Selleo Labs spółka z o.o.

I am a manager, coach, speaker with more than 15 years in business mostly in IT, Advertising and Training industry working on Agile leadership and project management challenges with such companies as Cisco, Intel, or Unilever. I use my creativity in everything from running workshops to facilitating teams and fostering change. I am responsible for Selleo’s awarded recruitment process.

Dariusz Wylon

As a CEO I am responsible for investigating and assessing new and existing technologies along with processes to develop innovative offering concepts as well as the technology strategy and vision. Being experienced in many programming languages and frameworks I create innovative concepts and solutions that help our customers gain a competitive edge in the fast-paced, dynamic business environment.

Dawid Pośliński

As announced, this is the second part of the article series How To Choose The Right Software Development Company ([part 1 here](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-software-development-company)). This time, we will talk about the development of soft skills, gathering feedback and responding to it.

\[TOC\]

Soft skills are the skills that enable people to communicate effectively and interact with others. Business professionals looking for a development company should take interest in the level of soft skills of the software engineers they wish to work with as it will have an impact on the entire collaboration. Well-developed soft skills influence communication and overall understanding, which is one of the factors of steady progress and success of the project.

## Soft skills growth

Soft skills are one of the aspects of growth that is more and more appreciated, also in the IT industry. This means everything that leads developers to easier communication with the outside world, stronger ‘vibing’ with others and becoming a better version of themselves every day. Growing soft skills does not require any technical or industry-related skills, but can influence what developers have to offer, making it complete and easier to comprehend for people. The paradox is that those who have amazing technical skills are often viewed as lacking something, just because they have weaker soft skills - this is why no one should underestimate the importance of this area.

<ReadMore> Read also [How To Choose The Right Software Development Company?](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-software-development-company) </ReadMore>

Selleo encourages our programmers to develop not only their technical skills but also the soft ones. We help them to do so through various activities and supporting their initiatives.

### Communication: English

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x319/76ee75d6b6/communication.jpg)

It would be hard to imagine a programmer’s job without a constant effort to better the English skills - both in order to effectively communicate with the client and to faster acquire the necessary knowledge.

One of the typical solutions practised at Selleo are sessions with a native speaker during which developers have the chance to gain more confidence using the language, learn new words etc. It also gives them the opportunity to talk to somebody who does not understand their mother tongue, which is a great representation of the day-to-day job. The main goal of it is to make the software engineers feel as comfortable as possible when speaking English so they can share expertise and experience with clients and other team members.

### Content creation

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x319/ac964b3b81/content-creation.jpg)

Programming means constant learning - but the acquired knowledge is often ‘hoarded’ by those who are not comfortable sharing what they know with the world. This is why, as a company, we want to help the ‘diamonds’ shine on [Selleo blog](https://selleo.com/blog) and [Medium](https://medium.com/selleo). Creating content is also a great way to build your own brand. To make it easier, we prepared a process supporting programmers while they work on turning their thoughts into a final, ready to publish artefact. This can be an article, video content, podcast or a presentation. Our content team researches the topic, assesses its marketing potential and possible reach (because there may be some things that people do not want to read?), conducts extra research, provides proof-reading and sometimes even prepares an early draft of the article based on the delivered synopsis. The team also handles publication and social media promotion. That way it is hard to find excuses to build an expert brand in the field.

### Project teamwork

The process itself may vary depending on the project, structure of the team or simply preferences. In practice, a well-working method is Scrum - which establishes some events during the process of creating software and ensures they are happening regularly. If used correctly, it makes completing goals and tasks more efficient. With an experienced [Scrum Master](https://selleo.com/blog/why-do-you-need-a-scrum-master), you can adjust elements of this methodology to the needs of a particular team and project in order to use it most effectively and sustain performance - even when [working remotely](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-sustain-performance-while-working-remotely-5-helpful-agile-practices).

By working with Selleo, you also gain access to an experienced Scrum Master that led many successful projects, introducing rituals like event storming, about which you can read more in [Event Storming: How It Will Improve Your Business Processes?](https://selleo.com/blog/event-storming-how-it-will-improve-your-business-processes-).

<Baner name={software-development} />

From my perspective, a real game-changer on any project is a meeting called ‘daily’. During this meeting, each team member once a day presents what he/she has been or is currently working on, what problems he/she faced and what are his/her further goals. To find out more about this meeting, read [How to Run Remote Daily Scrum Meeting Effectively?](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-run-remote-daily-scum-meeting-effectively).

Another nice element is a ‘retro’ meeting (retrospective) - when at the end of a given delivery period (so-called sprint), developers are able to discuss what went wrong, what can be improved in order to make the next project objective work better/be more efficient.

Want to know how to build a high-performance Agile team? Make sure to read [How To Build High-Performance Agile Teams](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-build-high-performance-agile-teams) and [How To Keep Your Remote Teams Agile During Crisis?](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-keep-your-remote-teams-agile-during-crisis)

### Soft skill workshops

Some people have a natural predisposition for public speaking, presenting their views or simply just a better understanding of another person (for example, thanks to strong empathy). Unfortunately, those skills cannot or are hard to be learnt, however, a workshop session where an experienced individual presents the mechanisms worth taking a closer look on can be super useful for soft skill growth.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x426/8750f3e90e/soft-skill-workshops.jpg)

In Selleo, we are often encouraged to practice soft skills by making presentations - a few tweaks in how we walk, use our hands, the tone of voice or just simply how the presentation is prepared can immensely help to build confidence and a better message to the viewer. Soft skill workshops should aim to lead to one thing - to aid developers in becoming better at public speaking and ‘selling’ their views. Of course, this takes practice and a fantastic coach that can turn an average guy into a rockstar (with a few exceptions). In reality, it is not that easy and usually means a lot of hard work, sometimes even years of it - but it is easier to achieve if the company fully supports such activities. Those are not only workshops on public speaking, but also, for example, how to better understand the team’s dynamic or how to build your own brand.

### Feedback

It is crucial for the overall success of the company to not sweep uncomfortable matters under the rug. A well-established business is open and willing to talk even when (and especially when) something is not right.

One of the ways to achieve complete transparency is by using tools like Feedback 360. Our developers can always, during a regularly held team meeting, say what they do not like about the other people’s behaviour. This form of confrontation, despite being very challenging, in the long run, leads to a better understanding of coworkers, fewer arguments, better atmosphere and work satisfaction. Check out [How To Develop Custom Performance Management Software That Drives Employee Engagement](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-develop-custom-performance-management-software-that-drives-employee-engagement) if you are interested in creating software perfectly suited to feedback management and delivery.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/800x492/fc4c072eee/feedback-management.png)

This is a feedback management solution that we make use of in Selleo. You can find out more about the Merit Money project [here](https://selleo.com/portfolio/feedback-management-software)

A more direct method of delivering feedback is one on one session where developers can express disapproval of another’s behaviour. The key point of feedback is to always refer to a specific situation - it has to be constructive so the other person knows how to avoid those unnecessary tensions. Inaccurate feedback can lead only to an increase in the conflict instead of creating solutions. More about this, in the post [Feedback as a tool for self-improvement](https://medium.com/selleo/feedback-as-a-tool-for-self-improvement-e2500ee28191).

<Baner name={agile-team} />

### Surveys

Tools that not only give us feedback on what we do right and wrong but also, thanks to their structure, lead us to follow some rules and values, are satisfaction surveys. For a company, they are a source of information whether it is on the right path. For the team leader, they give crucial information about the state of the team and their feelings towards the leader. For the people in key positions, surveys are a source of information on whether the tasks are well executed. Selleo takes into account metrics (KPI) and conducts this type of questionnaire regularly, so we can see the ongoing trends. It does not mean that we always have to be with a 10/10 perfect score. It means that we are able to observe the trends and react when they are changing. Both in a negative/downward way as well as in a positive/upward way. It also gives us a signal that, whatever it is that we are doing, is heading in the right/wrong direction and we should start acting accordingly.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x374/aad57c5ffd/surveys.jpg)

Another great tool is also a self-assessment survey where developers can assess themselves, for example, if they meet the expectations of the community. You can read about one of those solutions in the book [The code. The evaluation. The protocols](https://www.amazon.com/Code-Evaluation-Protocols-Eminently-Qualified/dp/0981618820) by Jacko Willink.

### Client workshops

This is usually a domain of the most experienced, but sometimes also those less who are not afraid of challenges. We believe that companies should also encourage and support various workshop activities on the client’s site. Those types of activities are building not only the developer’s confidence, strengthening the expertise in the client’s eyes as well as positively influencing relationships with them.

Company’s willingness to take care of organizing such a trip shortens the way to actually running this workshop. Successful companies should be ready to support activities that can help strengthen the business from the client’s perspective.

<ReadMore> Read also: [Outsourcing Software Development To Poland 101
]https://selleo.com/blog/outsourcing-software-development-to-poland-101) </ReadMore>

### Event co-organization

It is hard to imagine an IT company that is not involved in event organization. It is a perfect way to build a brand but also give growth opportunities to the employees - opportunities to develop presentation, marketing or network building skills. Our developers love attending (and organising) various conferences and meetups not only to learn about technology, meet new people but also, have fun. Here are some examples of events Selleo participates in or co-organizes.

[Mikstura.IT](https://mikstura.it/) - one of the events addressed to multiple technologies, not only from ‘the hardest’ side but also as a connector for many of them. During this event, attendees discuss topics like programmer’s skills, security or virtual reality. This is an example of an event with a holistic approach to the industry, which bonds it together and opens up brains to other IT branches.

Meetups - from their very definition have a more casual form of meetings for people interested in a specific topic/technology. Those, often small, meetings after work with a beer in hand, allow network building, exchanging ideas, discussing various topics (through brainstorming sessions) or eating something delicious (usually there is catering available during our meetups or they are held in local bars). They are all about mixing business with pleasure - informal and formal IT. Examples of meetups that we helped to organize, with pictures and videos, you can check out at [EmberBB](https://www.meetup.com/Ember-js-BB/) or [MeetJS Bielsko-Biała](https://www.meetup.com/meet-js-Bielsko-Biala/).

[BBDays4.IT](https://bbdays4.it/) - the third type of events in our industry. It is one of those ‘serious’ ones. And it does not mean that everybody is wearing suits - it means it’s a serious affair that requires months of coordination, often involving many companies and public institutions involved to reach a common goal. BBDays4.IT is a perfect example. It showcases businesses from Bielsko-Biala and nearby cities and also (or maybe above all), the city itself as an amazing place to live and grow this branch of the economy in.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/800x444/1ee082901f/bbdays.png)

Together with the event [Kariera w górach](https://karierawgorach.pl/) (Career in the mountains), they promote the region as an amazing place for building a local community. Co-organization of such a big event is at another level. The audience reaches 1000 people making it a great logistic challenge. It’s an opportunity to meet people coming from different parts of the country or even the world. What is more, the event is supported by the local government together with the City President, which adds even higher grade to it all. Companies that take part in the event speak with one voice, loud and clear - yes, we are proud to operate here and this is the place we want to develop our industry in.

It also gives a chance to compare what each company has to offer thanks to open days and other branding activities. This healthy battle for potential candidates, without any insecurities, says a lot about the businesses involved.

## Summary

Behind every successful business stand satisfied employees. That is why it is crucial for companies to support their employees and help them grow. There are a variety of strategies and methods that can be used in order to create an environment of acceptance, encouraging engagement as well as personal and professional development.

Especially in the IT industry, it is crucial that software engineers continue to develop both their hard and soft skills. The years of experience and many happy employees strengthen Selleo’s belief that investing in people means investing in the overall well-being of the entire company. We constantly strive to better ourselves, starting from the owners, CEOs and management and ending with junior developers. We pride ourselves in saying that working with Selleo means co-creating an engaged community that supports growth every step of the way.

So if you are looking for an experienced development partner with qualified engineers that love what they do and believe that teamwork is the way to victory, feel free to [contact us](https://selleo.com/contact). We are excited to hear about your project and help you create a profitable solution.

The second part of the series. This time, we will talk about the development of soft skills, gathering feedback and responding to it.

How To Choose The Right Software Development Company? (Part 2) | Soft skills

\[TOC\]  
IT is a dynamic market that has been gaining tremendous popularity over the last few years. The shortage of specialists with significant experience results in companies offering high income and better work conditions, growth opportunities and activities in the programmers' community.

Working environment is one of the most important things to keep in mind when choosing an offshore software house. You might be wondering why it is so crucial if you are not physically working with their developers in-house. Surprisingly enough, a well-established employee structure means a better outsourcing partner.

This article will show you why Selleo is the best outsourcing company, how we managed to create an atmosphere that encourages both personal and professional growth as well as active participation in the community.

## What to consider before choosing the software development company?

Some time ago, we created an article concerning [10 Questions You Should Ask A Software Outsourcing Company](https://selleo.com/blog/10-questions-you-should-ask-a-software-outsourcing-comapny#9-why-should-i-choose-you), which highlights some key answers you should receive before you sign a contract. However, from our experience, a lot of customers ask and are concerned with the cultural fit. That is why in this 2-part series of articles we will try to provide as much information about Selleo as possible. This will include how we work, why our experience and code quality is so high (even coming from so-called junior devs) and how did we manage to build a system that meets the requirements of even the most demanding customers.

## How to understand an outsourcing company?

Have you ever thought about whether it is crucial that your **outsourcing partner has established goals, mission, values and rules** and if they have to **align with your own ones**? Or is it some cliche that is continuously repeated but actually brings nothing to the picture? Cultural alignment, common goals and work ethics make the collaboration more effective and definitely positively influence the communication and overall transparency on the project.

Selleo believes that a value system makes a solid foundation for building a sense of belonging and motivating employees to continually grow and evolve. It is also helpful for defining the overall atmosphere of the employee environment.

> *We co-create a demanding community that brings benefits, takes the initiative and faces challenges that support co-workers engaged in personal and professional development.*
> **Selleo Playbook**

**A value system** should lead people that build the organization. It can be defined as a list of values, motto or an inspirational quote - most importantly, it should clearly express the company’s priorities. Those elements should be clear from the very beginning of the collaboration. Then and only then, you will be able to decide whether or not your potential business partner aligns with your own beliefs and values.

<ReadMore> Find out more about **[Software Development Teams](https://selleo.com/about)** with an **entrepreneurial sense of ownership** at its core</ReadMore>

## A recruitment process - when technical skills meet soft skills

Speaking of the recruitment process - this is the stage where the company should stand out and create recruitment workshops like none of its competitors. Experience and knowledge of a given programming language are essential, but skills like teamwork or striving for constant growth can be as or even more crucial.

In Selleo, we create an environment that enables us to get to know the candidates in a creative way. Let them show off through such exercises that give them an opportunity to present their real selves. We frequently use Lego building as a task that has to be solved together with the entire team.

## How do we build technical expertise?

> *Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world*
>
> **Nelson Mandela**

We become professionals while mastering and practising a given field. In the case of the IT industry, we call it hard skill growth - mainly technical skills. This is what makes us a programmer, graphic designer, etc.

Because of the industry characteristics (which is rapidly developing), it is not a one-time process - on the contrary, it is expected to constantly evolve in the profession. Solutions that are standards today, tomorrow may turn out to be outdated. The newest technologies that are used by a handful of people may become a standard in the nearest future. This is why we have a strategy to remain relevant to the market. A plan for employee development - on many levels and in many different ways. Below, I will present some of our ways of implementing those strategies.

### Growth path - how our developers learn?

From years of our experience, we have learned that a clearly defined growth path (in this case, hard skill growth path) is a must-have, especially in the beginning stages of career development. Because Selleo has well-established and mature best practices we do not turn away from employing juniors and help them achieve an acceptable skill level.

[DevPath ](https://github.com/Selleo/devpath)- we created this publicly available and constantly updated document describing pieces of necessary knowledge that present programmers and potential candidates can find out what is expected from them at various levels of experience. Making it publicly available allows other companies to use it as well, so we can develop the DevPath together.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x400/ca23968505/devpath.jpg)

**Evaluations** - passing each level in our DevPath takes place through evaluation - in short, assessing knowledge of each technology. Those tests are conversations and simulations of conversations with a client. Each developer will have contact with clients (at least in Selleo) and those ‘role plays’ are to help with communication on commercial projects.

**Mentoring** - DevPath provides information on what developers should know in order to get to the next level. But how to start learning? We noticed that an indispensable way to speed up the learning process is to have a mentor or a teacher. Nothing compares to an experienced engineer who supports juniors in their growth face-to-face. A mentor can give out a task through which the given person gains the necessary skills while getting lots of feedback.

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### How do we take care of the growth of our experienced developers?

**Addons** - growth is not reserved only to the less experienced developers. It is crucial that everyone strive to better themselves. This can be achieved through ‘addons’. Plans of so-called addons can be created together with the mentor or other people in the organization, depending on the given person’s interests and the path he/she will choose. In Selleo, we distinguish:

**Open Source** - this means building open solutions. The skill of communication with strangers and the ability to add something of your own to projects used by tens, hundreds or thousands of people is an excellent indicator that your code is useful and somebody appreciates it. Additionally, it shows that developers were not afraid to take on this task. This allows them to get to know the library or create something on their own.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x348/685fc08465/open-source.jpg)

**Public speaking** - in Selleo, we encourage overcoming the fear of public speaking through sharing interesting thoughts or solutions to common problems. Our developers often prepare presentations (talks) or record a short video to educate others and build their brand. We believe that the moment when a potential client gets a video of a developer presenting a solution to his/her problem is the moment they win.

**Workshops & more** - helping other people to grow through organizing workshops is also a great way to build a strong expert position. This also allows passing on a spark of interest among developers. Additionally, workshop leaders also gain skills in knowledge sharing.

<ReadMore>  Read also [10 Questions You Should Ask A Software Outsourcing Company](https://selleo.com/blog/10-questions-you-should-ask-a-software-outsourcing-comapny#9-why-should-i-choose-you) </ReadMore>

### Beyond the process - tools, tips and must-haves

Having a well-established process is not enough in the IT world. In Selleo, we recognize that our programmers should have access to internal and external tools that will not only motivate them to work but also make their lives easier. By using them, they can code faster, verify their knowledge and learn something new.

#### Oshee

Wouldn’t it be perfect if a company additionally motivated you to learn new skills and supported your professional goals? This is the main idea of oshee (the name refers to Open Source Hours and a famous energy drink - a knowledge supercharge), where everyone can voluntarily conduct research and development projects, usually around open source. As a consequence of those projects, people earn experience which positively impacts the entire team - and it is also a form of activity that grows skills of the employee and the quality of services provided by us.

#### Extensive library

It is a crucial element, which should be a standard at this point - a rich collection of books - whether they are eBooks or physical copies. A good book should be shared with the world. Plus, building a community of people that read allows you to find real diamonds, which you can later recommend on services like [goodreads.com](https://www.goodreads.com/), faster.

#### Online courses

Access to various teaching materials, especially in an organization that emphasises the growth of its people, is a must-have. We believe that employees should be able to explore different fields that will help their day-to-day work with a client. For example, Udemy courses can be amazing building blocks of personal development.

#### Certificates

The next element that we recognize supports the growth of employees not only through internal programs are external certifications. They are one of the things that ‘stay’ in the person long after he/she is done with the certificate. This strategy is an opportunity to build a personal brand of a given person especially if it is done through certificates highly valued in the industry.

### Networking with experts

Networking and talking to field experts is also a fantastic opportunity to expand developer skill set. Selleo goes above and beyond to nurture the sense of community by organizing internal days, attending conferences or taking part in hackathons.

#### Internal Day (Haxorz)

We treat our internal day as a conference within our company. It gives us the opportunity to find out more about people we are not working with on a regular basis as well as share knowledge during presentations. It gives the future speakers an opportunity to test themselves in front of an audience they know and gather priceless feedback.

#### Conferences

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/800x600/a3877a8b95/pasted-image-0-1.png)

Our industry is known for its wide variety of conferences. We carefully plan out our budget to be able to send developers to conferences they are interested in. It gives them an opportunity not only to learn something new but also to establish new relations, which often result in business initiatives.

<Baner name={agile-team} />

#### Coder Dojo

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/800x534/e8562668b3/pasted-image-0.png)

The mission of the international [Coder Dojo foundation](https://coderdojo.org.pl/) is to promote information technologies and programming to the youngest. Companies participating in this initiative focus on building a community in their surroundings. It is a long-term investment where people meet and learn how to code. Coder Dojo can also be a great introduction to the recruitment process in the company.

#### Hackathon

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/800x196/aec15b7371/pasted-image-0-2.png)

Many organisations, including Selleo, get involved in so-called Hackathons - open events where programmers, graphic designers but also visionaries can meet and share some fascinating ideas. The goal is not only to get to know each other but also to create projects on a given topic in a specified time frame (for example, 24 or 48 hours). You can read in more detail on how it looks like in the article [How did I organize Hackathon in my company?](https://medium.com/selleo/how-did-i-organize-hackathon-in-my-company-8e0367349388).

#### Supporting initiatives

Companies should remain open to supporting employee initiatives as this type of investment will always come back with double the power. It builds a sense of belonging to a community, a better office atmosphere, and an amazing environment for creativity. An example of such an initiative in Selleo was the creation of the ‘bathroom availability status’ using a photoresistor, Arduino module ([read more](https://medium.com/selleo/toxic-app-story-of-small-iot-for-fun-project-aecee34d6ffa)), a food ordering app ([read more](https://selleo.com/portfolio/online-ordering-system)) or a bot for Slack for opening a parking gate.

### Technology leaders

Tech lead is a role, which main focus is to take care of the chosen technology in the company. One of the elements of the work of a tech leader can be organizing meetups or workshops dedicated to this technology. Satisfaction from the growing interest in expertise around the given programming language, tools, etc., inside the company is priceless. It is an opportunity for self-development and a much easier way of exploring the technology.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x400/3dc72281b0/technology-leaders.jpg)

### Technology experts

The growth of a person in the IT world can go in two directions - one dedicated to soft skills, where we are focusing on the team, planning and coordinating actions or the other concentrated on hard - technical skills. Technology experts are ‘commandos for special tasks’ on projects - they enter projects, where they are needed the most and solve the hardest tasks.

### Motivator - setting goals

How to motivate people to learn? Planning quarterly goals with team leaders or the entire team is another technique that motivates developers to grow. Just like with diets - if you publicly say that you want to lose weight for the summer it is harder for you to admit defeat. Members of the team hold each other accountable and cheer each other on.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x348/384aaeb74f/motivator.jpg)

## Conclusions

The IT market is constantly growing. Because of the shortage of development experts, companies go out of their way to provide not only higher salaries but also better work environments.

A solid value system and recruitment process can be one of the most important aspects of a good IT company, but there is even more. The organization should provide its employees with opportunities for growing their hard and soft skills. Mature growth paths combined with evaluations and mentoring are what help developers become more experienced programmers. Public presentations, organizing workshops and opportunities to contribute to open source solutions are perfect for skill development and personal brand growth while conferences, internal days and hackathons create opportunities to meet and collaborate with new people.

Selleo recognizes the advantages of implementing those methods in our organization. This is why, throughout the years, we managed to create a supportive community that not only encourages growth but makes people want to work and stay with us for the long run.

[In 2nd part ](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-software-development-company-part-2)of the article about choosing a software development company, I’m focusing on soft-skills which are equally important if you are planning a long-term relationship with your future product development partner.

Working environment is one of the most important things when choosing an offshore software house. A well-established employee structure means a better outsourcing partner.

How To Choose The Right Software Development Company? (Part 1) | Devs skills

[TOC]

Software development houses market is full of great solution providers racing to become the best SDH out there. The competition is tough, so SDHs use innovative approaches to product development, creativity and top-notch skills that can help them to get noticed. Software development houses are mainly focused on designing and building custom software solutions for a specific set of users, functions or organizations. Choosing an outsourcing partner like SDH, you should think **not only about technical aspects and development methodology but also some soft elements of collaboration**. As one of our clients, Myron Weber the CEO at [Northwood Advisors](https://www.northwoodadvisors.com/) stated: _“I look for 5 key things in a software development partner: great programmers, consistent quality, excellent value, a responsive management team, and fun experience.”_ 

## High-quality Code

It is a no-brainer that if the development team delivers high-quality code, gaining client’s trust and satisfaction more and more companies will be interested in working with them. Because of the huge number of software houses, it is easy to find those lacking experience and writing poor code. With software development outsourcing you usually want to speed up your projects, gain specific skills, scale the team, add new features or just build the application form scratch. In all the cases you expect the code will be **delivered on time, have the least bugs possible and be written clearly**. The code quality should be guaranteed by automated tests and peer reviews. Our client Piet Neirinck, founder of the [9TEAMS](https://www.9teams.com/), remarks that a company that depends on testing heavily can boost code quality to the highest standards. You can also check if a company benefits from pair-programming to resolve major architectural challenges or more complex issues.

## Trustful Communication

Almost every article about outsourcing says that communication is the key to outsourcing success. If you communicate well, there is no space for misunderstandings, setbacks and failures. It is super important for the developers to stay in touch with the client, constantly informing them about the progress made or challenges encountered. And when I write developers I mean **developers - the people who actually do the job** - not project or account managers. If you can speak directly with programmers you eliminate all unnecessary communication layers and are more likely to get exactly what you want. This direct approach will allow you to **build mutual trust and boost engagement**. According to our client Henrik Lindberg a CTO at [Studentvikarie](https://studentvikarie.se/) Sverige AB, it’s important to allow developers to take responsibility for their work, give them free rein to follow their instincts when solving things. You should be able to trust them as your own team.  

## Agile Approach

Agility is about creating a product as a result of a collaborative effort of a **self-organized and cross-functional team** together with its clients. It is about constant delivery of business value and the ability to respond to change. Agile software development includes practices like **pair-programming, test-driven development, daily stand-ups, sprints and planning sessions**. By making use of those practices software development teams are able to be more productive, motivated and happy. All developers should be not only familiar with such agile approaches as **Scrum** or **Kanban** but be aware of agile philosophy and principles as well. Our software development experience teaches us that agile and customer-centered approaches are great for :

* successive iterations,
* close collaboration with clients,
* lowering costs and risks,
* minimising waste and maximising value delivered.

## Full-stack teams

If you contract a software house and would like to get a custom software solution, you, in most cases, will expect to get a finished product by the end of the contract. That means, that the software development team will be responsible for each step of the development process. This is why you should look for a [software outsourcing company](https://selleo.com/software-outsourcing-company) which is able to deliver both front-end and back-end developers together with UX/UI and graphic designer.
It’s also important to check if you can leverage SDH’s internal experts' skills and industry expertise to speed up the product time to market.  

## Flexibility

A good software development house is a **flexible software development house**. With the constant changes occurring in the programming world, development companies have to stay on top of things. This means, **changing technologies, adapting the approach** to the current trends and be ready to listen to the client’s demands and act accordingly. One of our clients Keith Roberts, COO of [SquadLocker](https://www.squadlocker.com/) emphasizes that at first, he needed the team comprised of 3–4 engineers but as the project was growing he wanted easily expand it to 10–11 people, including a full-time designer, and a full-time Scrum master. It’s also worth checking what is a **company technology stack**, ask if they perform any R&D initiatives and are able to offer the best solutions to your needs.  

## Summary

To choose the right SDH you have to think, about **code quality, trustful communication, agile approach, full-stack teams and flexibility** of the vendor. The question is, how you can check the above elements. Before choosing your team I encourage you to **arrange interviews / pair-programming** with all team members to check their tech level and communication skills.
Another great option is reading client reviews which were gathered by the independent consultancy. One of services like this is [Clutch](https://clutch.co/profile/selleo). It offers trusted reviews of Software Development Houses. You can use it as a reference source, check how other clients review various SDHs and make your own decision.

Software development houses market is full of great solution providers racing to become the best SDH out there. The competition is tough, so SDHs use innovative approaches to product development, creativity and top-notch skills that can help them to get noticed. 

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