Software Development Consultancy – How Can It Support Your Company?

• How software development consultancy can help you
• Timing-based consulting 
• Subject-based consulting 
• Pre-sales consulting

There are many potential mistakes you can make without having a deep understanding not only of the software you are developing, but also the audience you are targeting. With software development being a costly process, before you dive in and invest all of your resources (both human and financial), you must consider the pros and cons of each route. 

Software development consultancy can do wonders if you’re looking to have all of these elements down. Keep reading for all you need to know about how software development consultancy can help your business grow!

How software development consultancy can help in your business

A common concern of companies seeking external assistance is what they can expect to take away from this cooperation. What is the scope they can ask for, and when’s the best time to reach out for help? Is it ever too late?

Whether you’re at the beginning stages of the project or almost done, consultants can help you fine-tune or start from scratch. Likewise, there are software development consultants who can help you based on the specific area you’re focused on. 

Want help primarily in the strategic/business field? Or maybe it’s the technology you need a second opinion on? Most software development consultants can get specific so that your cooperation focuses on the goals and hypotheses that need to be answered.

The next few sections explain exactly how software development consultancy works and discusses how you can approach it in the most beneficial way.

Consultants can support you at all stages of software development to achieve your vision.

Let’s start with…

Timing-based consulting

Software consultancies can help you in many ways,  tailored exactly to where you currently are with your software development.

Before the project:

Software development consultancy can help you significantly before you’ve even written a single line of code on your project. The three elements below are examples of where consultants can be most helpful. 

1. Technology selection. Need help just getting off the ground? Software consultants can help you select the right kind of technology for your specific needs. They’ve worked on dozens of cases and can refer to what’s worked and what hasn’t in the past.

2. Market research. It’s a common mistake for companies not to perform a comparative analysis of the target market. If you’re looking to get some market research assistance (or analyze market potential), calling in the experts in the field is the best thing you can do. It’ll give you a good understanding of whether your project is viable in the current form, or whether it needs to be rethought.

3. Application shape. Just like technology selection, a consultant’s knowledge of what’s worked in the past can help shape the application’s character and format. If done properly, this will serve as the groundwork for success.

During the project:

If you find that you need ongoing (or even one-time) support during a project, a consulting team can be there to walk you through it. While they can’t do the work for you unless they’re actively involved in the development, they can certainly help you through any bumps you may encounter. 

Here are a couple of examples of where you can apply their expertise:

• External partner development. When you’re working on a project, sometimes it’s difficult to see it up close. Integrating software development consultancy into your business process can help you see all the solutions and select the best one based on your consultant’s extensive experiences.
• Auditing quality of the work. A professional AND objective point of view is often hard to come by within your own company. And why wouldn’t it be? You’re all knee-deep in your own work. When you bring in a fresh pair of eyes, that’s when you see an improvement in quality.

After the project:

• Auditing. Just as you may need it throughout your software project, you may want it at the end of the process as well. Don’t hesitate to reach out to someone who can evaluate your work!
• Recommending changes. If you’re not quite where you want to be, a consultant is a key to providing a professional, external point of view. Better yet – they can not only provide the constructive criticism that you’re looking for. They can also come up with a real and tangible action plan. And, with any luck, perhaps no changes will be necessary! 

Subject-based consulting

Knowing that you need support in a particular area is what can take an average project to an outstanding one. We can’t recommend enough bringing in specialized consultants when you get to an area that your team isn’t as strong in. Here are examples of how subject-based consultations may be able to help you. 

Technology 

Technological consulting will help you understand the pros and cons and decide on the right lead technology and coding language. Furthermore, consultants can also assist in choosing the right testing environment for your needs (ex. deciding between Oracle Cloud vs AWS). 

Business

As mentioned earlier, software consultants can also help you analyze market potential and your probability of succeeding after you implement your ideas. You’ll also be able to grasp which functionalities you’ll need to launch the first version of the product to test your audience’s response.

Pre-sales consulting

Many software houses and consultancies decide to provide initial consultations in the form of scoping sessions, workshops, or interviews as a way to convince their future clients to do business with them. 

For the software company, it’s a way to showcase their capabilities and agility. For you, as the client, it’s a great way not only to see that you’re in the right hands but to also develop your first software documentation or business plan (depending on the subject discussed during the pre-sales meetings). 

This initial consultation can, in turn, be a great starting point for taking things a step further in the future and building your MVP.

Whether you need help on tech or business-related subject, don’t hesitate to call in a helping hand if you need one. In the end, it might make all the difference!

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