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Are you wondering how to hire a software consultant and whether you need one? Keep reading, as here I am going to answer exactly these questions. I will also provide approximate costs of software consultants' services.
In this article
- Who needs a software consultant?
- Why you should hire software consultants
- When to hire a software consultant
- Software consultant hiring checklist to guide your interviewing efforts
- What separates the best software consultants from the rest
- Interview tips for hiring software developer consultants
- Sample interview questions to hire software consultants
Studies show that almost 50% of software projects fail or are incomplete. This means that 1 out of every 2 businesses experience some degree of loss of potential customers, a delay in productivity, and end up wasting time and money.
Some of the reasons that software projects don’t meet expectations include:
- They are completed too late
- They end up spending more than expected
- They don’t fulfill all the functionality requirements
- They have constant crashes and bugs
- They are rejected by users
Software mishaps happen for many different reasons. Some of the main causes include overwhelmed in-house developers, failure to communicate socially and technically among the different departments of the organization, and power struggles within the teams and management levels.
Getting your software project done correctly the first time is essential. This means you won’t have to spend unnecessary money fixing bugs.
One solution for improving your organization's efficiency and productivity is to hire a software consultant.
A good software consultant is a coach who can manage individual talents appropriately in every situation. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that the client’s software project is completed in a timely and financially efficient manner.
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How much do software consultants charge?
Software consultants' average hourly rates vary depending on the region. In the United States, software consultants can charge between $100 and 200 per hour. Sometimes, the cost of software consultant's services can reach $300 per hour. For this price, you will get expert-level services that can include your project's audit, complete code review, and professional advice on how to tweak your software product in general to make it more competitive. This, in turn, can unlock new opportunities for your business.
Prices for software consultants' services in other regions can be lower. For example, a software consultant in Western Europe can charge $100-150 per hour. If you opt for hiring software consultants from Eastern Europe, you'll most likely pay anywhere between $50 and 100 per hour.
Who needs a software consultant?
If you're a business owner who is looking for a software solution to improve your business, you may want to hire a software consultant to create an app or website to help better complement your services.
In many cases, the software consultant is the one creating the company’s product. The development team will do the coding to make your product come to fruition.
Having a software consultant during the planning stage of your project will help you avoid unnecessary mistakes and chaos later on in the project.
Web applications, Android and iPhone apps, and AI technology all require professional services performed by a software development team as well as a software consultant or consulting firm.
Why you should hire software consultants
A software consultant can give your software developers an extra hand of help by either helping with the technical issues or mapping out a strategy for the project.
Many companies, including HBO, have sought third-party software development consultants to keep their products relevant in the competitive market.
Most organizations consider hiring software consultants for the following reasons:
- They lack the expertise to handle the project internally;
- They see a potential benefit in getting an outside perspective;
- They decrease the project's margin of error.
Now, we’ll take a deeper look at how an expert software consultant assists you with those 3 points.
Software consultants know the best practices
You know the ins and outs of your industry -- software consultants know theirs. A credible software consultant or consulting firm will have experience working in multiple industries and projects.
Because of this experience, they can develop solutions that you would have never thought of. This will give you the confidence to let you focus on what you do best.
Your software consultant will take care of everything on the development side. Their job is to give you the most optimal path to completing your software project.
Software consultants have experience with the newest technologies
Your in-house development team focuses on creating features and improving your product for you.
This means that they may not have the time to keep up and familiarize themselves with the newest open-source frameworks in the industry.
A software consultant can help introduce and implement the newest technologies to your team.
A good software consultant will evaluate the situation and lead you down the most efficient path. This will save you both time and money.
Software consultants will give you the peace of mind you need
It can be frustrating to experience delays with your software project. An expert software consultant with a proven track record can lead your development team back onto the right path, giving you more time to focus on the business needs of your organization.
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This allows you to generate more leads and, ultimately, more profit.
When to hire a software consultant
Problems may arise mid-project and may threaten the launch of your app or the functionality of your software solution.
In certain situations, your project may be time-sensitive and needs to be launched by a specific date. To decrease the chances of error, you should have a software consultant in hand to prevent any mishaps.
In the case where you encounter a crisis, it is still possible to meet your initial goal with the help of expert software consultants. Your consultant will give you the know-how and strategic insight you need to complete your software solution.
When your development team is overwhelmed
Your development team is skilled and hardworking, but they can’t do everything. A software consultant will fill the gaps in your software project.
Whether it be conducting a field survey on the functionality of your software product or merely delivering code, your software consultant will help your project stay on time and on track.
When you want to avoid wasting resources
If you want to avoid having your project go over budget, it is a good idea to hire a software consultant to help you with strategy. A good software consultant will efficiently plan the ABCs of your software project.
In addition to planning your project, your software consultant will also organize and guide your development team through the implementation. This will prevent errors, which in turn will save you time and money.
When you need to plan the launch of a new product or feature In today’s fast-paced world, your product not only has to be first to the market but also the best in the market.
There are so many businesses out there fighting for their share of the market, launching your new product, which has become a tech version of the cold war space race.
Software consultants have one job, and that’s staying hyper-focused on strategically managing your new project so you can meet every deadline and get your product in the market before your competitors.
Software consultant hiring checklist to guide your interviewing efforts
We will start by going through a checklist of attributes that your prospective software consultant (or consulting agency) should have before you hire them.
After, we’ll look at the procedure that you should follow after you’ve hired a software consultant, including certain procedures during the middle and end of your software project.
The following is a checklist of queries you should address with the prospective software consultant.
While scouting for software consultants, answer these questions:
- How Comprehensive are the services? Can the consultant assist in both frontend and backend software development? Or only one? Are quality assurance services included as well? OR does the consultant only deliver code (technical consultant)?
- How Adaptable are they? Is the software consultant willing to adapt to unforeseen business needs and marketing changes suggested by the client?
- How and what does their framework look like? Software development is a team sport. What makes sense to one person does not make sense to everybody.
- How much experience do they have? How much experience do they have with your industry? Have they done software consulting for projects similar to yours?
- How efficient is their Internal workflow - check the internal procedures of the prospective consultant.
- How does the consulting firm charge? Is it an hourly rate? Also, are they committed solely to your project full-time?
Make sure to double-check:
- How the databases are managed.
- Do they also help in project management?
- Whether the consultant agency has a well-organized code review flow.
- Does the consultant or team conduct bug bashes and if so, how often?
- Recommendations — talk with the consultant’s past clients and ask about their experience.
Now that you’ve chosen your software consultant supply your software consultant with the following before your collaboration:
- Give your new team access to your database
- Provide the new team with all previous prototypes and graphic designs
- User experience and any ideas you are on the fence about. Your software consultant should understand your project perfectly and be knowledgeable enough to give you suggestions on your ideas.
- Write down all your questions about your project ON PAPER so you don’t forget.
- Explain what segment of the market your business targets (target audience) and who your competitors are. Tell your consultant who your customers are, including their habits and interests.
- Set a clear budget for your project and schedule deadlines.
- Address the pricing. Ask the software consultant or firm about how he/she charges. Agreeing on a fixed price is not ideal as this doesn’t leave any flexibility during the project. There may be unforeseen circumstances that you might discover further down the line.
Here are some things to consider during the project:
- Set a specific date for the completion of your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Also, be sure to state the requirements for your MVP. Then, decide which features you’re going to release next.
- Express the top 5 most important features you wished to be delivered in the MVP. Check how your consultant divides up the work and tell them to provide you with estimations.
- Define the 3-5 most important features that will be delivered within the MVP.
- Make sure to use a credible project management tool (for example, Asana). This allows you to keep track of your product’s development progress during the project.
- It is also important to create a culture that emphasizes communication. Create a Slack channel and group messages as necessary.
- Schedule weekly calls and make sure your software developers and consultant(s) are on the same page.
- Be involved and give constant feedback when necessary. Make sure to communicate changes about the project IMMEDIATELY to the software developers and consultant(s). Double-check if your project manager relays all the information to you.
- Feel free to ask questions and establish a healthy work culture in the beginning. One way to tell if your software consultant understands your project is by the questions they ASK. If your software consultant is not prioritizing the correct specific tasks, then your project workflow will not be efficient.
- In case of mistakes, ask your software consultant to take responsibility and ask for a recovery plan.
Things to keep in mind after the launch of your product:
- Ask about the upkeep of your product.
- Make sure the service, whether it be code or advice, is well-documented and that you have records of it.
- Ask about maintenance services for your product.
What separates the best software consultants from the rest
Out of the saturated pool of software consultants available online today, how do you know which one to trust with the future of your project and business?
The title of “expert software consultant” is interchangeable with the words mentor, coach, and problem solver.
Essentially, software consultants are well-rounded software developers whose expertise ranges from software engineering to project management.
Fixing the code while understanding the project and business process
Solving the occasional bug in your code is just one piece of the puzzle. An expert software consultant has the ability to piece together your tech jigsaw puzzle. Software consultants offer a solution that solves the immediate problem while keeping in mind the big picture as well.
Interview tips for hiring software developer consultants
Consider the following interview tips for hiring software engineer consultants:
1. Check whether software engineer consultants understand software architecture well
The knowledge of software architecture is important in software consultant jobs. Software consultants can help you to deliver the intended functionalities with this knowledge. Knowledge of software architecture also helps them deliver non-functional requirements (NFRs) like performance and scalability.
Evaluate whether the candidates are proficient in this area. Software consulting companies like DevTeam.Space can offer such knowledgeable software engineers and consultants.
2. Evaluate the application security knowledge of candidates
Application security is highly important. You should bake in security considerations in your software strategy. A smart software consultancy service must demonstrate knowledge in this area.
Assess the depth of skill of candidates in this area. A trusted software consultant company like DevTeam.Space accords very high priority to application security knowledge.
3. Assess the understanding of different technology stacks
In-depth knowledge of different technology stacks is important when one provides software consulting services. The consultant should be able to suggest the right technology stack based on the project requirement. Furthermore, the consultant should be able to guide the team in utilizing the strengths of a tech stack.
Assessing the depth of knowledge in this area can be tricky. Software consulting services companies like DevTeam.Space can help you. Their consultants have extensive experience in providing software development consulting services.
4. Find out the depth of cloud computing knowledge
You will likely use one or more cloud computing services in your project. The nature of the project determines the kind of cloud computing delivery model you will use. Software consultants should be able to help you in utilizing the strengths of cloud computing.
Since cloud computing is a vast field, judging the skills of a candidate here can be hard. Hybrid software companies like DevTeam.Space can help. A consulting company like DevTeam.Space uses a comprehensive vetting process for software consultants.
Sample interview questions to hire software consultants
You would typically ask software consultants open-ended questions to assess their hands-on knowledge. The following are a few examples:
1. What can you suggest to improve the productivity of my software development team?
You should expect to hear suggestions in the following areas:
- Choosing the right technology stack;
- Selecting an appropriate cloud computing platform;
- Using the right development and testing tools;
- Code reuse;
- Eliminating silos by organizing the team and work.
2. How would you help me to improve the scalability of my web application?
You should expect to hear ideas in the following areas:
- Selecting the right metrics to measure performance and scalability;
- Using the right application monitoring solution;
- Finding the right cloud computing platform;
- Utilizing the appropriate technology stack;
- Using the established coding best practices.
3. How can I build an effective CI/CD environment?
You should expect to hear suggestions covering the following aspects:
- Using the right DevOps processes, methods, tools, and practices;
- Organizational culture;
- Collaboration between developers, testers, and DevOps engineers;
- A proactive approach on the part of the project manager or scrum master.
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An expert software consultant can be used to take your organization to the next level of success. Luckily, there are many great individual consultants and teams out there waiting to add real value to your project.
With the knowledge and interview structure discussed above, you’ll be able to secure the services of the talented consultants you need for your project quickly and with total confidence.
Why not start your search by filling out a DevTeam.Space product specification form so you can see the vast range of expert software consultants in our community. Simply fill out the form and one of our dedicated account managers will be in touch to introduce you to our great consultants.
