Choosing the wrong development partner is expensive. These questions help you make a better decision.
About Their Experience
- How long have you been building software?
- What types of projects do you specialize in?
- Have you built something similar to what we need?
- Can you show me examples of similar work?
- What industries do you have experience in?
- What's the largest project you've completed?
- What's a project that didn't go well, and what did you learn?
About Their Team
- Who specifically will work on our project?
- What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
- Do you use employees or contractors?
- What happens if a key team member leaves?
- How do you handle knowledge transfer within your team?
- Will we have direct access to developers?
About Their Process
- How do you gather and document requirements?
- What's your development methodology (Agile, etc.)?
- How long are your development cycles/sprints?
- How do you handle scope changes?
- What's your testing process?
- How do you ensure code quality?
- What does your deployment process look like?
About Communication
- How will we communicate during the project?
- How often will we get status updates?
- Who is our primary point of contact?
- What's your typical response time?
- How do you handle urgent issues?
- What project management tools do you use?
About Deliverables
- Will we own the source code?
- What documentation will you provide?
- How will the project be handed off?
- Will we have access to the code repository?
- What training is included?
About Technology
- What technologies do you recommend and why?
- How do you make technology decisions?
- How do you stay current with technology changes?
- What's your approach to security?
- How do you handle scalability?
About Timeline and Budget
- How do you estimate projects?
- What's included in the estimate?
- What's not included?
- How do you handle budget overruns?
- What's your payment structure?
- What happens if the timeline slips?
About Post-Launch
- What's the warranty period?
- What ongoing support do you offer?
- What are your support response times?
- How do you handle bugs vs. change requests?
- What are the ongoing costs?
About References
- Can you provide references for similar projects?
- Can I talk to a client whose project didn't go perfectly?
- What would your clients say is your biggest weakness?
How to Use These Questions
Don't Ask All 50
Choose the ones most relevant to your situation. 10-15 thoughtful questions is plenty.
Listen for Specifics
Good answers are specific and detailed. Bad answers are vague and generic.
Watch for Red Flags
- Can't answer clearly
- Gets defensive
- Promises everything
- No references available
- Significantly different answers from different people
Compare Apples to Apples
Ask the same core questions of each vendor to compare responses.
Trust Your Gut
If something feels off, it probably is.
The Questions Behind the Questions
These questions reveal:
- Competence: Do they know what they're doing?
- Process: Do they have systematic approaches?
- Communication: Will working with them be smooth?
- Honesty: Do they admit limitations?
- Fit: Are they right for your specific project?
The best partner isn't the one with the best sales pitch — it's the one whose answers demonstrate genuine capability and fit.
Have questions? We have answers — let's talk