Hiring a Software Development Company: 9 Steps to Choose Right
I’ve watched more than one perfectly sensible business owner go cross-eyed at the same moment: when the quotes come in. One company says they can build your app in six weeks. Another says six months. One sends a slick PDF full of diagrams. Another sends a two-line email that somehow feels… more honest?
And then you do the thing we all do when we’re unsure—open twenty tabs, read a few “top developers in…” lists, and promise yourself you’ll decide after lunch. Except lunch becomes next week. Meanwhile your current app still crashes when someone tries to reset their password.
Hiring a software development company is a bit like hiring a builder for a house extension. You’re not just paying for bricks. You’re paying for judgement. And when it goes wrong, it doesn’t go wrong in a tidy way.
So here are nine steps that have saved me (and people I’ve worked with) from expensive surprises. Not magic. Just the boring, practical stuff that works.
Start with the problem, not the app
Step 1: Write down what “better” actually means. Not “we need an app for our business.” That’s like saying “we need a vehicle.” For what—deliveries, commuting, off-roading, showing off?
Try this instead: what’s broken today, what’s slow, what’s costing you money or customers, and what would you notice if it was fixed? Fewer support tickets? More repeat orders? Staff saving an hour a day?
If you can’t explain the win in plain English, you’ll struggle to choose the right software development company—because you won’t know what you’re hiring them to do.
Step 2: Decide what’s in the first version… and what isn’t. This is where I usually get a bit annoying. Because everyone wants the “full” app. The full app doesn’t exist. There’s only the next version.
Pick the smallest version that proves the idea or improves the current app in a measurable way. A solid login, a clean checkout, a reliable booking flow. The stuff that keeps the lights on.
This matters because good developers will challenge scope. Bad ones will nod at everything and quietly start the timer.
Find a company you can actually work with
Step 3: Look for evidence of thinking, not just building. A portfolio is nice. But pretty screens don’t tell you if the team can handle messy reality—legacy systems, odd edge cases, customers who do bizarre things at 2am.
Ask for short case studies that include: what the client wanted, what changed, what went wrong, and how they handled it. If everything sounds perfect, it probably isn’t true—or they’re leaving out the interesting bits.
A strong software development company will talk about trade-offs like it’s normal. Because it is.
Step 4: Vet the people, not just the brand. You’re not hiring a logo. You’re hiring a team. Ask who will actually work on your app: a lead developer, a designer, QA, a project manager.
Get on a call with the person who’ll lead the work. If you can’t meet them until after you’ve paid a deposit… I’d pause. You want to know how they explain things, how they handle questions, and whether they listen or just wait for their turn to speak.
Also: notice if they ask you good questions. The best teams are curious in a way that’s slightly inconvenient.
Step 5: Check how they run projects (gently, but properly). You don’t need a lecture on methodology. You do need to know what happens week to week.
Ask things like:
- How often will we see progress?
- Who updates us, and how?
- What happens when priorities change?
- How do you handle bugs—during and after launch?
Hiring a software development company gives you access to skilled professionals and efficient project management—if they’ve got a rhythm. If the answer is vague (“we’ll keep you in the loop”), you’re about to become the project manager by accident.
Talk money and timelines without getting weird about it
Step 6: Ask for a breakdown, not a single number. A quote that’s just one big figure is a red flag. Not because it’s wrong, but because it hides the assumptions.
You want to see how they’ve split the work: discovery, design, development, testing, deployment, support. Even if the numbers are estimates, the structure tells you how they think.
And yes—compare quotes. But compare like a grown-up. Cheaper might mean fewer senior people, less testing, or a timeline that assumes your app will never change its mind. Which it will.
Step 7: Treat timelines as forecasts, then ask what could derail them. Anyone can promise a date. The useful question is: what needs to be true for that date to hold?
Common timeline killers are boring: slow feedback, unclear requirements, third-party integrations, app store approvals, and “can we just add this one thing?” (Famous last words.)
A good development partner will tell you where the risk is. Not to scare you—just to keep you from being surprised later. Surprises are what make people hate software projects.
Protect future-you (they’ll be tired and busy)
Step 8: Get clear on quality, security, and ownership. This is the part people skip because it feels a bit legal-ish. But it’s where the pain hides.
Ask, plainly:
- Who owns the code and designs when we’ve paid?
- Will we have access to the source code repository?
- How do you test—automated tests, manual QA, both?
- How do you handle security basics (passwords, data storage, access control)?
You don’t need to be a security expert. You just need to hear them speak about it like adults. If they wave it away, that’s your cue to wave them away.
Also worth asking about documentation. Not a novel. Just enough that another developer could step in without performing an archaeological dig.
Step 9: Plan the relationship after launch. Launch day is not the finish line. It’s the moment real users arrive with real opinions.
Ask what support looks like: response times, bug fixes, small improvements, monitoring. If you’re improving a current app, ask how they’ll handle the transition without breaking what already works.
Hiring a software development company can lead to faster project completion and innovation because they’ve done this before—and they’ve usually got the latest technologies and tooling ready to go. But the real value shows up after launch, when you need steady hands and quick fixes, not a victory lap.
A few practical ways to spot a good fit
I said nine steps, and I meant it. But I’ll sneak in a few tells—because in real life, you’re also choosing people.
They say “it depends” and then explain what it depends on. If someone gives you absolute answers to complex questions, either they’re a genius… or they’re guessing. I’ve met more guessers than geniuses.
They’re comfortable talking about constraints. Budget, time, existing systems, app store rules, your team’s availability. Constraints aren’t a nuisance—they’re the shape of the project.
They don’t punish you for not knowing. You’re hiring experts because you’re not one. If they make you feel small for asking basic questions, imagine how fun it’ll be when something goes wrong.
They care about users. Not in a fluffy way. In a “who’s using this, on what device, in what situation, and what happens when it fails?” kind of way. That’s where good apps come from.
Choosing the right company is mostly about avoiding the wrong one
If you’re building a new app for your business, it’s tempting to fall for the team that promises the world. If you’re trying to improve a current app, it’s tempting to hire whoever says they can “clean it up” quickly. I’ve been tempted by both. I’ve regretted one of them.
The right software development company won’t just code. They’ll help you think. They’ll vet their own developers, put proper project management around the work, and use modern tools without making it your problem. They’ll be honest about what they can do fast—and what needs care.
And you’ll feel it in the small moments: the clarity of their emails, the quality of their questions, the way they talk about risk like it’s normal and manageable.
Because that’s the thing. A good build doesn’t feel like a rollercoaster. It feels like progress—steady, occasionally awkward, and quietly confident. The kind of work you don’t have to babysit.
That’s what you’re really hiring for. Not an app. Not even a team. Just a little less uncertainty than you had last week.