How to choose the right software development provider

Organisations across the world are technology-driven and have become even more so in the wake of the pandemic. With technology to support the remote working movement, many businesses were able to continue their business operations throughout the number of lockdowns. With the increasing adoption of software and technology solutions, businesses will need to choose the right software development provider.

Most organisations will not have the expertise in-house to build and develop their software. It can be difficult to find a partner that can provide you with the right people, the right experience and the right skills and expertise. However, taking into consideration key factors and asking the right questions will help you choose the right software development provider.

Technical skills

You need to make sure that you work with a software development provider that has the right technical skills to bring your vision to life. You need to get a good understanding of the technical expertise the company has to offer. For example, you may require technical skills in a specific programming language such as C# or Python, or a combination of other technologies. Does the company you may potentially partner with have a variety of skills and expertise on offer? For example, at Ardent, our team of software development engineers are trained and experienced in using world-leading, innovative technologies such as AWS, Microsoft and more.  

More on our technology partners.

Communication

Communication is vital for the success of a project. You need to work with a software development provider that has set up communication channels that will enable you to get in touch as and when needed and get a quick response. It’s also important to have various contact points, for example, at Ardent we have two contact points for all projects, a dedicated business manager and a technical account manager. The business manager ensures that client requirements are been fulfilled and the technical account manager makes sure that the day to day functionalities and delivery of services are in line with agreed terms. Another thing to take into consideration is language barriers, are the contact points fluent in your language? Some questions to ask potential software development providers if you are looking to work with them are: 

• What is the best mode of communication?
• Who are the contact points throughout the project?
• How quick is the response time?
• Is there any time differences that we need to take into consideration? 
• What are the escalation points if things go wrong

You may also want to consider if you require local contact points when working with a technology partner. For example, Ardent have offices based in the UK, US and India, offering clients local contact points to give them peace of mind.

Business culture

The business culture of the company you are looking to work with is also key. Do they have a culture and teams that match yours, are your views and ethos along the same lines? If a company inhabits a similar sort of culture, it will enable and facilitate a collaborative environment between your team and the software developers. As technology is always evolving and new technologies emerge all the time, you may want to find out how the software development company is keeping up with the changes. Do they ensure regular training for their developers? Do they invest in accreditations? At Ardent, ongoing training and development are at the core of our company culture, we provide a learning environment that enables our developers to improve and increase their skills.

Get to know Ardent.

Experience in successful projects

If you are working with a new partner, it's important to note the experience they have and how many successful projects they have delivered. If a software development provider has experience dealing with a wide variety of clients, then they will likely be able to cater to your needs. Experience in projects and years in the industry will provide peace of mind and reassurance when it comes to choosing the right software development provider. For example, you may want to ask about client success stories to find out about the type of clients the company has worked with.

Read our client success stories.

Certifications and accreditations

A company will invest with a software development provider so they should validate any claims made on skills and experience. You may want to ask the software development company for any certifications and accreditation they have acquired. For example, Ardent has certifications in Microsoft and AWS. This solidifies any claims made by software development companies and developers because to acquire industry level certifications and accreditations the developers have to pass rigorous exams to earn their certifications.  

Security

Security is a concern for organisations across the globe and you will need to work with an organisation that places security as a priority. Your software needs to be built with robust security measures in place to prevent any data leaks that could occur. It is worth asking the software company about any experience working with sensitive data or the type of technologies they used to build secure software. Also, ask about any security certifications, for example at Ardent is an ISO 27001 certified company as well as acquiring and certification in Cyber Essentials.

Support and maintenance

You got a great piece of software, now what? Does the company offer post-project support? Will they be able to add any features or expand the software in the future if you require it? Companies that value your relationship and offer long term partnership opportunities are more likely to be able to provide you with any additional support required.

Ardent software development services

At Ardent we have worked with a wide variety of organisations across the globe, from local start-ups to internationally established companies. We have been providing bespoke, tailored solutions to help business face their challenges and achieve their objectives for over a decade. If you are looking for a trusted, credible and reliable software development provider, then get in touch to set up a discovery call.