It was late on Thursday afternoon and I was talking to Stephen, a potential client with an all-too-familiar story.
“So, how much money have you invested in the product so far?” I asked.
He sighed deeply and said, “Almost a quarter million dollars.”
“I looked at the dev work and the news isn’t good,” I replied, suddenly aware that I sounded like a doctor about to share some alarming test results. “The app is built on spaghetti code, the control structure is all jumbled, and it looks like a lot of different people have messed around with it over the last few months.”
There was a long pause, and I was fairly certain what was about to come next.
“Can you help us?” he asked.
The problem
Having at least 20 variations of this same conversation every month is part of my job at Appster.
It’s always the same story: someone had a great idea for an app or digital product, but the cost of hiring a real software development team was too daunting. So, they found a cheaper option. Maybe they chose to work with a cobbled-together group of freelancers or a design agency that does some dev work on the side.
Either way, six, nine, or even 12 months have passed and they have almost nothing to show for their time and money.
It’s devastating. These are smart people who have spent hard-earned cash (theirs or someone else’s) trying to build a viable product. They placed their trust in a team that was doomed to fail.
Budget constraints are real, and the price for full-service software development can be steep. But, it’s not arbitrary, and working with an experienced team ensures you’ll be able to sleep well at night. People like Stephen highlight why I want to explore:
- The true value of professional app development and how dev firms operate at different levels.
- How to ensure you hire the right team to build your idea.
Level 1: Cheap, cheaper, cheapest
Ghosting developers
Freelancers, online contract sites, overseas sweatshops, and other on-demand developers represent the far end of the spectrum. They often charge shockingly low prices and promise to deliver your product in record time.
I have nothing against freelancers, but flaky contractors give the practice a bad name. The biggest challenge I’ve (repeatedly) experienced is watching freelancers disappear. Suddenly, your designer or developer goes dark. You can’t reach this person through Skype, email, phone, or with a Game of Thrones-style raven. That’s a serious problem when you have real shipping targets and you’ve spent serious money upfront.
Level 2: Outsourcing in full-service clothing
What’s at stake when founders cut costs
Level 3: Full-service, professional software development
Buyer beware: What to ask and investigate
Conclusion
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