Software consultancy is a great idea for companies that are looking to get a different point of view that helps them improve the project they are working on through helpful recommendations.
Think about software consultants as experts that come to your company to work alongside you, spotting any major (and minor) flaws in your software and come up with ways to not only solve those issues, but overall improve the quality of the product. The best thing is, they can be onshore, offshore and even Nearshore development teams working with you.
However, being a small or even medium company that is about to engage in this kind of business relationship, there are a couple of factors you should keep in mind in order to get amazing results from this partnership.
Main things to consider when doing a software consultancy
Have a great kickoff
A kickoff is the name given to the very first meeting between the client and the project team, company or software provider that will be working with them. Usually, all the parts that are relevant or important to the project will be present during this meeting.
The main reason to have a kickoff meeting is to both parties can get to know each other’s team, talk about the whole aspects of the project, talk about their expectations and ultimately set everything straight in order to start the project correctly.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re working with nearshore developers or onshore, this meeting is still extremely important.
Make all the stakeholders involved on the software requirements
We can’t stress this enough, but making sure every person who is interested in the software development project is involved from an early stage is vital to define the software requirements that will later on be the base the software provider will work on.
So, make sure you are involving all the stakeholders on the software requirements and that their opinions are being taken care into consideration.
Define the relationship from an early state
Software consultants are usually there to stay during an specific period of time, to perform a very specific task. They have a temporary, limited time to do their job, and it is important for you two to define this from the very first encounter.
Letting the consultant know what his job will be during this specific period of time and what you expect from them is the very first step towards developing a great business relationship.
Be aware of how they’ll approach this task
Different nearshore software consultancy agencies approach tasks in different ways. Some might prefer to dive in straight into the project and start to work right away, while others might rather take the time to get to know your company and staff first in order to truly understand what they’ll working with and the scope of your current system.
Simply ask them what’s their attack plan, how would they do to get this project going and consider whether you like their approach or no. Remember, communication is key, and you should let them know any discomfort you might be having regarding their work methods.
Be involved in the process
Software consultants, whether they are nearshore software developers or onshore, are experts and they will carry on their work as independent parts of your company they are, however, asking them what lead them to make certain approach, or what made them go in certain direction, will help you understand what they are doing.
Remember, software consultancy is meant to make helpful recommendations that suit your business’ needs and will ultimately improve certain areas of your company, so it’s only logical you’d want to know just how they manage to come up with those recommendations.
Be realistic about your expectations
Software consultant and software consultancy companies are not some sort of magicians that can be solve any technical difficulty straight away. As a matter of fact, if they’re a serious onshore or nearshore software provider, they should be straightforward and honest what they can and cannot achieve from a technical point of view.
Take valuable feedback from other team members
Involver other team members into the project so they can give you valuable feedback on how to better the overall process. This will not only allow you to look at things from a different perspective but will help you excel on your consultancy delivery as well.
Software consultancy is a great way to quickly improve a certain area of your business. Focus on keeping an open communication, strive for an specific goal and learn to use their knowledge on the matter to your advance.
