Teaming up with an IT partner is a smart move. But how can you tell whether your provider is really committed to your project?
One of the most critical factors for the success of a software project is team engagement. You need to work with a partner who not only offers you their time and resources but also energy and enthusiasm. Unless you’re already working on a project or have worked together before, it’s challenging to assess the partner’s engagement.
But these 10 questions will help you check whether your technology partner is engaged in the project.
- What are the team’s previous projects?
Have a look at the provider’s website and check their case studies to learn what other companies they’ve work for. Find out about their previous projects and see if they provide references – you can ask for them openly.
- Do they offer a trial project?
Sometimes completing an initial small project can show you what the collaboration with the provider will look like on a larger scale. You’ll get to know the developer and verify the code to check its quality.
- What’s the quality of their output?
If you’re working with an engaged team, you’ll see their enthusiasm in the results of their work. Look at not only in more significant pieces of work but also things like documentation or whether they come prepared for meetings.
- Will your collaboration be based on honesty and transparency?
Keeping promises, being transparent about the progress of tasks, showing quality, and being proactive – these are the features of engaged teams. Ask the provider how they organize collaborations with honesty and trust in mind.
- Are they proactive?
One of the best signs of engagement is when your technology partner dares to question your solution and challenge you to be more innovative. When hiring an external development team, you will have your project scrutinized by experts. Take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate problems early on and get expert advice.
- Is the team a good cultural match?
The bond between your internal and external teams is critical to the quality of work delivered by each. But their cultural fit is also a mark of engagement. Make sure that the development team shares fundamental values with your internal team for smoother communication and cooperation.
- Does the team feel a sense of ownership?
Accountability, responsibility, and ownership of the solution are another sign of engagement. Check whether your partner’s team is fully committed to your goal and invested in the project by asking about their approach to work they deliver.
- If the team passionate about what they do?
If your technology partner has a genuine interest in the area you’re working in; you can be sure that the results will be amazing. Passionate teams are productive teams, and you can check whether the team you’re about to hire is one of them by looking at their extracurricular activities like blogs or technical workshops. If they’re passionate about a topic, they won’t hide it.
- How flexible is the team?
Every collaboration between internal and external teams requires a degree of flexibility from both of them. You can check whether your provider is flexible by taking a closer look at their case studies, asking them about how they previously organized their projects or which collaboration models they’ve used.
- Are they asking questions?
Engaged teams don’t go straight to work after a meeting with you. They ask questions about your project to understand it better and deliver quality results. Lack of questions on their part is a clear sign that they don’t care about truly understanding your needs and the requirements of the project.
By asking these 10 questions you will be able to tell whether your technology partner is the right match for your project.
Have you got any doubts about teaming up with a development team? Reach out to our consultants; at Start Nearshoring, we help companies find the best technology partners who make their projects successful