Startups often struggle on what factors to consider when choosing a developer (individual or agency) for their needs. Should we choose the most affordable option? Are agencies more credible than individual developers or freelancers? As a matter of fact, these questions are not just limited to startups but are applicable for any business looking for some assistance with development. Based on my experience following attributes are most important while choosing a developer.
- Transparency and Honesty Before project acquisition, does your developer say what you want to listen or he/she walks you thru what might go wrong when executing your project? Understanding what might go wrong is probably not music to anyone’s ears, but can help you plan for such risks. Is your developer transparent about his/her processes such as development strategies, and methodology? Can they talk about their mistakes and lessons learned from those, or they appear to be masters with no mistakes? If it is the later, you need to step back and rethink. In the end don’t hesitate to ask for references.
- Experience and Expertise
Always look for experience and background of your developer. Is this their first time creating a system or they already have experience constructing something similar to your target product? Hiring college students or newbie may not be a bad idea as long as you understand the level of sophistication needed with your product. Always ask for portfolio. - Methodology and Communication
What are the approach and methodology of your developer when it comes to your project execution? Are those methodologies in sync with yours? For example, if you are embracing lean startup methodology, how does your developer plan to develop? Always ask for their communication strategy and make sure it gives you enough capabilities to mitigate the market risks. If you are considering to hire an individual developer, make sure to ask for support in case your developer is not available in future for any reason. - Estimation and Costing structure
Is $150/hr. developer a better choice than $10/hr. developer? Well, it depends. You need to find a right balance between the quality and cost for individual tasks for your project. For certain simple tasks: updating CSS or implementing a FB API, you may not require an expert. Best way to go about this is to break down the project into task, and then make the determination. Your developer can help you with this assignment, if you are not technical. - Trial – just to be sure
Considering all the above points, nevertheless, you will never be sure until you try. It is always a good idea to create a small assignment(s) by breaking up tasks from your project. Test your candidate(s) on the assignment you created. This working experience will provide you with more information about your developer than spending hours during the interview process.
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Fuel Startup (https://www.fuelstartup.com) is a custom development agency, specializing in web, mobile and software applications for fast paced startup projects. Utilizing Fuel Methodology, we focuses on startup project success thru agility, risk management (taking surprises out of development), and cost savings.
Contact us for a trail and test us out!
