Clutch.co
This is a B2B review site where clients review different companies they have worked with.
Many start-ups usually start with sourcing tech teams on this portal. However, as with any review on the internet, there is a risk you will run into a review that doesn’t reflect reality. You have to be careful and read between the lines of each review.
Remember that not all reviews, especially negative ones, will be located on the review page of a software development company.
I know a couple of great software development companies that are not on Clutch or are not very active there. They are pre-booked for months in advance, focus on quality, and keep their team small.
Not need to expose themselves on portals and with top-notch marketing, they grow their business through recommendations and recurring sales.
So now you know the best place to source developers and dev shops in Ukraine.
Let’s check the boxes for the best software development company in Ukraine and assess their skills.
How to assess outsourced developers?
Communication
Check for soft skills
Proficiency in your tech stack should not be your only key criterion when choosing developers. Soft skills start playing an important role when a misunderstanding occurs. Go for easy-going, friendly, and communicative developers who will dedicate time to explaining things.
English skills
Make sure your team can handle spoken and written communication in English on the level necessary to keep it clear for everyone.
Responsiveness
Choose to work with a team that doesn’t keep you waiting or simply disappears. Check how fast they will usually respond to your emails. Don’t demand responses on the weekend, though.
Remote communication
Start by asking what tools they are using and how often they are in touch with their clients. They should be accessible on Slack, Twist, or another application for instant communication.
Tech Knowledge
Tech skills
Depending on the tech stack you want to build your product in, choose the team that has the most experience in your technology. Test products they have built in the past – are they easy to use, bug-free, and intuitive?
Business expertise in your industry
Great tech skills mean nothing if your team doesn’t understand the goals you want to achieve with your product and the industry you are operating in. Previous experience with building products similar to yours should be one of the requirements on your list.
Check their portfolio
Verify the authenticity of case studies by reaching out to their clients. There are probably aspects that were not mentioned in the case studies as they were not favorable for the company’s image. Dig deeper with your due diligence.
Remote work
Independence and critical thinking
You don’t want to babysit your team and monitor their every step. Working with a team that takes project ownership is always more beneficial. It means they will find solutions to problems on their own and resolve issues faster without engaging you in the process.
Conflict management
Ask situational questions to find out how your team usually resolves conflicts. Remember that conflicts occur much more frequently when you don’t see your team every day. You have to work with people who can easily find a way out of difficult situations.
Performance expectations
Find out if they set milestones when working on projects, and how they define and track project success. Make your expectations clear in terms of day-to-day work and the result you want to achieve. Be as detailed as possible. Observe if the team stays open to your suggestions.
Remote work tool stack
Ask questions about the tools they are using and what goals they help them achieve. Find out if you are using the same tools and define the tools you will be using regularly when working together.
Organization
Check their capacity
Depending on your current needs you will be looking to start working with the development team right away or set a starting date for your project. Make sure they can guarantee a sufficient number of developers by the project kickoff.
Security standards
Check how they keep your data secure. You can look for international certificates stating the company complies with international standards. Ask how the team guarantees your data is safe.
Company culture
Check for transparency
Time-tracking ensures accountability. Ask how the development team reports on progress and when you can have access to their timesheets. They should not be against regular or on-demand reporting.
Agility
Being agile is no longer a competitive advantage. Every team working with international clients should follow agile principles to stay competitive. Even though there are still companies working according to the waterfall framework, agile is on the rise.
Culture fit
You will always have some cultural differences unless your team worked in the US for a long time. Eastern European countries have their peculiarities. When interviewing, look for a team that has a similar mindset to yours.
How to test skills?
If you’re wondering how to get started with interviews, don’t worry! You can use interview plans and assessments that have been designed to interview developers.
Check out the following services that will help you in structuring your interview questions.
This screening platform has been designed for hiring developers. They make it easier to carry out technical skills assessments.
Use ready-made assessments and tests that will help you assess the skills of developers in different tech stacks. You will easily identify top developers, starting with the best Node.js developers and finishing with data scientists.
This software focuses on assessing performance. Candidates are ranked on how well they perform job-related tasks.
Once you shortlist the best developers and software development companies in Ukraine, this is the time to ask for quotes, evaluate proposals, and sign contracts.
Let’s dive deeper into the final stage of finding the best developers abroad!
Signing a contract
How to ask for quotes
If you have provided the teams that ended up in the final stage with well-documented designs and project requirements, ask for precise assessments.
Aim to get as precise ballpark estimates as possible. You need to provide as much information about your project as possible and stay available to answer questions.
Fixed price vs. time-and-material
Working according to time and material means you don’t receive a fixed price for the project but are billed according to the number of hours your developers spend on the project.
Choose time and material when you don’t have perfectly defined technical and design documentation, you have someone in your company who can verify the work of developers on an ongoing basis and want to minimize the cost of the project.
How to evaluate proposals
Don’t go for the cheapest option unless they just meet all the criteria. Find a good balance between price and quality. Hire a development team if you say “yes” to the following statements:
- I feel comfortable communicating with them (language skills, responsiveness, quality of video transmissions, tools used)
- They have worked on projects similar to mine, in my industry
- They have excellent tech skills the technology I need
- They have mature project management skills
- They come up with creative solutions
- They can start when I need them and have the right team size
- I trust them
Finally, consider the price and rates per hour. When going for a more affordable price you might pay more in terms of your engagement, additional unexpected costs, and your peace of mind. That is why a more expensive option can turn out to be the cheaper one.
Additional documents to hire developers
Ready to sign a contract with the best developers?
These are the documents you would normally have to sign with your tech team or a developer to get started.
- A non-disclosure agreement (NDA). You might ask for it to be signed at the beginning of the selection process.
- Statement of Work (SOW). With this document, you will have to define the framework of your cooperation – either time and material or fixed price.
Wrap up
Now you’re equipped with the necessary knowledge about the process of choosing your dream software developers, this is the time to take the first step and start sourcing.
Even though you will never completely avoid the risk that outsourcing IT brings, you can minimize it with more knowledge and insights into the market of development agencies.
If you value your time and want to bring outsourcing risks to their minimum, get matched with trusted developers who have performed multiple successful projects similar to yours – start here!
