9 Questions: For Better Tech Vendor Selection

Choosing an IT company for your business can be a very overwhelming process. With so many options available it is difficult to make an informed decision. Whether you are a startup or an established company choosing a technology vendor can become a grueling work. You need to have a base of questions to get the most from your project. While the list of questions and possible objections can vary from industry to industry, there are some questions which you should not forget to ask.

9 Questions you should ask before Vendor Selection for Tech Projects:

1. How will my needs be documented?

Having a clear documentation of your requirements is the first thing you need to ensure for choosing a vendor for your Tech Projects. Any confusion in the later stages of the project is only going to hamper development. To avoid such problems it is best to have well-documented agreements and an email trail of your conversations.

2. What are the Standards for measuring performance?

Establishing risk mitigating milestones is the most important part of startup success. Having set standards of performance like quality checks, bug testing, and pre-established deadlines is always considered a best practice. Break your entire project into small sets and discuss the standards for each.

3. How do I evaluate the success of milestones?

There is no use of establishing standards if they are not properly analyzed. Critical analysis of set standards and deadlines is the best to way to ensure continuity of work. Keeping a regular check reduces the chances of last minute lags in giving output.

4. How is communication established?

Will a dedicated person be established or a team will handle communication. How much communication will be needed between you and the developer is a key thing to note. Also be clear with the timing that you will prefer for the same.

5. What are the Security Measures adopted by your company?

When it comes to cloud, security is one of the key concerns. Having a good security system to prevent intrusion is a priority. You will also need to know about the backup plans of the vendors in case of a security breach or deadlock. Advanced end to end encryptions and good backup options should definitely play a role in your final decision.

6. Is the company Financially Stable?

While deciding over the vendors one key question you need to ask is whether the company is financially stable or not. Newbies in this market might offer good incentives but you don’t need a shaky partner for a long term project. Look for companies which are experienced in this field for surety of completion of the project. Consider choosing vendors with 5+ years of experience.

7. How experienced is your Team?

Does your vendor consist of a bunch of geeks or trained and experienced professionals? While geeks are good for support but it is the highly skilled programmers that provide results for a long run. Accreditations and certifications of the vendor play an important role in making an overall judgment.

8. What is the Pricing?

Pricing is obviously something you will ask. But what about hidden costs? Are there separate charges for different services like a helpdesk. Is there a flexibility offered by the vendor for scaling the project in either direction. The pricing of one vendor might sound cheap initially but you should enquire about your real cost.

9. What kind of SLAs will be established?

For any long-term project Service Level Agreement is a must. The key points you need to address here are the what are the basis of setting performance indicators and what are the escape clauses and what are the chances of triggering them.