When a software development project requires external assistance, the choice of a partner is critical for a successful outcome. But which are the factors to focus on when selecting a partner?
According to Raimo Seero, CTO of Uptime, selecting an IT partner does not start with googling different development companies but rather with mapping the company’s needs. “If you don’t know exactly what you want from your future partner, it’s quite difficult to make a choice. Before you start comparing different companies, you need to know what you want, as this will determine the best solution and the end result,” he explains.
According to Seero, the first thing to consider is whether the company needs to implement a one-off IT project or a long-term partner willing to invest in the development continuously. While some problems can be solved with a ready-made product, others evolve over time and require constant care and a flexible approach.
“The client should know whether they are looking for a consultant to help them get something done in the long term, or whether they know very clearly what they want and simply need additional resources or skills,” Seero added.
“Quite often, however, this kind of in-house research is not done and it is said that long-term support is unnecessary. But then you have to be sure that the company has a specialist who is prepared to invest at least 80% of their time in development for the next six months,” he points out.
It’s also a question of different personalities, he says – some customers are happy with the pros and cons of a ready-made product, while others want to configure and customise the solution to their liking.
“It also depends on the choice of partner, as some focus on off-the-shelf products, while others focus on tailor-made solutions. If you tell an IT company specialising in one-off projects that you need to keep customising the solution once it’s ready, the relationship can become complicated,” explains Seero.
You can’t argue with experience
When choosing a specific partner, Seero recommends looking at the IT company’s past experience. “If the partner has a track record of years in the market and successful projects, they are more likely to be able to handle your concerns,” he said.
In the Estonian market, it’s also worth asking for recommendations and asking people you know if anyone has had previous experience with an IT partner. “If you haven’t been involved in development work before, you won’t be able to assess and compare IT partners objectively,” said Seero. “In this case, recommendations from friends and acquaintances can be beneficial.”
When comparing partners, it’s also essential to pay attention to the technologies and platforms the IT partner uses. “With lesser-known technologies, there is a risk that, when the partnership ends, there is no one else to manage and update the product,” stressed Seero. “From a business point of view, this is a big risk because when the software support ends, some components may simply stop working, and you have to start development from scratch.”
Uptime uses, among others, .Net and Microsoft solutions, which are very common in Estonia and have a strong local community and support – ensuring that customers can always get fast and professional help when needed.
Values are also important
In addition to technological capabilities, it is important that the values of the company and the IT partner match. “Your perception of the cost of a day’s work should be more or less the same as the partner. Collaboration becomes difficult if the price of the service seems unreasonably expensive or, on the contrary, suspiciously cheap,” said Seero.
Before starting to work together, he recommends exploring how disagreements that may arise during the course of a project will be resolved. Some companies want to spell out all possible situations in detail in the contract, while others prefer a more flexible approach. “It’s also worth asking about long-term support: find out from your partner what will happen when the project is finished and under what conditions they are willing to continue supporting you,” adds Uptime’s CTO.
Ultimately, Seero says, you can’t predict a partner’s competence until the end, so sometimes you just have to start the project and assess after a month whether you got what you hoped for with the money you paid. “If it feels like enough value was created at the end of the month, then you can move on. If not, it’s worth considering looking for another partner,” he suggested.