Building a new app or software? The benefits of working with the pros.
You and your team have come to the decision that you want to create a new software platform.
Perhaps you’ve identified a back office process that would benefit from digitization, maybe you’ve realized that a core customer service would be better suited to a software solution or alternatively you might be looking to launch an entirely new and innovative app.
If like a lot of small and medium sized business you don’t already have a dedicated technical department who are:
Up to the task
Have the bandwidth for the new project
Exist
you will need to get some help.
You have two options available to you. Hire in-house or outsource.
Let’s explore your two options.
Cost
Plain and simple, it’s going to cost you more to build an in-house team than using a specialist firm.
The principal reason for this is that’s its hugely inefficient to employ permanent resources from investment capital as not every member of the team is needed on a full-time basis before you have the self-sufficient MVP.
For an in-house team to function you need all the initial resources in place at the same time i.e., a project manager, an architect and a designer/UX specialist. Even this small team assumes you have the bandwidth to fill the product owner and business analysis roles yourself. If not, then you’ll need to add these positions to the head count too.
Keep in mind this is all before a single line of code has been written. As the development comes online then you’ll need to manage infrastructure and testing too.
In business timing is everything, do you have 6 months to get started?
Time to market
Recruiting your team is going to take time. Especially if you are starting from square one.
From experience it can take between 2 to 3 (or longer!) months to find the right people. Even if you found the right people tomorrow, notice periods must be worked and these will be typically larger for the more senior team members.
The chances of finding a topflight team all of whom are looking for their next position right now are slim. In addition, the competition to attract the right people is fierce with experienced staff looking for long term commitments and equity in addition to market leading salaries.
On top of that new teams take time to gel and get into the swing of things.
At Harding Scott our engagement model means we can start work in short shrift. We’ve already done the hard work of recruiting the right people and can get to work now instead of in 3-6 months’ time.
Experience
Have you launched a software platform before? Are you familiar with the minutia of the software development lifecycle? You can of course find and hire experienced professionals in house to help guide you, but again this takes time, resources and a lot of trial and error. Using a team that can leverage their hard-earned knowledge and experience completely removes this consideration.
If you were going to build a new house, and had never done it, would you trust yourself to manage and implement everything from architectural drawings, to pouring the cement foundations to ensuring the roof doesn’t collapse in a storm with no input from someone who knows what they are doing?
Scalability
Unlike going the in-house route, where you need to fill not only primary engineering roles but the several supporting roles, you could find yourself with a team of up to 10 people before you’ve even started. With Harding Scott, you can start from just a single dedicated resource, knowing that they have the full support of a team of experts, without the extra costs. Our model allows you to scale up quickly and easily unlike if you were to hire directly.
This means you can start with a single dedicated resource and scale up infinitum.
If there was one take away from this for you it’s that if in-house is the way you want to go then see us (or an equally qualified firm) as an efficient pre-cursor to your eventual IT department.
When the time comes, we can work with your people and ensure they are up to speed with the platform.
If you are looking to build a new software platform or app and have questions about how you might go about it, reach out to us for a completely commitment free chat. We won’t try to sell you anything, just share some of own experiences in delivering successful and enterprise level software and apps.
Looking for help building your new software or app? Get in touch using the form below or ping us a note at contact@harding-scott.co.uk