As a Tech Startup – Maybe you’ve got an excellent idea, but not enough hands to implement them, or you are a small operation that has great plans but are overburdened with the magnitude of the work you have to accomplish within time-frames. At some point, as you grow, you will have to consider hiring a software vendor, cloud services, consultant or even a software service company as a strategic IT partner. So how, do you know whom to pick?
Ideally, a Startup IT solution provider would be able to run through the necessary groundwork for your idea. They would help you align your product with the current market trends and contribute to it with innovative features. They should be able to translate your vision into a realistic design. Once these steps are done with, you’ll come to the technology aspect of the product. You would have to define the various technology deployment scenarios and also an impact analysis of the technology you’ve chosen. Your Startup IT partner should be able to actively contribute to all these activities and help you chart-out a detailed road map.
Prelaunch and post launch marketing activities are key to the success of any product. Does your Startup IT vendor offer marketing services that are well integrated with your sales activities for the product? Do they conduct extensive market research around your product in the market? How would they position or message the product in the market? What are the various digital marketing techniques they employ to help boost the product sales? How compelling are their creative assets (blogs, PR, emails, landing pages, etc.) How do they intend to retain clients etc. are a few aspects that will help you identify a competitive Tech startup partner.
The product development methodology that the partner software service company follows and the adaptability, flexibility and scalability they can achieve with it is important. What are the processes they implement to deploy updates in the production environment. Elucidating the various check points and barrier conditions within the development lifecycle makes it easier to scale the product as and when required.
Startup IT consulting service providers or partner companies usually employ a well-organized maintenance plan to enable the startup to free their key internal resources. This would help the startup in reducing the Total Cost of Ownership thereby improving returns. Look for companies that can provide you both proactive and reactive support for your product. They should have competent resources to manage the project.
Another important aspect is the way you would want to engage with your Statup IT partner. Every business would have a set framework within which they perform, hence it is essential to work out a manner in which the various tasks would be assigned and the extent to which the Startup IT consulting partner would be involved. You would have to figure out whether you want an End-to-end Technology/Development partner or whether you would be handing out specific modules to be worked over.
Look for standardized services from your startup it solution provider. An expert in his field would be able to deliver standardized service packages that are key to cutting costs compared to ad hoc packages. An MVP specific knowledge-base helps reduce go-to market time, enables easy integration around processes, design and architecture.
Outline an ideal product transformation methodology the business startup service provides. Do they have techniques that aid faster go-to market time? What frameworks do they work with and whether it is in sync with your development plan? Do they have ready tools or MVPs from past experiences to help speed up your work? Does their methodology focus on flexibility, adaptability and scalability? These are a few questions worth asking.
Finally I touch upon the point of Honesty. There are millions of vendors out there who promise you the moon and obviously fail miserably. As an entrepreneur it is important for you to differentiate between realistic goals and lofty promises. An honest partner would paint an honest picture of their expertise and services.
