Software development projects can be challenging so taking the time to select the right team for your project can save you time and money, not to mention headaches. According to PMI.org, “The average large IT project runs 45% over budget, 7% over time, and delivers 56% less value than expected.”
Project managers are always on the lookout for finding the right software development team. Getting one for their project within the right time is what they call a perfect blend. However, 75% of project managers are of the opinion that they would experience failure right from the beginning, according to Geneca. Here’s why: selecting a right software development team is a challenge on its own. But 66% of companies use software to communicate with their clients and this has made it extremely crucial to ensure that the right selection of software development team is carried out.
Looking for outsourcing partners is easy, but selecting them is a whole different story. Deciding which software development team to hire can be a difficult and daunting task, and can take anywhere from 4 weeks up to 6 whole months.
But worry not! With the correct strategies and thorough research, you can accomplish the goal of selecting the right software team for your project. This lengthy process can be simplified and increase your chances of success by a great deal.
Let’s take a look at some tips that you will need to consider before hiring a new software development team that is best suited for your project:
1. Create a criteria list that your vendor should be required to meet
This is something that has to be done before considering different vendors for your project since you will have to carefully decide what approach has to be followed. Divide the selection criteria into easy and comprehensive steps so that the potential vendors can easily understand what they will be providing along with what will be provided in-house. With this done, you can start preparing your list. The criteria that you decide to use needs to match and relate to the characteristics of your specific project along with the tasks, responsibilities, and duties entrusted upon your vendor.
You might come across some criteria that require being very specific. However, you should not waste time on that. Instead, opt for a list prepared by someone else and just modify it according to your business needs.
2. Do not make it a one man show
It might seem like a great idea to build around a single star like many football teams, but it is way more sensible to invest in a team of multiple stars. No matter how great the level of expertise an individual has, their real talent shines through when they are a part of a team. There is a much higher chance of producing high-quality work with a team of diversified, highly talented, individual programmers who can work great together. If you do however, opt for a one man show with a single rockstar developer, chances are you will end up with someone who likes to work on their own, which in turn will put down the urge of young and talented developer team who might be willing to try something new and out of the box. Maintaining a great balance between skills, expertise, and experience is vital. It is wise to invest in developers who possesses complementary skills and knows how to work well with others.
3. Address to YOUR development team
After a team has been hired, they become your employees. It is better to address and treat them as such for it is essential to the success of your business and will prove greater results instead of just treating them like an external body working for you. Since your involvement with the individual engineers and programmers is a prerequisite for the success of your project, talk to them about your vision and how they can improve it. Keep in mind that it is your money you are investing and so you have a right to know the strengths and weaknesses of every member involved.
4. Check out the portfolio
It is better to evaluate a team through the efforts they have put and the wonders they have pulled in their past projects. It will give you a better insight, and show you how well they work with different programming languages and how good a match their set of skills are for your particular project. Another thing to make sure of is that they should have plenty of experience with the type of market you are aiming your project towards.
5. Identify their level of communication
It is crucial to evaluate how a software development team communicates and how well. It is this simple: speaking to them to evaluate their language skills is one thing and assessing how fast they respond to your enquiries is another. To ensure that you hire an effective team, you also need to know the following points:
- What medium they communicate through
- What applications and software they use
- What hours they are readily available to cater to your needs
- How accurately they will respond to your query
6. Learn their development process
When outsourcing your software development team, you need to know if they have a development process. If yes, then ask them about the steps involved in it. It reveals the level of the team’s concern with strategic planning and hence ensures the completion of a project with good results and in due time while staying within a budget.
7. Pilot project consideration
The general duration of software development projects is anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. This duration can let you know how well your development team is capable of producing what you requested of them. It is wise to start off with a small project first that can serve as a base for evaluation. This ensures that risks and liabilities are smaller in the future and prevents any unforeseen hurdles.
Useful Tips
Some other useful tips include the following:
- Hire small – 30% of successful project managers consider small segments of IT projects so that they can see a positive outcome from their project. It is a fact that smaller teams are more effective than larger ones and are very easy to manage and communicate with. This way, you will know exactly what is going on and how everything is working out.
- Hire senior – when you hire a smaller team, you can afford to pay more per individual and hence invest on some experienced and skilled senior developers. The more experience you have on your team, the better the result is bound to be.
- Hire craftsmen – the requirements can change anytime. By hiring craftsmen, you ensure that your codes are solid and well tested and hence better adaptable to change.
- Hire humans – it is not difficult to develop a lasting software. The secret lies in hiring people who do not become egotistical and never let it come in the way of their work. A great idea to judge how well people work with others is to conduct interviews in pars.
In conclusion, choosing the correct developmental team is crucial to the success of your project. There is much more to development than writing checks. Select a team that works well to your requirements, complements your style of working, and has a bigger purpose than just getting paid. Half the job is done if you have got a team that is not only being invested in but is also investing itself into your project with enthusiasm and the urge to experiment by using novel ways of technology.
Still wondering if such ideal software development players really exist? We bet they do at Achievion Solutions – a team of senior personnel who have their hands on modern mobile and web platforms, systems integration, and big data analysis. Their less than 1-hour response time is the proof that you’ll get heard immediately. Stop waiting. Start here!
