Five Steps To Hire A Software Developer In South Africa

Five Steps To Hire A Software Developer In South Africa

Paula Eltringham
February 21, 2023
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Five Steps To Hire A Software Developer In South Africa

Technology is transforming every industry, creating efficiency and streamlining processes. Whether you want to incorporate software internally or your business model is based on a particular platform, software should be professionally created by experts.  With many businesses going online, it is largely a matter of what your application can do, because in just a press of a button you can give your business unparalleled exposure.

If this or just the desire to simplify your business processes is your reason for wanting to develop software, one thing does remain constant; the need to develop a functional practical software program. If you are unsure of how to go about it, below are five steps of hiring a software developer in South Africa to get you the very best.

Professionalism

The first thing that you look at when looking to hire software developers in South Africa is to look at their level of professionalism. A company that has the know-how in how to develop a great application and has a great customer support system is key. However, one thing that they will demand from you is a well-defined spec of what your expected outcome will be.

Most of the time software fails to meet expectations simply because it is insufficiently defined by the client. A team that displays a high level of professionalism will be ready to ask questions and offer alternate solutions should they think your idea will not work. Your first meeting is a good indication of whether the company is professional, will the outcome be a premium product tailored to your specifications, will you be adequately informed throughout the development process
They will enquire about the exact solution you are looking for and the options available to achieve the expected outcome.

Time

As noted one of the main reasons that you should higher professional web developers is simply because it saves you time. Ideally, if you have a basic background you might do it yourself and be ready to dedicate the time needed to make it perfect. However, if you are looking to hire a professional to undertake the project it is wise to look at the projected time period that they claim to be able to finish the application development.

Hiring amateurs bring about disastrous results sometimes to a comical level. Most of the time, because it wasn’t developed right and the parameters are all wrong, time is used in fixing the problem than in producing the desired effect. The main thing you should realise when looking on whom to hire is that they provide a reasonable timeline for wrapping things up. This timeline should include an average of up to 40% for overall testing of the software application. If the time is unreasonably low, it might be best to look into the quality of work that will be produced. It is always a good idea to look at previous customers testimonials.

Skilled Personnel

When looking to hire a software developer in South Africa, it’s good to keep in mind the things that are important. Do well to ensure that you are actually hiring a real company and not a shell company to undertake this project. Shell companies in a nutshell usually comprised of cheap inexperienced personnel that are simply just guessing what should be where.

To look if you are actually hiring professionals, they should be ready to show you what it is that they do and previous work finished. A skilled programmer is the sort of person who will sit down and deliberate with you on how it actually works and will let you know if you bring about a fairy tale desire of project. Instead, they will be willing to offer suggestions on how to replace what is not working and suggest another option, instead of readily agreeing to something even if you both know it’s not possible.

Cost

When looking to develop software to simplify the whole operation of the business or to make money, the whole aspect that drives you is actually saving money. Needless to say, many people focus on this so much especially during their search for a software developer in South Africa. The one thing that you should remember is that this is not the case where the cost of development of the app is directly proportional to the quality you will receive.

Amateurs who start out will offer very low costs and as much as this might be enticing, don’t fall for it. Worse case scenario in dealing with this is that you get to receive a totally bogus application that will force you to hire and redo the whole process. Best case scenario when dealing with amateurs is that you get to waste time when they figure out how to fix it.

Real professional software developers offer a reasonable hourly bill that actually makes sense, taking into account the complexity of the task, therefore, they should bill you accordingly. It will either be junior or senior development and therefore the rates will differ. As much as it might be expensive, you get to know how they pay their developers and this directly reflects their level of experience.

Company Reputation and Review

The final and maybe the most important thing to consider when hiring a software developer in South Africa is looking at the reviews that they have from previous clients. A good company which is serious about producing quality work will be ready to provide references for their previous projects.  A good indicator is to look at past projects that they have completed.

Ensure that they have sent you work they have done in the last two years. Also easy to find should be the number of years that they have been operational.

As seen on FOX, Digital journal, NCN, Market Watch, Bezinga and more

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