Four Things to Consider When Choosing a Mobile Application Development Company
There is a lot to think about when a business undertakes the development of a mobile application. Many businesses understand the complexity of this kind of development and choose to employ the skills and services of an IT consulting partner in order to ensure that the project is done on time and on budget and that the outcome meets expectations.
This article provides an overview of four areas of consideration that will affect the success of a mobile application project and a relationship with a mobile app development partner.
Skills and Experience
There are certainly a lot of factors to consider when one is reviewing skills and experience. We will discuss the technical aspects in the section entitled, ‘Knowledge of Technology’. Here, we will discuss the overall skills and experience of the consulting team. Understanding the various mobile application platforms for native or hybrid mobile app development is certainly important but, of equal importance is the composition of the team, the experience and skill of the various team members in providing appropriate communication and reporting, in working with internal IT team members and end users and in the ability to review and understand requirements and build a roadmap to get your business to the launch of the mobile app and beyond. Can the IT consultant provide support, maintenance, upgrade, training, or other aspects of project scope and product growth to ensure success?
Delivery and Business Methods
When the business is interviewing prospective mobile application development consultants, there should also be a focus on delivery and business models and methods. Can the business provide onsite, offsite and hybrid delivery to satisfy the business requirements for a particular phase of the project or for ongoing support? Does the prospective partner engage in appropriate project management processes? Do they have established quality methodologies and end-to-end client management to ensure that the project is well organized? Are there are standards and security compliance initiatives in place to assure client privacy and protection, etc.? Does the partner provide measurable service level agreements (SLAs) that will keep everyone on the same page? What references and testimonials can the IT consulting partner provide to assure your business that it has met or exceeded expectations in its business partnerships?
Knowledge of Technology
Of primary concern in mobile application development partner selection is the technical skill and knowledge of the team assigned to the project. Does the service provider know all frameworks and technology well? If so, they can look at your requirements and make recommendations for the best development environment. The team should have experience and up-to-date training in native and cross-platform development tools including MEAN Stack, MERN Stack, Angular JS, Node, React and all other popular development frameworks and tools. Mobile application testing is also important, so the business should be sure that the IT consultant has appropriate testing teams and methodologies in place to satisfy the various testing environments required for iOS or Android applications.
Market Knowledge
Engage with an IT consulting partner that has cutting-edge knowledge of the market. What are competitors doing? What innovative solutions and development techniques can simplify development, cut costs and get the software product or application to the launch date quickly and effectively? What do customers and users demand in the way of features and functionality? Where is the mobile application market going?
These are just some of the considerations you must include in your prospective mobile app development partner review.
Whether you decide on a Mobile app development services solution that is designed as a cross-platform mobile application, hybrid mobile app approach or a native app approach for iPhone, iPad, Smart Watch or Android, you want to engage the right IT consulting partner to help you conceive and develop your mobile application. For more information about mobile application development, visit our Blog.
