Ask HN: Advice for considering proposals for outsourced software development

1 points by barry0079 3 years ago | 1 comment

I have been asked to review a set of 10 software proposals to create a product for a founder. This is my first time doing such a task, what questions should I be asking of the proposals in order to identify the better ones out of the bunch?

Obviously I can differentiate based on the size of the teams offered and the time frames they propose, some also clearly have more consideration for the UX design of the product than others. Any advice or experiences offered would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

tahseen_kakar 3 years ago |

I would start by looking at the product description and then the product design. Does it make sense? Does it feel like you can use it as a user? How does it work? What are the key features and benefits?

Then I'd look at the team behind the proposal. Do they have a lot of experience creating software products? Do they have any past successes that will help them succeed with this proposal?

Finally, I'd look at their marketing plan for this product. Is there an actual plan for how they're going to market it and how much money they expect to spend on marketing? Are there any partners involved who might be able to help market the product?

All in all, though, my best advice is just to look at all 10 proposals fairly closely and make your decision based on what feels right for you!