A guide to selecting the right technology partner

When embarking on a technological venture, it is crucial to acknowledge that building new technology is inherently difficult. Navigating the creation of innovative and exceptional tech is challenging, and a significant number of tech projects fail due to the complexities involved in development. This serves as a stark reminder that choosing the right tech partner is pivotal, and a well-structured plan is paramount to the success of the project. We hope the following guide helps with your selection process.

1. Identifying Your Goal

Before choosing a tech partner, it’s important to define what you aim to achieve and how. Situations and objectives (and therefore requirements) vary significantly. At one extreme, we have clients with no internal technical resource, who need to onboard a partner that will assume complete responsibility for all technical aspects of the project, and ensure delivery meets the strategic objectives of the organisation. Once the project has gone live, they may choose to build an internal team, and the tech partner may be called to help support the hiring process, transfer knowledge and provide technical leadership. This scenario is particularly common with startups. At the other end of the spectrum, larger enterprise clients usually already have in-house technical resource but need to add short-term capacity to ship a particular project or feature set. 

2. Understanding the Challenges and Adequate Planning 

Building new technology, especially something innovative or exceptional, involves numerous challenges and uncertainties. Many technology projects fail due to a lack of adequate planning and we advise that you bring your tech partner into the planning process as early as possible. An experienced partner will not only guide the technology aspects of the project but will also ensure you circumvent common pitfalls and help align strategic priorities, commercial objectives and any operational constraints with technical requirements.  

3. Relationship and Compatibility

The relational aspect of partnering is fundamental. If your venture seeks a tech partner rather than a temporary problem solver, ensuring compatibility and mutual understanding is essential. While ensuring they have the technical capability to deliver is essential, the process of picking a tech partner should also involve investing time in understanding each other's working styles and aligning on values and goals. 

4. Understanding the Stages of Product Development

It's pivotal to discern the stage your product needs to get to and whether your partners have experience delivering to that stage. Be it proof of concept, investor pitch, MVP, or a matured revenue-generating product, a mutual understanding of the phases of development required is essential.

5. Geographical Proximity and Technological Alignment

Geographical proximity and technological alignment play a crucial role in the success of the partnership. While a clear brief and tech spec can be executed from anywhere, closer collaborations often require geographical and time zone alignments. A partner with experience and awareness in running a development team can help in considering long-term aspects, such as maintaining the product and ensuring its longevity, and taking into account wider commercial and strategic objectives.

6. Balancing costs, features and levels of assurance

Developing custom software is expensive and budgets are often constrained, where this is the case there is a decision to be made about where to compromise. Sometimes it can make sense to reduce the development cost by scaling back the feature set in a project phase, this is often the case when developing an MVP. Where this is the case, it is critical to define success criteria tightly, ensure the development backlog meets those criteria and that no engineering time is being wasted on developing unnecessary features. 

Where the backlog cannot be reduced, and the budget cannot be increased, it will be necessary to reduce the cost of development. This often means taking development offshore which is a viable option for some clients, though it can bring challenges, particularly around risk management (ensuring data security and intellectual property protection can be challenging when working across international borders) and project management (due to time zone differences and language barriers).

7. Clear Communication and Project Management Process

Setting clear expectations regarding communication is important. Understanding each other’s project management process and establishing the frequency and channels of communication can prevent misunderstandings and ensure smoother collaboration. At Coreblue, clients have access to a dedicated project manager and can also speak directly with their engineering team. When a project is in active development we conduct fortnightly sprint reviews and welcome our clients to join them, providing the opportunity for continuous feedback. 

8. Reputation and Track Record

Choosing a partner with a proven track record and a good reputation ensures that they have experience in delivering successful projects and maintaining high standards. Such partners are likely to have witnessed the spectrum of project outcomes and will bring invaluable insights to help ensure the success of the project.

Conclusion:

The composition of your development team and the choice of your tech partner is more than just about technology; it’s about what the technology is intended to achieve. Taking the time to understand your goals, establishing clear communication, and choosing a partner with a good reputation and the right experience can significantly impact the success of your project.