5 questions to ask before choosing your technical partner

Introduction

Selecting an external expert to collaborate with your business can be daunting. Ensuring that any partner or supplier delivers the required results and aligns well with your company’s culture is essential. Are they an extension of your brand? Can they meet all your needs effectively? Here’s a checklist of questions to help you choose the right technical partner.

1. Does My Technical Partner Understand My Goals?

Having a technical partner who grasps your business’s commercial objectives is vital. Too often, companies are handed generic solutions, which are no longer sufficient. Consider these questions: What is the primary goal? How do you want users to interact with your website or app? Do you need a specific skill set? Defining these elements will give you a clearer picture of what you require from a partner.

2. What Will the Process Look Like?

Depending on the project’s size and nature, you might need more than just development support. While a small, one-off project might only need a development boost, most projects require a broader perspective. Development often constitutes only about 30% of the process; the rest involves design, strategy, and project management. At Cohaesus, our “Reinventing Freelance” model integrates our developers with our client’s teams, providing essential in-house expertise. This approach ensures seamless project initiation and valuable on-hand support.

3. Will I Know What’s Happening?

There’s nothing worse than being left in the dark or constantly chasing for updates. An excellent technical partner should be proactive, providing regular updates to inform you about progress. At Cohaesus, we use a traffic light system to highlight any delays or issues quickly. This level of transparency is crucial for maintaining trust and ensuring smooth project execution.

4. Who Is My Primary Contact?

At Cohaesus, your main point of contact is always someone with technical expertise. We avoid unnecessary layers of project management, which can slow things down. Instead, our technical experts double as project managers, working on the project daily and intimately understanding its logistics. This approach ensures you receive straightforward, honest updates on progress.

5. Will the Project Be Completed on Time?

Creating a realistic timeframe with clear deadlines is essential in today’s fast-paced environment. The final stages of any project, including tweaking and snagging, often take longer than anticipated and are frequently underestimated. At Cohaesus, we set an initial time frame and aim to complete the core project in half that time. We strive to build the website or app within three months for a six-month project. This intensive initial effort allows ample time for edits, resizing images, user experience testing, and more. This thorough approach ensures we deliver a functional, aesthetically pleasing website or app that meets user needs.

Conclusion

Choosing the right technical partner involves more than finding someone who can do the job. It’s about finding a team that understands your goals, keeps you informed, provides direct access to technical expertise, and delivers on time. By asking these key questions, you can ensure that your technical partner will be a true asset to your business.