10 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Software Development Company

By Author: Deval Patel
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If you’ve ever hired a software development company, you know one thing — it’s easy to get burned.
Promises of “end-to-end solutions,” “agile delivery,” and “custom apps” sound great… until the deadlines slip, the scope changes, and your inbox fills with excuses instead of updates.
In fact, a Standish Group report found that over 60% of software projects either fail or exceed their budget.
And the #1 reason? Choosing the wrong development partner.
But here’s the good news — you can avoid that.
By asking the right questions before you sign a contract, you can save months of frustration and thousands of dollars.
Let’s go through the 10 questions that separate reliable development teams from the ones you’ll regret hiring.
1. What’s your experience with projects like ours?
Every project is different — and so are the skills needed to pull it off.
You don’t want to be someone’s experiment. You want a team that has solved your kind of problem before.
If you’re building a healthcare app, ask if they’ve worked with HIPAA compliance.
...
... If it’s a fintech platform, check if they’ve handled sensitive financial data or complex integrations.
Don’t settle for “we’ve done something similar.” Ask for specific examples — what the project was, what challenges they faced, and how they solved them.
2. Can you show real case studies or client references?
Every agency has a shiny website and promises top-tier talent. But few can prove results.
Ask for case studies that go beyond screenshots — you want to see outcomes:
What was the client’s challenge?

What solution did they build?

What was the impact (e.g., faster process, more users, higher revenue)?

Then take it a step further: talk to their past clients.
Even one 10-minute conversation with a previous customer can tell you more than any sales call.
Ask them how responsive the team was, how they handled problems, and if they’d hire them again.
3. Who will actually work on my project?
Many agencies close deals with senior people… and then hand your project to juniors or freelancers.
So ask upfront:
Who are the core developers, designers, and project managers?

Are they in-house or outsourced?

Will I be communicating directly with them or through layers of management?

A transparent company will introduce you to the actual team or at least share their profiles.
If they avoid this question, that’s a red flag.
4. What’s your process for project management and communication?
Even the best developers can’t save a project if communication is messy.
So, find out how they manage projects:
Do they use tools like Jira, Trello, or ClickUp?

How often will you get updates — daily, weekly, or only when something breaks?

Will you have direct access to the team or just the project manager?

Good communication is like oxygen — when it’s missing, everything suffocates.
You want a team that makes updates routine and collaboration easy.
5. How do you handle scope changes or new requirements?
Let’s be real — no project ever goes exactly as planned.
You’ll discover new ideas, features, or requirements mid-way.
What matters is how your partner handles that.
Ask them what happens when you need to change the scope:
Do they give you clear impact estimates (cost + time)?

Do they log changes formally or just add them informally (a dangerous habit)?

A mature company will have a transparent change management process — one that protects both sides from “scope creep” chaos.
6. What tech stack do you recommend and why?
This question reveals how deeply they understand your project.
If a company instantly says, “We’ll build it in React + Node.js” without knowing your goals — that’s not expertise; that’s laziness.
A good developer doesn’t just know tools; they know why a tool fits your problem.
They should be able to explain, in plain English:
Why this stack suits your project’s goals

How it scales in the future

What trade-offs come with that choice

If they can’t explain it simply, they don’t understand it deeply.
7. How do you ensure code quality and testing?
Poor code doesn’t just cause bugs — it becomes a long-term liability.
Ask how they handle:
Code reviews (Is every pull request checked by a senior dev?)

Testing (unit, integration, and user testing)

QA process (automated vs. manual testing)

Good companies treat testing as part of development, not an afterthought.
They’ll talk confidently about CI/CD pipelines, peer reviews, and version control practices.
Mediocre ones will say, “We test everything before delivery,” — and that’s usually a lie.
8. What’s your timeline and how do you handle delays?
Every project has surprises. Servers go down. APIs break. Features take longer than expected.
What matters is how they respond when that happens.
Ask:
What’s the estimated timeline — and how do you calculate it?

What happens if milestones slip?

How do they communicate delays?

Responsible teams own their mistakes, communicate early, and focus on solutions.
Irresponsible ones stay silent until it’s too late.
9. What does your post-launch support include?
The project isn’t over when the app goes live.
In fact, that’s when the real work begins — fixing bugs, improving performance, adding new features.
Ask what kind of post-launch support they offer:
Do they include maintenance in the contract?

What’s the response time for urgent issues?

Is there a retainer option for ongoing improvements?

If they disappear after deployment, you’ll end up spending more time finding a new team to fix their mess.
10. What’s included (and not included) in your pricing?
Here’s where most businesses get burned.
Many development companies offer a low quote upfront — and then quietly charge for “extras” later:
Change requests

Additional revisions

Server setup

Maintenance

Ask for a detailed breakdown of what’s included.
Even better: ask what’s not included.
Transparent teams will be upfront about limits and optional costs.
Shady ones will avoid clarity until the invoice arrives.
Pro Tip: Start Small Before Going All In
Before committing to a big contract, start with a small paid pilot — a limited feature or prototype.
This lets you test how the team communicates, delivers, and handles feedback.
You’ll see their real workflow in action before investing heavily.
If they do well, move forward confidently.
If not, you’ve lost a small amount — not a full project budget.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a custom software development company shouldn’t feel like gambling.
It should feel like choosing a long-term business partner.
By asking these 10 questions, you’ll uncover who’s truly capable, transparent, and reliable — and who’s just talking big.
Because in software, it’s not just about writing code.
It’s about building trust, clarity, and collaboration — one sprint at a time.