Congrats on having the brilliant concept for a new business, securing investment and now only needing to build an MVP version of your ideal mobile app, web app or AI product. If one of your founders is tech-savvy enough to develop it themselves then you're in luck! But if not, don't worry - there are plenty of ways out there to help bring your vision into reality.
When it comes to software development, you have two primary choices. The first one is to hire in-house developers. Building an in-house development team can be a daunting and expensive task for startup companies. Hiring experienced developers is often difficult due to the competitive market and high salaries. Additionally, startup founders often lack the technical skills or knowledge to even manage a development team, let alone build one from scratch. This can cause issues such as miscommunication between team members, slow development times and a lack of accountability.
An alternate solution is to outsource the software development to a highly-specialised software development company. Whilst outsourcing software development may be a convenient and cost-effective option for startup companies, there are some downsides to this approach:
- You will have less control over the development process. When you outsource your software development project to an external company, you relinquish much of the control that you would have if you had an in-house team working on it.
- When startups resort to outsourcing their software development, they risk missing out on the chance to cultivate a core team of developers and foster an in-house technical culture -- which is essential for any business that works with technology.
- You should also be wary of yielding too much control of your business to any external entity.
What's the solution?
How can startup companies make use of external developers without losing control over the development process and missing out on the chance to cultivate an in-house technical culture?
DevStack offers a unique service that helps startup companies to build their MVP version of the product, whilst working with their internal teams to skill them up so they can become autonomous.
By leveraging DevStack's expertise, startup founders can learn how to manage and develop software themselves, while also benefiting from the support provided by experienced developers throughout the whole development process. This way, startup companies get access to industry-leading expertise and resources while building an independent team at their own pace.
How does it work?
DevStack employs a three-step approach that helps startup companies to build an autonomous technical team.
The first step is to understand the project requirements and software architecture. DevStack's experienced developers will work with startup founders to understand the technical challenges presented by their product and create a plan for building it. This includes guiding how best to structure their codebase as well as which technologies should be used to meet their goals.
The second step in DevStack's approach is to work with startup founders to decide which team members they need for their startup, ranging from UI experts to software developers. Our experienced developers will help startup companies understand the different roles and skills needed for a successful technical team, and develop an effective strategy for recruiting the right people.
Once startup companies have decided which team members they need to build their product, the third step in DevStack's approach is to build the product whilst integrating with their business and inviting stakeholders and employees into the whole development process. This ensures that startup founders are involved in every stage of the software development process, allowing them to stay informed about progress, give feedback on design decisions, and ensure that end users will be satisfied with the final product. Additionally, this integration also helps startup companies cultivate an internal technical culture by teaching their staff important skills such as coding languages or project management techniques. Through this approach, startup companies can benefit from external expertise while building an autonomous technical team at their own pace.
When startup companies are ready to become autonomous and take full responsibility for their software development, DevStack can offer support in the handover process. Our experienced developers will ensure that startup founders have all the necessary skills and resources to continue their projects on their own. We provide startup teams with information on the best practices for successful software development, as well as training sessions on coding, project management techniques and other technical skills. In addition, we help startup companies understand how to embrace a culture of innovation and creativity within their team so that they can continue to build high-quality products that meet customer needs. Once startup companies have acquired the necessary skills and resources they need to take over full responsibility for their product’s development, DevStack will hand over all control to them. This will allow startup teams to stay independent while having the assistance they need from DevStack whenever they need it.
If you’re a startup founder looking to build an autonomous technical team or create a successful software product then contact us today. Our experienced developers will guide you through every step of your journey by providing expert advice on project requirements and software architectures, helping you choose the right team members for your startup. Our goal is to make sure that startups have access to all the necessary resources required for success!
