Key Factors to Consider When Hiring a Development Team

Before we try to understand the key factors to hire a software development team, you need to understand what SaaS is. SaaS stands for software as a service, basically covering all the software that offers a certain service and is sold online as a product. Simple examples of it would be Slack, Dropbox, HubSpot, Adobe, Zoom, Mailchimp and so on. All these software and applications offer a certain service. For instance, Slack is a communication platform that is readily used by corporate teams to interact, share, collaborate, and connect. 

If you are planning to build software, you need to hire a leading software development company that will be responsible for its creation, design, integration, and maintenance, in addition to meeting other associated requirements. In this article, let us look at the key factors that you must take into account when hiring a software development team.

To understand the project requirements, following these steps is vital: 

#1 - Defining Project Scope

The very first and integral part of hiring a software development team is to define the project scope way before starting the hiring process. Once the hiring is complete, an organization must give a clear idea of the scope to the appointed team. The project scope is primarily the detailed description of all objectives, tasks, goals, and deliverables that the organization is aiming to achieve within the project.

It includes everything from parameters, roles, and restrictions and outlines the essential part of the project. Project scope determines the controls, execution, time, money and resources required and provided for the project.

#2 - Identifying The Required Expertise

Every software is a framework designed together with a set mindset. The applications, algorithms and programming languages, data structures, databases, and testing methods — all of these need a certain level of expertise. When hiring a development team, you must focus on ensuring that you have the people with the right expertise level who can create, understand, and work with all the required objectives and elements.

Let us get a clear idea regarding development team models. 

#1 - In-House Development Team

When it comes to an in-house development team, it simply refers to the people working as an internal part of the team without any outsourcing, consultancy, external assistance or staff augmentation. They are part of the company working to build software. A startup with a CEO and a CTO and a company with a group of developers are all simple examples of an in-house team. They are necessary because they know the product, work closely with the project, and handle the updates and changes as early as possible.

#2 - Dedicated Development Team

If the company is big, it is important to have separate teams that are dedicated to a single project without any intervention and the burden of multiple projects and deadlines so that they can focus on one software development project at a time. Always keep this in mind when hiring a development team; they need their time, energy and resources with proper authority to complete the work and meet all related requirements.

#3 - Staff Augmentation

Staff augmentation is nothing but temporary help from outside professionals to expand the capacity and capabilities of the project development team to ensure everything is moving as planned. It not only offers external help but also assists in fulfilling the requirements of specialized skills, knowledge, and implementation of strategies. Moreover, it helps in fulfilling the need for hiring on a long-term basis; all of these aspects eventually add to the project's value.

#4 - Project-Based Outsourcing

It is one of the most popular and accessible outsourcing models. In this case, each stage of the project depends on the outsourcing company, which creates teams and manages the entire project. The project manager of the company availing of the outsourcing company’s services remains the point of contact with the external firm and receives timely updates and summarized progress regarding the project. .

Let us look at the steps to assess the technical expertise of a development team.

#1 - Reviewing Past Projects And Portfolio

When hiring a development team, check out their portfolio, analyze their work and see what projects they have worked on in the past and how well they managed to deliver the tasks and run the operations. Every team does have a portfolio that they not only update but show to acquire new clients. The past projects and portfolios can help you assess the team and make the right decisions.

#2 - Technical Skills Assessment

When hiring for an IT development team, post the assessment test comes a technical interview, which primarily has two parts. The first part is the technical assessment, in which you, as an interviewer, ask the candidate questions about their know-how and experience with different tools and knowledge of different processes. After this comes the coding test, which helps to evaluate the applicant’s software development skills, expertise in writing codes and problem-solving abilities.

#3 - Staying Current With Technology Trends

The IT industry is constantly evolving, and new technologies, innovations and trends come and go with time. When you are trying to hire a software development team, stay updated with the new technologies and market trends and try to hire someone who is not only aware of these trends but is either learning about them or is already familiar with them. This way, you hire the right people who have a constant learning attitude and whose skills are future-proof.

In this section, we will look at the key factors that one needs to consider to assess the communication and collaboration skills of any development team.

#1 - Language Proficiency

This particularly goes without saying that software development requires expert code-writing skills and the candidates must have proficiency in a wide range of programming languages to match the new trends and requirements of companies. It is always better to hire someone in the team who is accustomed and well-versed in multiple programming languages rather than depending on different people. It can save you time, effort, and money.

#2 - Cultural Fit And Time Zone Compatibility

With remote working becoming a trend in the IT industry, the opportunities to hire are limitless. Companies can hire across borders and build a diverse workforce where people come from multiple backgrounds and cultures. When hiring a development team, it is important to ensure that the individuals are compatible with the varying cultures and time zones for effective communication and coordination. 

Let us look at the aspects individuals need to take into account with regard to the budget and cost. 

#1 - Understanding Pricing Models

The choice of IT pricing models depends on different factors, such as time and material models, milestones, targets, time, fixed price, and so on. Picking the right model is a crucial process, and you, as a builder of a software development team, must make sure that you have ticked every checkbox, striving for cost-effectiveness, continuous support and considering any form of unexpected expenses.

#2 - Balancing Cost And Quality

Now, this factor can make or break your software development as a service or SDaaS project. You should aim for fixed budgets, flexible priorities, and creating a balance between cost and quality of the deliverables. Conduct a proper analysis of the team’s operational efficiency and scalability. When hiring a development team, it is one of the objectives to minimize costs. Still, it must be done without compromising the quality of the project, the candidate’s skill, and their ability to deliver per the schedule.

#3 - Negotiating Contract Terms

When you are hiring a development team, you have to be flexible with the applicant or potential talent to ensure that they feel heard during the hiring process. You should allow them to negotiate the contract terms and allow them to share their thoughts. You need to make sure that you get what you are looking for without making the candidate feel uncomfortable. At the same time, interact and communicate well with the development team to let them know what is expected from them.

Here are some of the factors one can consider to assess a development team’s track record and reputation:

#1 - Industry Recognition And Awards

Many top-notch software development companies stand out in the IT industry with all the awards, accolades and recognitions they have received over the years. These awards are merits and add value to their professional portfolio. If you are looking to hire a software development team, this factor matters, as the awards can tell you that the company earned a reputation for itself and is sincere when it comes to delivering high-quality software development solutions.

#2 - Company Size And Stability

When you are dealing with IT team hiring, check out the developing company’s size and stability, how long they have been operating, how many projects they have worked on, and how many employees and offices they have. This tells you about the true stability of the company, not just financially but also operationally. The bigger the company, the better because its size defines its ability to grow and expand in the market and indicates that clients like to stay associated with it.

#1 - Team Scaling Capabilities

Scalability is defined as the ability to grow, network, create a framework and improve productivity and efficiency by handling multiple tasks, operations, and projects simultaneously. When you are hiring a development team, make sure there is always room for scalability that can be explored in tough times with tight deadlines. A good development team must always be prepared to deliver and outgrow their capacities.

#2 - Adaptability To Changing Requirements

When picking a software development company or choosing developers, make sure they understand your requirements and are open to change and adapt to new and changing requirements. You must work on projects with teams that align with your thought process and objectives. They should not try to enforce their concepts on you or be rigid when collaborating. This could lead to miscommunication, confusion, and delay in outcomes.

#3 - Long-Term Partnership Potential

When you are hiring for a development team, always have a long-term plan. If the talent is good, make sure to partner with them in the future and always collaborate on important projects. This improves professional relationships and helps in network building. When you partner with outsourcing companies on multiple projects and for a long period, both parties know what the other is looking for. As a result, they find it easier to fulfill the requirements.

In the end, we can only tell you to incorporate all these key factors into your selection process when hiring a development team. Always set long-term goals and make sure that you have appropriately built a team with relevant expertise, experience and knowledge of software development. All the key factors discussed above in this article, directly or indirectly, play a significant role in not only the hiring of the development team but also in its productivity, efficiency and delivery. Take your time to get the right team.