What to ask before you hire a software developer

Commissioning a custom system is an expensive decision and a hard one to undo. Most problems don't start in the code: they start with what nobody asked before work began. These questions work with any provider, including us.

1. Is the price fixed, or can it grow?

Ask whether the price covers a written scope or is an hourly estimate. Both exist; what matters is knowing which one you have. If it's fixed, ask for the scope in writing, with what's included and what isn't. If it's hourly, ask for a cap and a heads-up before it's reached.

And ask what happens when something new comes up halfway through. The healthy answer is that it gets quoted separately, before the work, and that you decide.

2. When do I pay, and for what?

A payment schedule shows how much risk each side takes on. Paying nearly everything up front leaves the risk with you. Ask what you get to see or approve before each payment.

3. Who owns the code, and what do I get at the end?

Ask whether you get the source code, the access (domain, hosting, cloud accounts) and what another team would need to carry on. If the system lives in the provider's accounts, ask what happens the day you stop working together.

4. How do I test it before I approve it?

Ask to use the system in a staging environment before final approval, with your data or something close to it. A demo on a call isn't the same as using it yourself. Ask too which automated tests it has and when they run.

5. What does the warranty cover, and for how long?

Ask how many days it covers, what counts as a bug and what doesn't (a change of mind isn't a bug), and how you report one. Get it in writing. Ask as well what comes after: whether there's maintenance, what it includes and how it's quoted.

One more: who will I be talking to?

Knowing who builds your system, and whether you talk to that person, saves misunderstandings. If there are go-betweens, ask how your requests reach whoever writes the code and who answers when something breaks.

How we do it at Softlat

A fixed price per project, before work starts. 50% to start and 50% when you approve it, after testing it in a staging environment. The code is yours once payment is complete, and the written warranty runs 30 to 60 days, depending on the project type. If you like, ask us these same questions.