How’s your tech/web/mobile agency search going? You decided you need a dev shop, but what are the right questions to ask them? At Koombea we want you to be prepared. And we are happy to help you figure out which agency is best for you—even if it’s not us. When talking to prospective tech agencies, use these helpful 7 questions to filter your options.

1. 7KEY
QUESTIONS
TO ASK
7KEY
QUESTIONS
TO ASK
#TechAgencyQA
YOUR PROSPECTIVE
TECH AGENCIES

2. From the moment you decide to move forward with your
mobile or web application, you’re faced with a tough
question:
Should you build the product in-house, or hire an
external team (tech agency)?
#TechAgencyQA

3. You want to to build your
product in the easiest and
most cost efficient way, but It
can be exhausting and costly
to build an in-house team and
it wastes valuable time
If you hire a tech agency, you
can have a full, experienced
team at your service-ready to
create a great digital product
for your business.
TECH AGENCY
#TechAgencyQA
IN-HOUSE

4. After careful consideration, you decide your best option is to hire a
tech agency to build your product.
#TechAgencyQA

5. There are thousands of tech agencies out there, so you have a ton
of options. This can be a confusing, overwhelming process. Many
people are in the dark about what it actually takes to build a mobile
or web application.
#TechAgencyQA

6. #TechAgencyQA
When talking to prospective tech agencies, use these questions to
filter your options.
?’s

7. HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE
WITH CLIENTS?1

8. What to look for: The tech agency should have an established process for
communicating with clients. Transparent communication is essential to execute
your vision. Do they use Basecamp, InvisionApp, or Trello for project
collaboration? Are they available on Skype during working hours and will
respond to you immediately?
They should be able to communicate clearly and patiently, without loads of tech
jargon.
#TechAgencyQA
You can click on this slideshare!

9. DO YOU HAVE ANY CASE STUDIES
OF PAST CLIENTS?2

10. #TechAgencyQA
A great tech agency won’t ask you to ‘take their word for it’. They’ll have plenty
of successful case studies to back up their claims.
What to look for: Ideally, the tech agency will list their case studies or portfolio
on their website, so you can easily access it. That way, you can check out similar
apps, test them out, and see how they perform. Or a Sales rep will be able to put
together a one pager of examples for your industry.
Click here for "Our Case Studies"

11. WHAT IS YOUR ESTIMATED TIMELINE
FOR FINISHING THE PROJECT?3

12. Mobile and web applications are known to take longer and become more
complicated than planned. That’s because small, incremental changes can build
up into a mountain of additional work.
What to look for: These additional costs can be prevented-or, at least, controlled
to a point. Your tech agency should keep up-to-date schedules and
specifications.
Make sure the tech agency can articulate the repercussions of an additional ask.
You may crave an extra feature, but when you see how much it pushes the
schedule back, you just might change your tune.
Most projects can be done in 2-4 month cycles. Having a development agency
tell you it will take longer than a year, is taking their time.
#TechAgencyQA

13. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN
IN BUSINESS?4

14. What to look for: Ideally, your tech agency will have at least 5
years of experience. They’ve been steadily building, and have a
track record of success.
Here at Koombea, we pride ourselves in this area. With over 7
years of experience, we’ve clocked more hours than most agencies
can imagine!
#TechAgencyQA
Click to read more "About Us"

15. HOW MANY DEVELOPERS
DO YOU HAVE?5

16. The more developers they have, the more resources the tech
agency can dedicate to your project. With a smaller company, this
could mean that new projects can’t start on time.
What to look for: Your tech agency should have at least 6
developers. The more, the merrier. Having a developer working on
a different project give his two sense, can help give key insight for
the other. A bigger firm will have more people to draw on to solve
technical problems.
#TechAgencyQA

17. WHAT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
DO YOU USE?6

18. What to look for: Unlike Waterfall (a traditional dev method), Agile
methodology cuts down the big picture into puzzle pieces. A tech
agency who uses the Agile Development process can adapt to
change at the end of each stage, without rewriting the entire
application.
At Koombea, we use Agile Development. Not only does it save
costs, but it streamlines communication. We start the week with a
planning meeting, and chat briefly each weekday afterward about
the status of development. At the end of the week, we review all of
the work delivered, and note anything we couldn’t finish. This week
of work is called a sprint.
#TechAgencyQA
Click to read our Agile Management Playbook

19. WILL YOU BUILD AN MVP?
7

20. When it comes to product development, many business make the
mistake of waiting too long to take the product to market.
And because of this mistake, many products never even launch. Or,
if they do launch, the market is already saturated with competitors…
#TechAgencyQA

21. …AND THE PRODUCT USUALLY FAILS.

22. But you can avoid this costly mistake, and still launch a
high-performing product in your niche.
The secret? A Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
What to look for: Your tech agency should build you a Minimum
Viable Product. That way, you’ll have just enough of the core of
your product so that you can get it to users and collect
feedback—and start getting paid.
How’s your tech agency search going? Tweet us out or shoot us at
email at mvp@koombea.com!
#TechAgencyQA

23. Koombea is happy to help you figure out which agency is best for
you-even if it’s not us.
Should you build a product? Hire an external team, or do the
project in-house?
Don’t be left in the dark.
Subscribe below and learn about what mobile and web product
development can do for your business.
#TechAgencyQA

24. Have questions?
We are here to help.
Email us at
mvp@koombea.com
386 Park Ave South, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10016
625 2nd St., Suite 280
San Francisco, CA 94107
Cra 53 # 79-01 L-301
Barranquilla, Colombia.
#TechAgencyQA
@koombea
/koombea