6 things to keep in mind when working with a custom software firm like Solertium

Whether it's your first project or your fiftieth, here is a handy list of 6 things to keep in mind when working with a company like Solertium. Each of these come up on a pretty frequent basis, and I have found that confusion about any or all of these points can be avoided by just making things plain up front.

1. Whatever you want, we’ll tell you if we can build it. We’re pretty sure we can deliver most anything you can think of, but if we can’t, we’ll be straight with you. And if you want us to build something that we’re not great at, we’ll tell you that, too. Because, while it’s nice to be paid for the things we’re good at, it’s downright painful to send a bill for something we’re slow at. We’d rather another superstar got paid to shine on that job.
2. We’re not a temp agency, we're a team. Trust us to task the right person for the job. You’re ordering deliverables from us, not a set # of hours of a specific resource’s time. We commit to meeting your deliverables within an agreed-upon budget; we can do that only when you allow us to determine the best resource for each part of your job. That said, if you have your heart set upon a specific resource, it can be arranged. But it may be pricey, as you will be asking us to re-work our schedules and perhaps pull that person away from another commitment.
3. If you ask us to spend time with you in meetings, sending hourly status updates, or answering out-of-bandwidth technical questions, expect to receive a bill for our time. We like to be responsive and give you all the time you want from us, so it can be hard to remember that we’re not your co-workers receiving a straight salary. When you ask for us to spend additional time, you are likely increasing the hours we will be invoicing you for. And, when we check with you to make sure you know this is happening (and, in some cases, to make sure you’re authorized to do it), please don’t be upset with us. We’re looking out for you, and trying to avoid unpleasant conversations when you get the bill.
4. If you change your mind, it could change the price & timing of the job. It’s kind of like building a house: if you delete the detached garage from the project, you don’t have to pay for it. But if you decide you want to make your stairs four inches wider and raise your ceilings a foot, the job is going to take longer and just got a lot pricier.
5. Good, fast, cheap: pick two. Just like in construction, this old adage also holds true for the software industry. We like to think we can meet all three – and often do – but you’re safest if you pick two. For example, we’re always going to be good – but if you try to get us to jam a month’s worth of work into a week and won’t authorize payment for additional resources to complete the job, even we have our limits.
6. Learning is a two-way street. You may not know a lot about software; chances are we’re not experts in your industry, either. We’re going to have questions about what you do, so we can better understand the software we’re building. We expect you to have a lot of questions about custom software projects. Most of your questions about process should be answered by the consulting services agreement, but we know that a lot of it will be new to you. All we ask is that, if we’re confusing you, you let us know. And that you help us to learn how to better communicate in a way that you, specifically, can understand. We’re excited about what we do, and we’d prefer that you “get it” and become excited, too!

I make no guarantees that this list, or our perspective on any of the individual points, is representative of the industry as a whole. I can only say it's how we roll at Solertium.