Questions to ask before hiring someone to build your software
Choosing who builds your software matters more than any technical detail. These ten questions help you compare proposals and spot early what tends to get expensive later.
About how they work
These questions work just as well for a large firm, a small studio or a freelancer. Ask each option the same ones and write down the answers, so you’re comparing like with like.
A good process can be explained in a few minutes, without jargon. Start here:
- What’s your process, step by step? If they can’t explain it clearly, they probably don’t have one, and that shows up halfway through the project.
- What do you need to understand about my business before quoting? Whoever quotes without asking questions is guessing, and guesses get corrected later with more time and more budget.
- Will I see anything before building starts? A prototype or clickable screens prevent misunderstandings that are hard to undo once they’re built.
About communication and progress
Most problems in a software project aren’t technical. They’re about communication.
- Who will I talk to during the project? Knowing whether you’ll have a contact who knows your project saves you from repeating everything each time.
- How often will I see progress, and how? Ideally it’s something you can try yourself on your phone or computer, not just reports saying everything’s on track.
- How quickly do you reply? Notice how long they take to answer you before you sign. It’s a good hint of what comes after.
About changes and agreements
New ideas come up in every project. What matters is how they’re handled.
- How do you handle changes mid-project? There should be a clear way to assess them, so you know before approving one how much it moves the timeline and budget.
- What do I get in writing? Make sure scope, stages, timelines, budget and what’s left out are all spelled out. Whatever isn’t written down is the first thing to be argued about.
About what happens after launch
Many projects run into trouble the day after they go live, when whoever built them hands over and disappears. Your system will need adjustments, and it’s worth knowing up front who will make them.
Also ask what happens if something breaks on a weekend or during your busiest season, and how they’ll let you know if they spot a problem before you do.
- Who looks after the system once it’s live? Ask who hosts it, who responds when something breaks and who makes improvements. If the answer is “you,” make sure you have someone ready.
- What have you built that I can see working? A real product in use says more than any presentation about how they build and how they care for what they make.
How to read the answers
You’re not looking for perfect answers, you’re looking for clear ones. A good sign is hearing “we don’t know that yet” when it’s true, along with how they’ll find out.
Be wary of anyone who promises everything, fast, without asking anything. And compare proposals by what they include, not just the final number.
In the end, how the conversation felt counts too. If they explained things without making you feel out of place, and asked more than they bragged, you’re on the right track.
How we answer them at Tritech
We start with a one-hour discovery call. Within 2 to 3 weeks you get a proposal with a clickable prototype and a fixed quote.
Building usually takes 3 to 6 months, depending on the size of the project, and every two weeks you get a new version you can try on your phone. After launch we can run it with you: hosting, support, payments, WhatsApp and metrics.
We reply within one business day. We’re based in Querétaro and work remotely with businesses all over Mexico. And we know how to run what we build: UbiClick and TuMomento are our own products, and we still operate them.