The search for an app developer: Key questions and considerations

The majority of today's businesses leverage BYOD strategies to provide mobility, flexibility and improved collaboration to the workforce. However, when BYOD initiatives are allowed to run wild without the benefit of enterprise-geared applications, sensitive company information could be opened up to the prying eyes of hackers.

In order to address these issues, a number of organizational leaders have been opting to create their own business apps in-house that will be specifically established to meet their employees' unique needs. While oftentimes a more advantageous option than utilizing an app already on the market, decision-makers must now begin the search for the right app developer to lead their project. Although this can seem like quite the difficult task, knowing what to look for can greatly speed up the process, and ensure the success of the resulting application. To help administrators in their search, here are a few questions and considerations to factor in when looking for an app developer:

Is the developer interesting in the business and its goals?
Entrepreneur contributor Rahul Varshneya suggested making sure that the app creator has an interest in the business itself, as well as the goals it is trying to achieve, as opposed to just the development project. A developer that is simply looking for work may not complete the project with as much quality as a creator that is working to further the company's ambitions. Additionally, an experienced developer that has worked with a number of organizations can leverage this knowledge to ensure the success of the app.

What is the developer's skill level?
Decision-makers should also look into the potential app creator's past experience and skill set to ensure they have the tools and know-how to create a beneficial program. Additionally, taking a look at the individual's abilities ahead of time can prevent headaches down the road and allow for the use of only one developer instead of a number of different vendors, WhaTech noted. For instance, administrators should ask about the developer's knowledge of different component suites and languages. In this way, if the company decides they want to support their program with a newer coding language like HTML5, they can be assured that their developer has the skills to effectively establish the program. While coding is important, it is not the only piece to the puzzle.

"Building an app is not just about coding," Varshneya wrote. "It's also about creating a functional design that thinking about the user experience."

These critical items should also be factored in when examining a developer's skill set.

Can the developer provide examples?
While taking into consideration the app creator's interests and abilities will help narrow the field, many decision-makers like to see the developer's work. For this reason, business leaders should have an idea of the features and capabilities they need included in the app beforehand, Varshneya advised. This way, they can compare this visualization to the examples of past projects provided by the developer. Additionally, if the app creator has already made an app that is similar to the one the group is looking for, chances are good that the company's program will be successful.