Innovative companies know that custom software development is one of the most effective ways to advance your business. Custom mobile applications, tailor-made for your business, can increase customer engagement, streamline processes, create new opportunities, and more.

Choosing the right development partner is vital to the success of your project. Your partner should be a match on multiple levels and able to work with you to deliver results on time and according to specifications.

Your development partners should be smart, collaborative, and responsive — technology experts that are easy to work with.

But choosing from among the thousands of developers worldwide takes some work and planning. Once you’ve decided to embark on a custom software project and identified selected candidates, the fun part (or one of the fun parts at least) is just beginning. Use these best practices as a guide to vet and choose a partner.

Ten Key Development Partner Characteristics

• Proven Programmers and Technology Gurus – Your development partner must bring strong technical skills to the table. It’s a deal-breaker if a prospective partner can’t execute on a technical level.
• Business and Domain Experts – Your project has a much better chance of success if your development partner understands your business and your objectives. Short of in-depth pre-existing knowledge, general business acumen, and willingness to learn are critical.
• Detail-Oriented and Process-Driven Operators– Your partner should sweat the details and be very precise in their programming methodology. Whether waterfall, agile, or hybrid, processes should be precise and repeatable with attention to detail at all times and with all things.
• Exceptional Communicators – As you know, communication is key to any successful endeavor, and custom programming is no different.  Your partner should be a great communicator, always keeping you in the loop. All messaging, documentation, and meetings or other discussions should be clear, timely, and detailed,
• Meticulous Project Managers – Your partner should be a well-oiled project management machine delivering proven PM processes to your project. They should be able to ensure specifications are met and delivered on time and on budget. And just as importantly, your partner’s project managers should be able to efficiently handle unforeseen circumstances and quickly get the project back on track.
• Security Fanatics  – Your partner should make certain that stringent security is integrated into your project from the beginning. Security around the development process should also be maintained at all times.
• User Experience and Workflow Enthusiasts  – Backend programming expertise is critical to the functionality of an application, but designing a logical and intuitive workflow is just as important. An exceptional user experience can determine the success of your application and your partner should be able to deliver one. 
• Support Champions – Your partner should have an outlook that is oriented towards service and support. In many cases, projects will require maintenance or technical support after implementation.  It just works better if the partner that completed your project is open and available to support it.
• A Cultural Fit  – Culture fit may seem a bit cliche but it can have a significant effect on the development process and your project. Your project will proceed much more smoothly if the cultures of your company and your partner are in alignment.
• Great References and Stellar Reviews – Ask your potential partner for references as part of the process. It also pays to check partner reviews on Clutch.co, Trustpilot, and other credible sources.

While it may sound a little daunting, following these best practices is worth the effort and promises to result in an amazing application that can jump-start your business.

Pell Software is a proven development partner

Pell Software is a premier custom software developer with expertise in all aspects of custom software development.  We’ve worked with companies of all sizes and types ranging from small businesses to startups to national companies in a wide range of industries. 

So we know how to develop custom software that will help you take back control and make sure your focus is on meeting your business objectives. We can help you leverage and enhance your existing technology resources while adding new capabilities to enable you to take back control while driving growth and increasing profitability.