THE AUTHOR:
Many companies struggle with finding a trustworthy and competent IT partner. There are many hurdles, such as price-quality ratio, expertise in a specific domain, or implementation timelines. All of these combined makes it hard to launch an IT project and bring about tangible results within the first year of the project’s lifecycle. Only 25% of projects manage to be considered successful. According to Gartner’s research, 55% to 75% of projects end up in failure.
To change this and bring more value to the market, Computools has designed its own software development approach that tends to mitigate the risks and guarantee results. The approach is multi-tiered and requires the involvement of both the Client’s and the IT Partner’s dedication. When followed carefully, it has delivered amazing software products that empower businesses to expand, influence their markets, and multiply their revenues.
This article was written to be a pool of knowledge that companies like yours can use to better understand how to find a good software development partner. As you read, you’ll learn more about the do’s and don’ts that you should take into consideration while initiating new partnerships or nurturing existing collaborations.
Computools
Software Solutions
Computools is an IT consulting and software engineering company that delivers innovative solutions to help businesses unlock tomorrow. Our clients represent a wide range of industries, including retail, logistics, finance, healthcare, and others.
When looking for a new IT partner, do the following:
1. Investigate an IT partner’s expertise and background
Before starting any search for an IT consulting and development vendor, it’s important to realize that you’ll find many; some that you’ve never heard of before. In order to assure your success and a fruitful relationship, make sure to research each prospective partner’s background and portfolio, read reviews, and communicate with past clients. This step alone can increase the likelihood of you getting a high-value product by 37%.
2. Understand who will be in charge of your product
Finding a reliable development pattern is only half the battle. Once you’ve found a suitable team for turning your idea into a reality or updating our legacy software into something modern and efficient, you’ll need to elect a Product Owner. This is not a role to take lightly. You can do this as the Founder of a small startup or Head of Technology at a large enterprise, but keep in mind that this role requires 3-4 hours per day of direct management to the development process (working with strategy and monitoring developers). An alternative many find helpful is when the software development vendor chosen offers the opportunity to hire a Product Owner from their team.
3. Align your budget with expected project costs
Budget overruns are among the top reasons leading to project failure. This situation is particularly painful if you work with an entirely outsourced team that can’t wait for your next round of investment. To prevent yourself from struggling with this problem, it’s best to discuss the expected project cost and, more importantly, billing type, e.g. how often you would need to make payments for the work delivered. Another thing to keep in mind is what kind of pricing model; fixed or hourly, would work best for your budget. Discuss it all in advance with your IT partner not to clash with your financial interests later when the project is underway.
4. Have a plan for what to do if the project gets off the track
Don’t make the mistake of signing a contract to develop a multi-thousand or multi-million dollar development project without first understanding the risks involved. Risks can be technical, financial, human, or even social and political. Doing a risk analysis and creating a plan for how to manage potential risks is a practice that all mature IT consulting and development companies follow.
5. Give your input and participate in decision making
As much as you’d like to sit back and do nothing, this is a bad strategy. If you want a successful project and fully-operational product, it’s crucial that you participate in decision making and strategy. Smooth cooperation exists as long as a client finds time to give fair and structured feedback and participate in presentations as well as puts effort into sticking to the development approach of an IT partner. In the end, mutual effort and encouragement increases project success by 3x.
Today’s market is very competitive and demanding. A customer-centric approach is not enough to win the affection of your audience. You need to go the extra mile and offer something extremely unique and well-matched to the needs end-users are seeking to satisfy.
Finding an IT Partner is the most crucial step in shaping your project’s future. If you have any doubts, hit up our experts at info@computools.com to get a free consultation on what revenue model will help you scale up and make profits from your digital product.
Computools was selected through an RFP process. They were shortlisted and selected from between 5 other suppliers. Computools has worked thoroughly and timely to solve all security issues and launch as agreed. Their expertise is impressive.