Must-Ask Questions for a Development Agency Before Hiring Them

Must-Ask​ ​Questions​ ​for​ ​a​ ​Development​ ​Agency​ ​Before Hiring​ ​Them

Jenna​ ​Erickson,​ ​Codal​ ​Inc ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When​ ​hiring​ ​an​ ​application​ ​development​ ​agency​,​ ​there​ ​are​ ​things​ ​that​ ​you should​ ​know​ ​and​ ​fully​ ​understand​ ​prior​ ​to​ ​hiring​ ​anyone.​ ​If​ ​it’s​ ​your​ ​first​ ​time working​ ​with​ ​a​ ​developer​ ​or​ ​an​ ​Android​ ​or​ i​ OS​ ​development​ ​firm​,​ ​then​ ​here​ ​is​ ​a list​ ​of​ ​questions​ ​that​ ​you​ ​must​ ​ask​ ​before​ ​getting​ ​started: Will​ ​I​ ​own​ ​the​ ​code?

It​ ​is​ ​absolutely​ ​critical​ ​to​ ​know​ ​if​ ​you​ ​will​ ​have​ ​ownership​ ​of​ ​the​ ​code​ ​and​ ​all​ ​of the​ ​assets​ ​before​ ​working​ ​with​ ​a​ ​mobile​ ​app​ ​design​ ​company​.​ ​Any​ ​good developer,​ ​or​ ​trustful​ ​company​ ​will​ ​ensure​ ​that​ ​you​ ​will​ ​own​​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​code,​ ​and all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​assets​ ​used​ ​to​ ​design,​ ​or​ ​develop​ ​the​ ​application.

What​ ​tools​ ​do​ ​you​ ​use?

The​ ​person​ ​you​ ​hire​ ​for​ ​the​ ​custom​ ​software​ ​development​ ​services​​ ​should​ ​be using​ ​quality​ ​tools​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​process.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​code should​ ​be​ ​in​ ​a​ ​code​ ​repository,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​GitHub​​ ​or​ ​BitBucket​.​ ​If​ ​your​ ​agency​ ​or developer​ ​isn’t​ ​using​ ​a​ ​code​ ​repo,​ ​or​ ​if​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​have​ ​access​ ​to​ ​it,​ ​this​ ​should​ ​be a​ ​red​ ​flag.​ ​Other​ ​industry​ ​tools,​ ​like​ ​a​ ​project​ ​management​ ​system,​ ​and​ J​ IRA​​ ​are important​ ​to​ ​the​ ​development​ ​process.​ ​You​ ​should​ ​be​ ​fully​ ​aware​ ​of​ ​what​ ​tools will​ ​be​ ​used​ ​for​ ​your​ ​project​ ​before​ ​getting​ ​started.

Here​ ​at​ ​Codal​,​ ​we​ ​give​ ​our​ ​clients​ ​access​ ​to​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​systems​ ​and​ ​tools​ ​we​ ​use,​ ​to obtain​ ​full​ ​transparency​ ​with​ ​our​ ​customers.

What​ ​level​ ​of​ ​involvement​ ​do​ ​you​ ​need​ ​from​ ​me?

As​ ​a​ ​Chicago​ ​web​ ​application​ ​development​ ​company,​​ ​we​ ​want​ ​our​ ​clients​ ​to​ ​be be​ ​as​ ​involved​ ​as​ ​they​ ​can​ ​be.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​truly​ ​open​ ​to​ ​as​ ​much​ ​collaboration​ ​on projects​ ​as​ ​our​ ​clients​ ​would​ ​like.

Typically,​ ​the​ ​more​ ​collaboration​ ​that​ ​exists​ ​between​ ​us​ ​and​ ​the​ ​client,​ ​the smoother​ ​the​ ​process​ ​goes.​ ​Client​ ​feedback​ ​is​ ​important​ ​to​ ​us,​ ​we​ ​want​ ​to​ ​build software​ ​that​ ​our​ ​clients​ ​will​ ​fall​ ​in​ ​love​ ​with.

How​ ​and​ ​how​ ​frequently​ ​will​ ​we​ ​communicate?

The​ ​mobile​ ​app​ ​development​ ​company​ ​in​ ​Chicago​​ ​that​ ​I​ ​work​ ​for,​ ​gives​ ​clients​ ​at least​ ​1​ ​weekly​ ​update​ ​on​ ​their​ ​project.​ ​However,​ ​in​ ​most​ ​cases,​ ​clients​ ​and project​ ​managers​ ​will​ ​be​ ​in​ ​communication​ ​much​ ​more​ ​than​ ​once​ ​a​ ​week.

Where​ ​are​ ​your​ ​developer’s​ ​located?

There​ ​are​ ​talented​ ​developers​ ​all​ ​over​ ​the​ ​world​.​ ​While​ ​it​ ​does​ ​not​ ​necessarily matter​ ​their​ ​location,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​important​ ​that​ ​you​ k​ now​ ​where​ ​they​ ​are,​ ​so​ ​that​ ​you can​ ​have​ ​a​ ​mutual​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​what​ ​is​ ​being​ ​worked​ ​on,​ ​and​ ​when.​ ​For example,​ ​if​ ​your​ ​website​ ​crashes​ ​during​ ​the​ ​middle​ ​of​ ​the​ ​day,​ ​you​ ​need​ ​to understand​ ​who​ ​is​ ​available​ ​to​ ​fix​ ​it​ ​at​ ​certain​ ​times.

In​ ​my​ ​opinion,​ ​the​ ​best​ ​model​ ​for​ ​this​ ​is​ ​to​ ​hire​ ​a​ ​company​ ​that​ ​has​ ​both​ ​onshore and​ ​offshore​ ​teams.​ ​This​ ​way,​ ​someone​ ​is​ ​always​ ​available​ ​to​ ​help​ ​you,​ ​and​ ​your potential​ ​“offshore”​ ​fear​ ​can​ ​be​ ​overcome.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​way​ ​development​ ​is​ ​done at​ ​Codal,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​app​ ​developers​ ​in​ ​Chicago​,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​a​ ​team​ ​in​ ​Ahmedabad, India,​ ​and​ ​Lincoln,​ ​UK.

Full-stack​ ​user​ ​experience​ ​design and​ ​development​ ​agency.