Choosing the right software house is a crucial decision that can significantly impact the success of your web development projects. Whether you’re building a complex application or a simple website, partnering with a capable and reliable software house is essential. Stats show that 49% of failures comes from improper selection of vendor. This guide will help you identify the key factors to consider when selecting a software house, ensuring your project is in capable hands. Anywhere, were advanced knowledge is required, the risk is even larger – for example, if the Laravel or ReactJS expertise is required.
And that is sort of companies to select from in Poland only. We have 900 software houses. Another hard aspect of this situation is assessing expertise of the team. Of course, it is also important to have a good balance between quality and price (because you can, of course, have the best quality for significant price), but it is not always optimum for business. And last but not least, and it’s important to understand how long term cooperation works in your selected software house.
Because of all of this, I would like not only to show you the ways to find a good software house, but also select the best one for your needs.
Looking For Software House
Scan Through Web
Of course, first thing that comes to your mind is to try out to scan web for the software house you would want to work with. Services like Clutch or TechBehemoth can be a bit of help, but they are so limited with your input. For example you might not be sure what technology you would want your solution to be developed and especially if this is a startup project. So while this idea sounds pretty good it can be also misleading, and omitting valuable software houses depending on your search criteria. Because of that, I would put this research as the second step, because such services allow to gather verified opinions on finished projects.
Ask Your Friends
Besides Google or search through service, there are better ways to start looking for that are that are much more efficient and will provide you with better value. First one is ask your friends about referrals. Maybe one of your colleagues already worked with software house or have some experience? Maybe there is expert in your LinkedIn network? Referrals are great because they allow you to approach software house that is already verified by someone from your circle so from the very beginning you know who you are working with.
Look in the Nearby Location
Another great idea is to look for software houses that are nearby your area. While after covered times, this sounds like a counterproductive idea and potentially cutting off great software houses that are remote, on the other hand if you have not worked with any software house before it might be the best option to actually meet the people you want to work with and discuss your project with them. People in person improves quality on further cooperation.
Search for Expert Blog
If you are familiar with the project technicals or business side, then maybe it would be a good option to search for expert blog. But be careful when reading blogs because you might encounter link farms or low quality content that can be misleading, wrong and only SEO optimized withotu any true value. Rather ensure that the blog you are visiting actually provides value to you and your business. So if you find a blog that you can you learn a bit more from, then it is probably a good guess to try to contact them.
Look for Similar Projects
There are two aspects of this approach. First aspect is, you can list the projects that you like and try to find who was the original creator of the project. It is expected that if the SaaS is similar to your project, then launching your project will be much less effort from someone who did similar topic in the past. There are two blockers though with this approach:
- If the software house or person has signed non competitive agreement
- If they are still deeply engaged in current project
Second aspect is to search through case studies. Even though case studies are not always complete, they are a good indicator of what software house is capable of – especially if it comes to delivering similar projects. It is a good advantage if you can find validated opinions in such professional SH portfolio.
There are few aspects you should focus on when analyzing such portfolio. One of it is complexity of the projects – of course, the more complex projects software house delivered, the more capable it is. Another aspect is looking for similar projects to yours. Third – very important aspect would be – if you can actually test the applications. For example, if there are links to working systems, websites, mobile apps. Fourth aspect you should consider – if there are technologies and business cases described – this will have this will help you to validate if the project was actually successful or not and if it is not using some outdated technology.
Ask AI to Research
If you totally don’t know where to start, then maybe an interesting option be to ask AI to do research for you. Of course, results derived from AI can be misleading, so you will need to verify them manually. But it can be a pretty interesting indicator or starting point to further research.
Verifying Software House
Check Client Testimonials and Reviews
Client testimonials and reviews provide insight into the software house’s reliability and quality of work. Look for detailed reviews on platforms like Clutch, Google, and social media. Positive feedback from previous clients is a strong indicator of the company’s capability and professionalism. Don’t hesitate to ask the software house for references you can contact directly.
See why Sailing Byte Clients review our work 5/5
You should ensure that client opinions are verified – for example by Clutch. This is probably the most valuable input on software house quality that you can find. Besides, of course, if software house is referred to you by someone else.
Assess Their Experience and Expertise
When looking for a software house, one of the things to check is their experience and expertise. Look for companies that have a proven track record of successful projects. Review their portfolio to see if they have worked on projects similar to yours. Experienced developers can efficiently handle complex features, ensuring a robust and scalable application.
You can for example verify Sailing Byte experience by checking out awards we have received.
This aspect sounds pretty easy, but is actually difficult – because iif you are looking for software house, then probably you are not developer expert yourself – so assessing another experts can be hard thing to do. Although you may ask software house to deliver you blinds or CVs of developers you will be working with or organize meeting where you will be able to discuss some things with devs. For example projects they worked with, years of experience, or impact they delivered.
If you have someone that knows how to code, then you could ask for tech review of the team and code analysis. Sometimes this can be hard to do because code is often proprietary and does not belong to software house itself, but to its clients. Some indicator may be certificates but you need to know which ones are actually meaningful and which ones are meaningless. For example, I am a holder of official Scrum.org certificates (PSMII, PAL-EBM, PSPOII) – and it is known, well-established standard in industry. A small advantage may be if blog has technical aspect that is led by developers themselves, but not many developers are eager to write technical articles or have ability to do so.
In essence, a good software house should have a team of developers proficient in the latest technologies and best practices. They should be knowledgeable about various tools and frameworks relevant to your project. Ask about their approach to testing, debugging, and deployment to ensure they follow a rigorous development process.
Verify Their Development Process
Verifying and understanding the development process of a software house is crucial. A structured approach, such as Agile or Scrum, ensures regular updates, timely delivery, and flexibility to accommodate changes. Ensure the company uses a project management tool for transparency and better collaboration. Regular communication and updates are essential for keeping the project on track. Lack of well-established process for running projects is one of the major cause of failures. A warning sign may be if software house has not selected as single tool to handle projects and other lead flag may be if they don’t have in the process quality control and testing. Although for you as a business owner, it is important for you to understand that testing is integral part of development process and you will need to pay for testers. Overall, it all comes down to two things: organization and communication.
At Sailing Byte we ensure that our Clients understand both software they want to create and development process. This is ensured by attending to workshops, which contain both strong exploration and planning aspects.
Very important aspect of the development process is what actually is happening before the development even starts. If you don’t know where to start, at Sailing Byte we do offer premium workshops, so we can guide you through your idea and discuss it with you. Such discovery phase in our experience often brings new topics to the development and verifies the idea against real world. All the materials created during worksops are yours too keep!
Compare and Understand Pricing Models
Pricing is an important factor, but it should not be the sole criterion for choosing a software house. Compare the pricing models of different companies, considering the scope and complexity of your project. Look for a balance between cost and quality, ensuring you get the best value for your investment.
In Agile approach which we belive at Sailing Byte most beneficial to all parties you only pay for what developers actually do. We have both experience and tools to conduct such development at pace that you actually require. Even though Agile approach is not really compatible with fixed price model by design, it is often preferred model for clients. At Sailing Byte we have developed a solution joining benefits of both approaches. If you want to learn more about different pricing models in software houses, I have actually prepared article about it. Maybe even more important than costs is transparency of the costs, because it allows you to assess if software house is honest with you. Incoherent pricing policy and low prices connection is short way to overpay for the project in total.
Support System and Long Term Cooperation
Post-development support is crucial for maintaining and updating your application. Ensure the software house offers reliable support and maintenance services. They should provide timely updates, bug fixes, and be available for any urgent issues that may arise after the project goes live. In this aspect, problem-solving skills are vital for handling unexpected challenges during production time. Discuss past projects with the software house to understand how they overcame obstacles. A team that can proactively identify and resolve issues will save time and resources, ensuring a smoother development process.
One important thing to understand is a business owner is that you will most probably need to pay for after-development support or warranty. This is often very hard to understand by business owners, but it’s natural in the development process. Reason for this comes from the nature of the development itself. Warranty should not be established by any reasonable company in environment that is rapidly changing, because you cannot foresee the future environment. And such rapidly changing environment is software development. Aspect of this environment is, for example, 3rd party libraries which you cannot reasonably vouch for with warranty, even though are needed by your system. Another aspect may be dependency on external services, such as payment services. Warranties are domain of physical devices that can be produced in repeatable way and custom software is not falling into that definition.
If in your software house agreement you have warranty, then there are few possibilities why it is in there. First one is that warranty price was actually already included into pricing itself by assessing the future risk by software house. Second possibility is that software house is simply unreasonable and is trying to over promise and underdeliver, which is not reasonable policy (and if you are looing for long-term partner, then reason is quite an important aspect you would like to see in your partner). In that perspective, much more reasonable and sustainable for both parties is maintenance agreement for specified number of hours monthly, that can be used for bug fixing or improvements.
Assess Their Communication Skills
Effective communication is key to a successful collaboration. The software house should be responsive, transparent, and open to feedback. They should be able to explain technical concepts in a way that you can understand, ensuring you’re always in the loop about the project’s progress.
We do believe that open and extensive communication leads to better understanding of business needs and understanding of development process. By usage of multiple communication channels and scheduling regular meetings we always ensure that everything is clear and up to date.
Transferring Intelectual Rights
Very important aspect of the agreement with software house is how the rights to the product will be transferred to you. You must absolutely ensure that all the rights to the code will be given to you and you only and that after the payment you will be the absolute owner of the code, technology, knowledge and solutions that were done during the development process. At Sailing Byte it is a standard procedure for us and we have proper transfer of intellectual rights in every argument – both in Europe and USA.
Where To Start Looking for Software House?
There is a lot that has been covered in this article, so to make it iasier for you, I have created a short summary. So maybe you can start with this table:
| Category | Key Point | Description | Action/Recommendation | Phase |
| Problem Context | Vendor Selection Risk | 49% of project failures come from improper vendor selection | Thorough evaluation of software houses is essential | Planning |
| Problem Context | Market Complexity | 900+ software houses in Poland alone; making selection difficult | Use systematic approach to evaluate options | Planning |
| Finding Methods | Web Search | Use services like Clutch or TechBehemoth for initial research | Use as second step for verified opinions; not primary search method | Discovery |
| Finding Methods | Personal Referrals | Ask friends; colleagues; LinkedIn network for recommendations | Most efficient method – provides pre-verified options | Discovery |
| Finding Methods | Local/Nearby Options | Look for software houses in your geographic area | Best for first-time clients to meet in person and build trust | Discovery |
| Finding Methods | Expert Blogs | Search for technical blogs by potential partners | Ensure blogs provide real value; avoid SEO-only content | Discovery |
| Finding Methods | Similar Projects | Find creators of projects similar to yours or analyze case studies | Check for non-compete agreements and current project engagement | Discovery |
| Finding Methods | AI Research | Use AI to generate initial research leads | Verify all AI results manually – use only as starting point | Discovery |
| Verification | Client Testimonials | Check reviews on Clutch; Google; social media platforms | Look for verified reviews and ask for direct references | Evaluation |
| Verification | Experience Assessment | Review portfolio; track record; and relevant project experience | Request developer CVs; organize meetings; consider tech reviews | Evaluation |
| Verification | Development Process | Verify structured approach (Agile/Scrum) and project management tools | Ensure quality control; testing processes; and clear communication | Evaluation |
| Verification | Pricing Models | Compare pricing across companies; balance cost vs quality | Ensure pricing transparency and avoid lowest-price trap | Evaluation |
| Verification | Communication Skills | Assess responsiveness; transparency; and technical explanation ability | Ensure regular updates and clear project progress communication | Evaluation |
| Long-term Partnership | Support System | Post-development maintenance and support availability | Establish maintenance agreements rather than warranties | Contract |
| Long-term Partnership | Intellectual Rights | Ensure complete code ownership transfer after payment | Verify intellectual property transfer clauses in contract | Contract |
Finding a good software house involves thorough research and careful consideration of several factors. By assessing their experience, technical proficiency, development process, problem-solving skills, support system, pricing, and communication skills, you can make an informed decision. The right software house will not only deliver a high-quality application but also provide a smooth and collaborative development experience.
But you do not need to search anymore as you have found a software house that has all of the above benefits. Just click below “contact us” and get your project on track and in good hands of experienced team!
