or more employees makes you vulnerable. Companies with a longer track record are often more continuity can’t edit offer than startups. Also, pay close attention to the contact person who will help you in the first instance. Do you click with that person and does he keep the agreements? The development of apps remains a human work and it is important that you have one door to go with your future app development company partner. You may also find it important that the developer is located in the same region so that you can meet regularly face-to-face.
- Expertise - What knowledge does the app developer have and how does this match your preferences? Are you looking for a full-service agency that carries out the concept, design, development, and marketing of your app, or do you only want to outsource a partial process? Does the company have both Android and iOS app developers available? Do they have technical knowledge in matters that you consider crucial? Apart from technical knowledge, knowledge of your specific market is a plus.
- Cases - For which clients have the app developer worked recently? Many developers present an overview of recent cases on their website. Are there any projects similar to the one you want to outsource? You can of course inquire about some references, to ask those involved about their experiences with that specific app developer.
3. Selection:
Now that you only have a handful of lots left, you will most likely want to receive a few proposals and quotes. For this, a good app briefing is first of all necessary. A personal introduction and explanation of your quotation request are recommended. Perhaps your project is still confidential and you want a guarantee in advance that the parties cannot do anything with this idea without your permission. This can be arranged by signing a non-disclosure agreement (also known as NDA or Non-Disclosure Agreement). A good app developer often already has such an agreement ready.
With the app developer for your business, you select, you naturally hope to build success in the years to come. Therefore, do not go overnight during the selection process. Once you have received all the proposals, it is time to compare. Budget, approach, and planning are often important factors. But when everything comes together, the confidence that you personally have in an app developer plays a decisive role.
Do you find it difficult to make a choice? Then follow the 'head-heart-belly' method. Make your choice based on what is rationally the best option (head), with whom you have the best connection (heart), and also let your gut feeling play a part (confidence) to appreciate all the statements and promises that are made. Choose the side with which these three factors are most aligned.
4. Contract
You will record all agreements with your preferred party. But first, there is a solid round of negotiating about budget and planning. Ask for a final price. In this way, you often save 5 to 10% on the quotation price, especially if your future mobile app developers are convinced that you want to continue with him for years to come. Respect in the negotiations or the golden drive angle of price, quality, and speed. Do not get the most out of it, because you will notice that during the performance. In the project contract, you have all principles and agreements recorded. You can of course refer to the app briefing, conversations, and the issued proposal. A well-sealed contract contains at least the following elements:
Parties - Who is responsible for this project on behalf of the client and developer? State the correct company names, legal forms, and address details and check the signers' authority to sign.
Assignment - Provide a brief description of the assignment. A reference to the aforementioned documents is often sufficient.
Budget - What is the fixed price for this assignment? Which items may fall outside the fixed price and are invoiced on subsequent costing? What is the hourly rate in that case?
Planning - When is the deadline for this project? Are there interim partial deliveries?
Payment - What is the payment term and in how many terms will the assignment be invoiced? A partial invoice is customary at the start, delivery, and final approval of the assignment. This can be, for example, 50 percent, 30 percent, and 20 percent distribution of the total amount over these three moments.
Compatibility - Which android app developer and/or iOS versions should the app work perfectly? It is often impossible to support all historical versions, but make sure that a broad target group (> 75 percent) can certainly use your app. In addition, specify whether the app only needs to be suitable for smartphones or tablets.
Warranty - What is the period within which the developer must correct any errors or shortcomings? How long is the developer responsible for any bugs reported by users? Developers generally do not guarantee future - proofness, so it is smart to make agreements about this in advance in a service level agreement (SLA). In that case, you know where you stand if your app does not work on new Android or iOS versions. In an SLA you can record matters regarding priorities, response times, rates, and lead times within which future issues must be dealt with.
Ownership - Who owns the idea, concept, design, and source code of the project? Since the code is actually the main end product of an app developer, this will be discussed in more detail below.
Conditions - Which general conditions apply: those of the app developer or the purchasing conditions of your company? In the first case, it is good to check that the app developer's terms and conditions are not too restrictive. If its conditions are used by a broader department, this offers more certainty.
Signature - Both parties confirm all agreements by placing a signature and an initial on each page of the agreement.
Congratulations, you are out and the most labor-intensive part of the app journey can now begin.
5. Source code
In all projects in which software development companies in Bangalore are developed, the source code is the most important end product. It is therefore important for you as a client that you have access to this source code after the final delivery of the project. It is conceivable that you will not be satisfied with your current app developer, that the developer will stop offering their services, or - worse - than the company will go out of business. In that case, you must have your hands free to do business with someone else.
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I, therefore, recommend ensuring that the intellectual property of the source code rests with you as the client. However, this is not always fully possible; some things are too general or so often used by developers that ownership cannot be claimed. In that case, agree on an unlimited right of use for those parts of the code. That way you are never tied hands and feet to a developer.
Almost all professional app developers store code in a so-called code repository, such as Git. The source code is already centralized here during the development phase. A repository takes care of version control and combines the work of multiple developers, or can keep it separate. This allows different developers to work on different parts of the project.
Git is the most common code repository these days. Other formats (such as CVS, Mercurial, and SVN) are less and less used to store code. All these so-called version control systems supported by commercial thoughts l e parties code secure online storage. Some popular market participants are Assembla, Atlassian Bitbucket, Github, and Launchpad. As a client, you want to have access to this code repository by the end of the project in order to be able to secure your source code for the future. Of course, you can also ask the app developer to archive the code for you in a .zip file.
Don't have the source code of your project? Then it is a lot more difficult for every new app developer to continue the project. Although the existing app in the app store can serve as an example, a new start must in fact be made with programming. This will always be a labor-intensive job, which is therefore expensive.
