How to Hire Your First All-Star Development Team
We’ve all been there. Perhaps you’ve got a great idea and want to see it to fruition, but don’t know where to start. In this case, your idea involves a technological element—and let’s assume you’re not a savvy tech person. In this case, you might be considering hiring a development team to make your ideas a reality. In today’s day and age, this is very common; over the past decade, many programming and development companies have spawned to help companies create websites, mobile applications, and software programs. Contrary to what you may believe, you don’t need a recruiter to get started. If you have an idea and mind are shopping around for a development team, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Understand Project Requirements
Before you even begin to search for potential development teams, you need to understand your project requirements, particularly your tech stack. Your tech stack is the technology infrastructure necessary to build your application. It consists of the tools, frameworks, and software necessary to bring your technology to life. Of course, if you don’t know much about development, you can’t know exactly what your stack will look like, but if you have a vision, you can easily research must-haves.
For example, if you wanted to build a web or hybrid application, PHP might be a language of choice. Simply searching “best programming languages for web applications” will offer several results that point you in the right direction. From here, you’d learn that the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) is common in web application development. If your product is rooted in artificial intelligence, for instance, Python might be an ideal programming language.
Sans tech background, it’s important for you to do your research.
Without doing so, you run the risk of hiring a development team that isn’t up to par for your project. The goal is to hire a thorough development team who knows how to do everything from leverage devops tools to managing a docker container with docker container with GCC installed to navigating Helm repositories. Learning the basic lingo allows you to make smarter hiring decisions.
Create a Budget
The cost of development teams varies widely based on location, technology, qualifications, and track record. An hourly price range varies widely in the United States and can be anywhere between $35 and $250, whereas a developer in Southeast Asia could cost anywhere between $30 to $60. Some companies also charge per project and your project rate will vary depending on complexity. Generally speaking, however, you should think about how much you can afford to spend on your project without sacrificing your basic needs. After you’ve shortlisted a few teams you like, you can reach out to them for a quote. This can help you determine whether you have a realistic budget.
Software Development Hiring Platforms
Once you’ve identified the tech stack and have a strong conception of the type of developers you’ll need, now it’s time to find them. Finding a development team isn’t as easy as putting up an ad on Indeed. When you need an entire agency, you’ve got to dig a little deeper.
YouTeam, TopTal, and UpWork are all great resources for sourcing and hiring development teams. Each takes a unique approach to finding the right teams. For example, Y-Combinator- launched YouTeam vets the best offshore development teams to help you eliminate risks when hiring overseas. UpWork allows teams to bid on your projects; sort through profiles and reviews of several development teams and choose a winner that fits with your budget. TopTal connects businesses with freelancer teams and independent engineers and developers.
Be sure to analyze reviews for every potential hire. Platforms like Clutch are a great resource for reviewing detailed transcripts from previous clients. As you shortlist your options, reach out to several potential teams. It’s important that your development team isn’t just technically qualified, but prove to be great communicators and team players. Early conversations with your shortlisted candidates can help you cut through teams that aren’t right for you.
During this stage of the process, you’re essentially interviewing candidates. Your decision can make or break your product and future business (not to mention your bank account). Here are a few questions you should ask:
● Have you worked on similar projects? If so, what were they?
● What does the workflow look like and how will communication be handled?
● How many people will be working on the team and what are their roles?
● How do you track bugs and other issues?
● How do you ensure a quality product?
● Describe an unhappy client and why they were unhappy with the work. What went wrong and how was it handled?
