A guide to outsourcing development

Write down three lines before you start

You can outsource without a spec. But write down the three things below, even if it's one line each.

• What you're building: the core feature in one sentence
• Why you're building it: what should change after launch for it to count as a success
• When you need it: and why it has to be by then

In a quote, look at the scope, not the total

For the same amount, what's included differs from company to company.

• Whether inclusions and exclusions are listed item by item
• Whether payment is split by project stage (milestones)
• How scope changes during the project are handled

Check five things in the contract

• When intellectual property rights pass to the client
• What you receive: not just code, but documents, accounts, and settings
• How long defects are covered
• The liability cap
• How late-delivery penalties (compensation when delivery is late) are calculated

Keep the repository and accounts in your name from the start

It's safer to create them in your name from the start than to receive them at the end.

Judge progress by results you try, not by reports

At set intervals, ask for results you can try through a web link or a test app. With reports alone, problems are found late.

If you see these signs, check again

• The list of deliverables is not in the contract
• The repository or cloud account is in the vendor's name
• Handover requires the vendor's consent
• They say they'll show everything at once when it's finished, with no interim results

Ask the vendor these questions

• Who approves changes before they go into the live service?
• At what level do you test, and are records kept?
• If we switch vendors midway, how does the handover work?
• What are the maintenance terms after launch?
• Do you use AI tools? If so, how much of our data is sent to them?