The questions to ask an offshore development company before you sign, covering team, process, security, IP and pricing. For San Francisco Bay Area buyers.
The right questions to ask an offshore development company reveal more than any sales deck. This checklist helps San Francisco Bay Area buyers cover team, process, security, IP and pricing before signing.
Ask them of every vendor, including us.
Team: Can we interview the engineers who will work on our project? What is their seniority and experience? How do you handle turnover? Process: How do you plan, report progress and manage risks? How often will we see working software? What does your QA process look like?
Security and IP: Who owns the code? Where will it be stored? How is access controlled and revoked? Pricing: What is included in the rate? How are changes handled? What are the notice periods? San Francisco Bay Area buyers who ask these questions get clear answers, or learn something important from evasive ones.
What is the most revealing question to ask an offshore development company?
"Can we interview the engineers who will work on our project?" A confident yes is a good sign.
How should a good vendor answer IP questions?
Clearly: all IP assigned to you, code in your repositories, access controlled by you.
Should we ask for references?
Yes, ideally from clients with similar projects.