When it comes to choosing software for your business, the options often boil down to two paths: buying an off-the-shelf solution or investing in custom software solutions. On the surface, off-the-shelf software might seem like the quicker and cheaper route. But like most things in business (and life), the upfront cost doesn’t tell the whole story. 

At Yameo, we’ve worked with companies across Europe to build custom software solutions tailored to their unique challenges. And here’s what we’ve learned: the “true cost” of software isn’t just about what you pay — it’s about what you gain or lose over time. 

Let’s break it down.

What You Get with Off-the-Shelf Software 

Off-the-shelf software is like buying a pre-made suit. It’s fast, it looks decent, and it probably fits okay. These solutions are typically mass-produced to serve a wide range of businesses. Think CRMs, accounting tools, HR platforms — ready to install and (mostly) ready to use. 

Pros: 

• Lower upfront costs 

• Fast deployment 

• Tried-and-tested by many users 

• Regular updates and support from the vendor 

Cons: 

• Limited customization 

• You’re one of many — no unique competitive advantage 

• May require workarounds or extra tools 

• Licensing fees that pile up over time 

• You’re at the mercy of the vendor’s roadmap 

It’s a great option for startups or companies with very standard workflows. But for businesses with complex operations or unique customer needs, it’s often a short-term fix that becomes a long-term limitation. 

Why Custom Software Solutions Are Worth Considering 

Custom software solutions are built specifically for your business — like a tailor-made suit that fits your operations, goals, and future growth. It’s your processes, your user needs, and your vision, translated into code. 

Pros: 

• Fully aligned with your workflows and goals 

• Scalable — grows with your business 

• Competitive advantage through unique features 

• Better integration with your existing tools 

• No ongoing license fees 

Cons: 

• Higher upfront investment 

• Longer development time 

• Requires collaboration and planning 

Yes, custom software takes time and effort. But what you gain is long-term efficiency, flexibility, and often, cost savings. You’re not bending your business to fit the software — the software bends to fit you. 

Let’s Talk About the “True Cost” 

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. The true cost of software is not just the purchase price. It includes: 

• Efficiency Losses: Off-the-shelf tools may require extra manual work, duplicated tasks, or workaround processes. 

• Integration Challenges: Plugging into your existing ecosystem might not be seamless — or even possible. 

• Licensing Fees: Monthly subscriptions and user-based fees can quickly outpace initial savings. 

• Missed Opportunities: Custom solutions can deliver features that drive innovation, improve customer experience, or unlock new revenue streams. 

Custom software solutions often start with a bigger investment, yes. But over 3–5 years, they tend to outperform their off-the-shelf counterparts — both in ROI and in how they support your strategic growth. 

A Real-World Analogy 

Think of your business as a high-performance sports team. Off-the-shelf software is like wearing generic running shoes. They might get you through a few races, but eventually, you’ll need gear that’s designed for your unique stride, terrain, and goals. 

Custom software solutions are your bespoke gear — designed to give you the edge, eliminate friction, and support you through every sprint and marathon. 

So, What’s Right for You? 

At Yameo, we don’t believe in pushing custom solutions for every situation. But we do believe in smart solutions. 

• If your processes are standard and speed is critical, off-the-shelf might be perfect. 

• If you’re scaling, innovating, or constantly fighting your current software, it’s probably time to go custom. 

Let’s have that conversation — not just about what software costs, but what it’s costing you not to have the right solution. 

With help from The Collins dictionaries, let’s define what expertise really is. The collins dictionary can help us in this matter – the online version states:

“Expertise is special skill or knowledge that is acquired by training, study, or practice.”

Now that we have the definition, let’s focus on its contribution to Software Houses. So why is it so important?

Expertise opens up an opportunity to develop expert power in a specific field of work. When approaching a Software development house, you want only the best of service available – what traits should you look for in your potential partner then? Is it the price of the service? Maybe. Is it their PR? Likely. But the most important thing You should watch out for is whether they’re experts in their field or are they just a general Software House. It is crucial to choose a partner known for such qualities. That allows you to experience the highest quality of development and allows for easy ideation in the future. And if you’re looking for a partner for your MVP projects – that is of key importance. Also, working with a company with expertise reduces the risks involved with outsourcing the work – they know exactly what they’re doing and know how to assess and approach a certain part of the project you’ve given them to handle. Lastly – expertise builds trust. You simply know that you can count on this company, and You can focus on other parts of the project.

What are the benefits for a Software Development House to have Expertise as one of their core traits?

They know the market in n’ out and need no guidance in your part of the industry – from knowing the software compliancy, data management to know-how regarding implementation of the solutions in accordance to their use by customers and employees. They are always thinking a few steps ahead and can predict future challenges that may occur before introducing your product. That means that they’ll prepare proper countermeasures that will allow you to correct your course after the product launches. However, to reap those benefits, You’ll need to have a focused, dedicated approach to the matter at hand – having even the greatest developers on your side, will mean very little when your company goals are unclear.

An expert on the subject will also give you the much-needed edge of foreseeing troubles that may come along the way – avoiding some of the possible bottlenecks in code’s structure while preparing to minimize the effect of the ones that’ll be unable to avert. Secondly, a skillful software house like that will also avoid possible risks (maybe even all of them) and exploit any chances or random occurrences that may turn up at any stage of development.  

And let’s not forget about the security it gives – Working with seasoned professionals who know your industry gives you a very needed peace of mind that everything turns out into a success in the end.

How to identify software houses with expertise in a particular field?

Checking their customer base, reviews and taking a look into their portfolio will surely help you spot the right people for the job. 

Being shown a history of successful projects and a list of happy clients is a sign of a solid and steadfast partner. 

Engaging a Software House in a discussion about solutions and insights regarding the topic is also a great way to test your potential partner before starting any “real” talk about a collaboration. Based on their response, you’ll be able to evaluate if that company will suit your needs. And if they’ll respond with a set of solutions prepared in advance – even better. That means that the company has a preordained framework for approaching such topics.

Also, check their certificates regarding your field of work, and don’t forget about security once again. Certificates are outside proof of validation that a company is well suited for the job they’re about to perform. As for security and attitude towards it – it’s a great indicator of how seriously they treat their job and business in general. Carelessness in that subject is not a good sign – consequences of negligence in this matter can be dear.

Do Software Houses need expertise?

That’s a rhetorical question. If you want your money well spent, then specializing is your answer. Of course, any general Software House can do a decent job. However, some of the software houses having the expertise in a particular field (especially yours) will surely offer services a lot better than general software houses. This expertise-driven approach to product development and problem-solving will add more value than a general, classic approach, and You can expect it to significantly boost your product experience for the years to come

Interested to read some Use Cases? Click here.

Software development can be as easy as you like – it all depends on who you ask for help.

Yameo has been active since 2005 and we have helped 45 organisations build over 100 solid software solutions. You will note that we have over 100 projects, yet 45 customers. This is intentional, because what we do is build solid software for top leaders – end2end software development. People understand value and what we deliver is value. Reflected in the fact that on average we are building 2 to 3 solid solutions for a customer. Of course our relationships with customers starts with 1 project, but as is often the case this becomes a second and third project.

We like seeing our customer’s succeed, because in the end it means we succeed.

End2end Software Development – explain it to me

Throughout our history and what you can read in our Use Cases is that we have always been of value in supporting a customer from beginning of a project with things like ideation, critically analysing their idea, infrastructure planning etc – all the way through development and deployment & launch. This is only half of the value we offer, and where other software houses often end their relationship with a customer. Where we go further is not just in SLA’s, maintenance and hosting of solutions – but in being a partner who understands your industry and the trends that are important to you and offer up-front recommendations, feedback and ideas on how you can continue to grow.

Hardware

Although not our speciality we work with partners who can help with hardware – such as our Tellma use case where together with Tellma GmbH we provide a full software and hardware video banking kiosk terminal solutions to banks in Europe.

Read the use case!

“Customer success is our success”

This can be such a cliche saying to use – however in our case this is reality. Like I said we only have 45 customers yet we have done over 100 projects. Time and time again customers return to us to develop new solutions after they were satisfied with our previous work and the results they achieved.

We therefore focus on building solid software for top leaders.

“At Yameo we focus on delivering exceptional work not just because we know a customer expects it, but because we know there is always more to develop. And if a customer remembers you and sees you as a valuable and trustworthy partner – they will return to you when they have new ideas. This is our focus at Yameo and this is how we have built long-term partnerships with some of the biggest organisations in the world like DEKRA, WorldVision International and AON. And above all we pride ourselves on being expertise in healthcare, finance and insurance solutions where we have a lot of domain expertise and experienced development teams.” – Maciej Krajewski, CEO Yameo

We focus on the whole customer journey

We understand that end2end software development has to make sense for both customer and end-user. We therefore try to understand the full customer journey, all processes involved and all use cases that are possible. Only then can you truly be a valuable partner for your customer. If you adopt the customer journey and all its processes and keep this in mind while being an ideation partner, developing or even launching and maintaining a solution you will know what is relevant and effective for a customer and what is not. With this mentality we have approached our customers for 17 years and why we have 45 customers but 100+ successful projects.

Software development can be as easy as you like – it all depends on who you ask for help.

Who will you ask for your next software project?

Interested to read some Use Cases? Click here.

“Professional Software Development Is Driven by Customers who Act as Designers”

I read this quote a few years ago and it stuck with me since then. The customer orders a software development project or a solution fitting their needs. Bearing that in mind it’s important to approach the discussions with customers with utmost concern regarding the challenges and obstacles in their field of work. It’s important to focus on your customer needs, and gather information – their vision of an ideal product may not be the right design for their work. Yes – the customers know their problems and challenges of the industry better, but You are the software development expert here – don’t forget that.

Start-ups that have developed a good solution or quality software can seem like a reliable solution when it comes to being innovative, agile and usually don’t require a big budget. However, the clients have to take other important issues into consideration when it comes to choosing between a start-up or professional software development.

Lack of resources

Though start-ups usually have great ideas – some of them being cutting-edge solutions – the sad truth is they lack the economical, human, and physical resources needed to execute most, if not all large-scale projects. They’re limited in the area they are scaling up and are still to establish themselves on the market.

Uncertainty

In comparison to Professional Software Development Houses, start-ups function in very unstable ecosystems as they are more impacted by changes in the market, product features, competition, people, and finances. Adding insult to injury – any haphazard occurrence connected with the company itself can completely stall any work on the software they were building. Be it some serious sickness of one of the crucial developers, the resignation of one of the key figures because of an internal company feud, or a disastrous fire in the office – it’s all possible, and clients just can’t afford this kind of risk.

Third-party dependency

Start-ups usually rely heavily on third-party solutions or resources via APIs, open-source software, outsourcing, commercial-off-the-shelf, and so on. Having no solid base for their work and “borrowing” every software resource is vulnerable, a client just can’t accept it – once again, it can have an impact on the quality of the implemented solutions, postpone the launch date, or stall work completely.

Small team – they are a start-up so they are yet to grow

Though smaller teams provide great opportunities to develop specific aspects of a solution or code in a short time and are much easier to manage – the fact is that there is just so much a team of such size can do. Professional Software Development companies also use small teams, to effectively divide work between the teams and combine all the outcomes of said work at the final stages of building the product. In a start-up case, the problem is that you only have one, and one team is only responsible for the project. And even the best start-up can get overwhelmed by a project too big for the capacity of their human power.

One product 

Often in the case of start-ups is that they can only focus on one product or service because of their field of expertise – once again they are yet to establish themselves on the market and grow. Therefore, their offer is limited for the time being, and you have to consider that for the future and long-term collaboration.

Low experience in start-up teams

Many start-ups are set by young and capable people – however, lacking in experience. Many of them have less than five years of experience in the development of software solutions. And even the most talented teams won’t go very far without gaining proper experience – but do you really want them to earn it at your expense?

High risk – same reward: failure rates of start-ups is extremely high

As we’ve said before, there are many obstacles that a start-up must overcome, and the fact that they are very vulnerable to events on the ever-changing market puts the integrity of the whole project at great risk. So unless you are willing to give up the ease of mind – choose a more steadfast solution offered by professionals. 

No self-sustainment

Especially in the beginning, start-up software development companies are kept afloat by external funding. We’ve all been there – it’s not easy to make a name for yourself there. But do you want to rely on a company, that once again has another vulnerability to add to their list? Especially, that it means that not only the company is based on someone else’s money – in this case, it means your activities are based on it as well.

Full organization 

Often the founder-centric start-ups mean that everyone has huge responsibilities with no management or some “top” control. For important projects like yours, there is little to no extra control and management supervision – because many times it’s management themselves working on the project.

So why should Enterprise companies care?

To put it simply:

It’s your resources and your project

When in need of a software solution, we should always focus on what we want the final effect of our collaboration with a software house to be – it’s safe to assume we’d like to see the implementation of the desired solution to be a success. So that’s why we have to remember that it’s our project and our resources in the end. No one wants to get a halfget half done, badly designed product thatproduct, that won’t meet Your needs as well be a waste of money and time – the second being even more valuable than the other. So remember to always entrust your outsourced work to someone you can rely on.

Success rate

As mentioned earlier, the success rate in start-ups is not high enough for important projects. Research shows that start-ups (that means your software projects entrusted to them) have a high failure rate. In the first year, 90% of all their projects will fail, 30% failure rate by the second year doesn’t spark optimism and within 5 years the failure rate hits 50%. Often within 10 years, 70% of start-ups have failed. The other 30 percent will be the new winners and a new challenging competition for those already well established on the market. But once again – are you willing to take a bet?

Interested to read some Use Cases? Click here.

With 2022 already two months in, we’ve had an opportunity to look at several reports from giants like Deloitte, EY, PwC, and Accenture, as well as our clients who are industry leaders themselves. Here are our 5 predictions for the remainder of the year.

A new, customer-driven basis of competition: Open insurance ecosystems

Across all lines of business, there is an increased demand for affordable, transparent, and customized insurance that will better suit evolving conditions and can be easily adjusted to changing circumstances. Insurers must retool their platforms around APIs and microservices to enable secure and seamless connections among partners. Based upon current trends, we expect that ecosystems will become a major business model in the relatively near future. 

Workforce transformation: human-centered, tech-enabled enterprise

For the last few years, the conventional approach in insurance held that workers would lose their jobs as insurers adopted more technology and automated more processes. Yet a profound shift was underway even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with business leaders working to address skills gaps, update their talent practices and instill more dynamic and agile ways of working. Now, competition has intensified for the most talented workers, who are more empowered to work in a way they choose – when, where, and how they want.

Today, a more nuanced and interdependent human-tech dynamic has emerged. The consensus among forward-looking executives is that human talent is every bit as important to future success as AI, machine learning, and modernized processing platforms. Yet the scarcity of essential skills and “the Great Resignation” means that insurers must address the traditional view of the industry as slow-moving and dull if they are to become employers of choice.

Insurers will have to take a stronger position on the social issues that matter most to rising generations (e.g., diversity and inclusion, sustainability) and provide meaningful work. In addition, enhancing their benefits, performance recognition, and compensation models is a must. Younger workers are also looking for more purposeful work, which gives an advantage to insurers who can articulate a solid and meaningful story about how their products and services will benefit society as a whole.

Sustainability: an opportunity to lead, innovate and grow purposefully

Climate change and sustainability have re-emerged across the board in pair with C-suite agendas as the direct impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have receded. Previous discussions about sustainability were largely theoretical and centered on making public pledges of support. Today, leading insurance companies are taking tangible steps and adopting hard metrics to tackle the oncoming challenges – Be it environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and opportunities.

For most insurers, the focus is squarely on the “E” in ESG, as climate change will have the biggest and most immediate impact on the industry’s financial performance. But social issues are now nearly as urgent. 

Insurers can take meaningful steps in the near term to help advance the transition to a more sustainable model of economy. Mapping action plans to specific targets and establishing quantifiable performance metrics relative to sustainability are two ways insurers can live their purpose. Within a broader ESG strategy, insurers must identify priority focus areas, clarify why they are allocating resources to them, and determine what benefits they expect to achieve.

A clear road map must also reflect the impacts on different parts of the business and how ESG strategies will be executed. In tracking performance against sustainability targets, insurers should monitor risk exposures, value creation, and progress toward specific goals. As reporting and disclosures become standardized, the most transparent companies will benefit from easier access to capital, increased customer loyalty, and better share price performance.

We believe that sustainability, workforce transformation, and open insurance are three of the most powerful forces reshaping the market in the near term. Read the full report to learn how insurance leaders can respond to these megatrends with urgency, creative thinking, and bold action.

Insurance operating models will adjust to seismic shifts 

The insurance industry now operates on the fault line of two tectonic plates: COVID-19 and the Great Resignation. In 2022, the pressures and shifts they create will force insurers to disrupt long-standing apprenticeship models that the industry has relied on for skilling in essential functions like claims and underwriting. They also exacerbate ongoing struggles to attract and retain talent in roles critical to insurance workforce transformation like technology, analytics, and actuarial. Insurers will always need humans. But with fewer employees, they’re increasingly dependent on human workers operating the machines, transforming how work gets done regardless of who’s doing it or where.  

Sustained supply chain and inventory management risk will accelerate product redesign

The disruption of supply chains caused by COVID-19 will likely continue well into 2022. But the associated disruptions in businesses and the frustrations they cause may subside with the reinvention of traditional freight and cargo insurance products. The digitization of cross-border trade and the proliferation of sensors and other IoT and connected technologies across supply chains allow for real-time access to risk data. Advanced analytics and AI now enable insurers to offer risk mitigation and management solutions along with auto payment of claims when necessary.  

Such insurance offerings accelerated in 2021 as precious shipments of COVID-19 vaccines made their way around the world. In 2022, expect to see more insurers apply these innovations more broadly and go beyond indemnification to help their customers address core operating risk. 

And so with two months gone and 10 more to go until 2023 we see a lot of changes taking place in the Insurance industry. The continued changing demands of customers, but now also of employees mean insurance companies have to be evermore focused on the human side of business. There is a great need for a seamless immersion of human and technology to lead companies through the challenges, shifts and opportunities that the industry faces. We at least find it interesting trends and are eager to share our own insights into the tech part of the equation

Interested to read some Use Cases? Click here.

We’ve been developing software solutions (like DEKRA i2i video solution) for DEKRA since 2013. In recent years, we’ve helped them in achieving their goal – improving and implementing their DEKRA i2i solution into their branches worldwide. Over the last 9 years, we had an opportunity to provide solutions for them, which gave a lot of satisfaction on both sides. DEKRA is a company that seeks out innovation and isn’t afraid to take a step into the unknown. As a software development partner, it’s been a pleasure to work with the passionate and enthusiastic people at the DEKRA Service Division.

However, we’ve learned a lot through these last 9 years – we’d like to share some of the valuable experience we gained.

Prioritise business cases above use cases

Why is this important? While it’s important to have working use cases to be able to move forward with developing the process of the final product, focusing on them may be counter-productive in the end. That is because the use case approach focuses solely on the chain of events that are expected to happen when a user comes into interaction with the solution applied. Business cases focus on system interactions and the final results we want to achieve in the “real world”; therefore, it focuses on the consequences of implementing the solution instead of it working on a paper (new client attraction, more revenue, and so on). 

Throughout the time spent with DEKRA we’ve learned to differentiate between use and business cases, and as a result, learned which features to prioritise, and what solutions to implement to deal with challenges in business cases. When a satisfactory result is achieved in developing business cases, there’s always time to shift focus to use cases.

Importance of the non-technical 

As developers, it’s easy to overlook the fact that many users may not be as skilled in using tech as we do – we’re creating a solution, not for ourselves, but for others. That determines exactly how important it is to have clear and meaningful communication with non-technical personnel of the client. Sharing information, updates, and progress reports in an understandable way with project managers who are not skilled in technical aspects is crucial.  

The same principle applies when it comes to employees – we have to keep them up-to-date with new features being implemented and be ready to explain their function in a way that’ll be easy to understand. By keeping the language simple and not boring them with terminology, while focusing on the value-benefit aspect, as well as their daily work, we were able to implement those solutions with ease, while gathering invaluable early user feedback. The goal of this was to ensure high adaptability and usability, which meant bigger success at the end of the project!

Immerse yourself in user stories

While working with DEKRA we’ve met many extraordinary people and that gave us a chance to learn from their experiences regarding the challenges and hardships of using the tech in their industry. That allowed us to broaden our horizon by including user experience stories from all walks of life – from field agents, lower management to branch managers. All these different perspectives, recommendations, and proposals regarding our product during the development stage allowed us to paint a full picture in our work – a much-needed holistic approach allowing us to stay ahead of the competition in these trying times.

Proactively seek feedback

During our cooperation with DEKRA, we’ve got a confirmation of how important is the well-known principle of working together towards mutual understanding blooming in an inevitable success – Feedback. As we shouldn’t practice alone – not to repeat mistakes – we shouldn’t work blindly according to the plan. During our journey with DEKRA, we’ve asked employees as well as managers regularly and consistently for feedback regarding our work and gave our own back accordingly – as this is a two-way street. That allowed for constant improvement through learning from our mistakes and suggestions for future-to-be users of our product. Monthly evaluation sessions with management, built-in app feedback forms, and scheduled meetings with employees gave us insight into challenges and everyday hardships of the industry – in turn allowing us to make the best-suited product possible. A nice example is DEKRA i2i, a video solution used now to support multiple use cases, across different industries on multiple continents.

Show what is possible – be assertive

By thinking outside the box and being ready to propose unconventional solutions, while being open to conversation and prepared to make mistakes, we discovered how big of an asset we can be to DEKRA and their business cases. By showing a full range of possibilities, technologies that can be used, and ready-to-use demos, we were able to grab the full attention of our client and include him in the development process hundred percent. We also provided insights regarding the cost benefits that our innovative and not ready on-the-go solutions will bring. That built trust, which in return gave space for discussion about DEKRA’s goals and plans for the future – a matter in which we’ve of course advised and recommended possible solutions.

So what can you learn from our experience?

Well, it’s all there. In our opinion, we’ve gained a lot of invaluable experience from our 9 years of partnership with DEKRA. We have developed, scaled, and established a global video solution within their group. We’ve learned to be more than just a development partner, but also a leader in innovation and feedback partner. It also showed us how being proactive in every aspect of collaboration is a mutual benefit. 

Interested to read their Case Study on DEKRA i2i? Why not click here.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working in an agile environment or pursuing a classic waterfall approach to your project – it’s always important to choose a partner, who’ll know how to support you. There are many Software Development Agencies out there and picking the right one can be quite a burdensome task. Software Development Agencies in general should focus on your goals regarding the product’s final form and boundaries like timeline or budget – amongst many other important factors. What they shouldn’t do, is burden you with technicalities and tasks being their side of the project – how many people do they need on the team or when – that is their problem.

So… why is it so important?

Currently, most Software Development Agencies are working in a transparent and easy-to-understand business model. You’ll find many sites offering great deals with prices ranging from 20-100 dollars, euros, or cryptocurrency depending on the skill set, programming language, expertise, etc. Seems simple, right? Just choose the best offer and go!

Well, it’s not that easy. While outsourcing, you need to be 100% certain that your partner is interested in seeing the project through. Take a closer look and determine if they’re interested in your goals, challenges and respect your boundaries not only before, but also after signing the contract. If you’ll happen to work with the wrong company it can be a slippery slope from here. They may start charging you money just as big HR companies and won’t care about final results. To make things worse, if something goes wrong or delays happen, they can start acting like it’s not their problem. Long story short- it’s always your fault. (Sounds eerie familiar, doesn’t it?

• The right partner for the right stage

First of all, a Software Development Agency must be aware of the stage your project is currently in

Why is it important? Naturally, companies are looking for a Software Development Agency that has experience in building similar projects to the one they want to build. We all know the reason – everyone wants to minimize the risk and foresee some of the challenges specific to the project. I’ve written an article recently about why expertise in choosing a software partner is so important. You can read it here.

However, the question we should ask more often is what was the role of the Software Development Agency in the project? Were they advising from the start or joined at some point as an augment? Maybe just joined to help provide a UX designer? So why is this so important? It’ll help to avoid a huge and costly disappointment. It’s important to define what kind of Software Development Agency will suit you and what outcome is expected, as well as knowing your needs and how to communicate them. Are you in need of an additional developer team? Or looking for support with technological aspects, like finding solutions using existing platforms and services? This will allow to cut costs and shorten the market launch time. (It is interesting how many companies are willing to suggest this, instead of building everything from scratch – definitely costing you more).

• Software development is more than writing code and should be…

Developers are responsible for a lot more than just coding. Choosing the right people has more impact than you may know. Their performance will affect customer service, revenue flow, brand identity, content, and so on… Pretty much every aspect.  A trusted company should go beyond what’s agreed upon and be willing to do everything to craft a good product – they’ll gladly contribute to the design, and assist in deployment.

Observe what kind of treatment you can expect from the Software Development Agency you approached. Are they willing to help with the process and see you succeed? Or are they just going to do what’s agreed and wave goodbye? The right company will support you till the end and will keep tabs on the results. That’s because they’re confident in their work, and probably they’ll try to establish a long-term partnership. (Which is not the case for many Software Development Agencies on the market). Those aren’t the only signs of a reputable company – should your product be a success, it’ll surely need updates, new version releases, etc. And who’s better for the job than the company you were developing the product with? Also, consider the SLA contracts.

One of the worst-case scenarios is when your software is in development and you don’t have a guaranteed response time from your partner.

A good company will also act as your CTO, should the situation require it. Some entrepreneurs seek that – many of them having little to no tech know-how. They’re looking for someone trustworthy – someone able to translate business language into tech and vice versa. It’s common practice for companies whose core business is not related to the product they need – they usually outsource it. And they’re willing to pay someone who’ll make the technical decisions, especially the right ones

Software agencies usually assign a tech lead who’ll act as a CTO for you. They’ll make decisions regarding the tech solutions, explain their consequences and make sure that you’ll feel included and understand everything. They’ll act as a leader for your team and take shared responsibility. With the rest of your crew, they’ll brainstorm, look for opportunities and limitations, as well as help with every aspect of developing the product. There’s a chance that a non-technical client suggests a scope too broad for the budget or requests a feature that isn’t possible to be introduced according to the spec. And that is where the Software Development Agency fits in – to deliver the tech perspective which will help to tackle it all.

Underestimating communication

Communication plays a huge role – not only in interviews but especially during cooperation. You must establish guidelines for the regularity of communication, channels you’ll use, and your expectations regarding contact. Honesty and being as clear as possible should be expected from both sides. Communication can make or break a business relationship, so it should NEVER be underestimated.

Ignoring the location

In today’s world working on a different continent is nothing unusual – technology allows instant communication and since we’re accustomed to working with people from all over the world, we can find that cultural differences may play a role in our work. Cultural differences can influence many elements that are important in the development process, like reporting, decision making, assigning tasks, and the very definition of completing a task. In different parts of the world, there are different work habits and management practices, so while interviewing, make sure that you discuss work organization and choose the best mutual approach when it comes to management. Additionally, make sure to maintain regular communication and that the most important things are established from the get-go.

Fixed price?

The majority of the software houses use T&M as the preferred business model, and we can understand why they do so. In this model risks are low, and they usually avoid responsibility regarding results. Check if your potential outsourcer is willing to consider a fixed price approach. There are risks involved, but it’s a good way to check if you have a flexible, capable and trustworthy partner.

Security…

Security is an interesting aspect. In my opinion, security is a topic that software houses tend to avoid. You’ll be assured, that the project is secure by design, that there are APIs and HTTPS protocols in use or that data storage is secure. However, if your company is a bit more experienced, you’ll surely provide the Software Development Agency with a list of security standards to meet – all that to ensure safety. (But… Does anybody check it after the delivery? It’s funny, right?).

After launch, there’s a possibility of a report from an OWASP scanner that’s done automatically – but does it really test the vulnerability of the written code? (I can assure you, not nearly enough) So what are these companies doing to secure your code?

There are various practices. Doe analysis, code review (a good one), guidance code writing, or perfumed pen tests amongst others. Also having similar in-house certificates, and making sure that the same standards are being met, can only be beneficial.

Contract

Somebody once told me that contracts are for bad times. There are stories about projects that failed for many reasons. Should your project fail, check what you’ve signed up for. Devil is hidden in the details. The contract should include a few important aspects. One thing is the number of corrections to report. This translates to how many times a client can add changes to the project, included in the overall price. Another thing is the guarantee the company offers after launch. Also, establish a clear exit procedure – it’s when you want to change the outsourcing provider during development. You should have access and be able to modify the source code. Leasing the code from developers you parted ways with, is the last thing you want to do. There’s also a security issue: while working together, you entrusted them with data that can be sensitive and contain intellectual property…

I hope that I’ve shown you some of the most important aspects regarding choosing a software partner – what to avoid, and what red flags you should look out for. If you want to know more and see how Yameo is addressing all the above points, while developing and providing competitive solutions – don’t hesitate to contact us!