Choosing a software development company is harder than it should be. Every website looks polished. Every case study is cherry-picked. Promises cost nothing. By the time you figure out they can’t deliver, you’re mid-project and switching would cost more than finishing.
I’ve spent 20 years on both sides of this — building software and helping clients sort through their options. Here’s what actually matters.
The Team Question
Most important: who does the work?
A lot of companies sell with senior developers and deliver with junior ones. The person you meet isn’t the person writing your code. By the time you notice, you’ve already paid for the relationship.
Ask directly: who will be the primary developer on my project? Can I talk to them before we sign?
If they can’t tell you, or if the person they name can’t speak in detail about your specific project — that’s your answer.
Track Record in Your Domain
Being good at software in general doesn’t mean being good at your kind of software. A company that’s great at SaaS consumer apps might be completely wrong for a manufacturing operations project.
Ask for case studies or references in your industry or problem space. Not “we’ve built software before” — relevant experience.
When you talk to references (and you should actually talk to them, not just read testimonials), ask:
- Did they deliver what they said they would?
- How did they handle problems?
- Would you hire them again?
- What did they get wrong?
That last one’s the tell. If they dodge it, the reference is worthless.
Process Transparency
If a company can’t explain their process clearly, they don’t have one. That means inconsistent quality.
Ask:
- How do you handle requirements changes mid-project?
- What does testing look like?
- How do you communicate progress?
- What happens if the project goes over scope?
Red flag: vague answers that could apply to anything. Green flag: specific answers that sound like they’ve actually done this before.
Pricing Transparency
Companies that won’t discuss pricing until after a bunch of discovery calls are either uncomfortable with their rates or using discovery to qualify you. Both are legitimate. Neither serves you well.
Ask for a ballpark before you commit real time. A good shop can tell you that a project like yours typically runs $X to $Y, with the caveat that exact pricing requires understanding your requirements.
If the range they give has an upper bound more than 3x the lower bound, they either haven’t done similar work or they’re hedging hard. Neither is great.
Size and Structure
Big agencies have overhead. Account managers, project managers, sales teams, executive time — all of it comes out of your budget without directly contributing to your software.
Smaller shops have less overhead, which means more of your money goes to actual development. The tradeoff is capacity and continuity risk — what happens if the one developer gets sick, or leaves, or gets slammed with another project?
For mid-market companies, small focused shops usually deliver better value than big agencies. The key is finding ones with the depth to handle your complexity.
Communication Style
Software projects live or die on communication. Bad communication is the root cause of most failures.
In early conversations, pay attention:
- Do they ask more questions than they answer?
- Do they push back on unclear requirements?
- Do they explain technical concepts clearly?
- Do they seem interested in your business problem or just the technical implementation?
The developers who ask good questions are the ones who build the right thing.
Why I Work the Way I Do
I’m a small operation by design. One developer — me — as primary on every project, with a network of trusted specialists for specific needs. No account managers, no sales team, no layers between you and the work.
What that means: the quality is consistent because I’m accountable for it. The communication is direct because there’s no intermediary. The estimates are accurate because I’m the one doing the work.
It also means I have finite capacity. I’m selective about projects because I can only take on so many at once. I’d rather do fewer projects right than more projects wrong.
If you’re evaluating options and want a straight conversation about whether I’m the right fit, reach out. I’ll give you an honest answer.