Answers
Answers about custom software and apps
When off-the-shelf tools stop fitting, what building your own involves, and the questions to settle before anyone writes a line of code.
18 answers, each standing on its own. The service behind them: Custom software and apps. Other topics are on the Answers page; the glossary defines the terms.
Should you buy off-the-shelf software or have something built?
Should you buy ready-made software or have something built? A plain decision test for owners, including the honest case for trying a bought product first.
What should you have ready before hiring a software developer?
A checklist for owners before hiring a software developer: the job it must do, who uses it, what it connects to, its data, and who owns accounts.
Who owns software that was built for your business?
Under US copyright law, the person who writes software is usually its author. See what must be in writing for you to own it and what to ask for.
How do you check a developer's work before paying for more?
Split the project into stages, write plain-words checks first, watch each stage work on your real examples, and know what to do when a stage fails.
What should a small business dashboard show?
An operations dashboard fits on one screen: new inquiries and sources, reply time, jobs, won and lost work, money owed and capacity. Leave the rest off.
Does your business need a mobile app?
Many small businesses do well with a website that works on phones and text messages. See when an app does make sense, with a side-by-side table.
Should you hire a freelance developer or a software company?
A freelance developer and a software company can both build well. Compare cover, who runs the project and handover, and see what to ask either one.
What decides how much custom software costs, and why do projects run over?
Custom software costs more or less depending on its scope, users, connections, data and upkeep. See why projects run over and how to keep one on track.
What does it take to put your app in the App Store and Google Play, and whose account should it be in?
The business should usually hold the Apple and Google Play accounts. See what each store asks of an organization and how review affects timing.
What is an MVP, and should a small business start with one?
An MVP is the smallest working version of software that does its main job for real users. What to leave out, what to keep, and what comes next.
How do you compare quotes from software developers?
How to read two or three software developer quotes side by side: what each assumes and leaves out, the stages, and what is fixed and what can move.
How long does it take to build custom software or an app?
What decides how long custom software or an app takes: the brief, the users, the connections, testing and store review. No fixed durations.
Fixed price or hourly: which suits a software project?
Fixed price suits a clearly described job and hourly suits work still taking shape. See where each goes wrong and the middle routes that often work.
What is a fractional CTO, and does a small business need one?
A fractional CTO is a part-time technology leader who guides choices and oversees builders. See when a small business may need one, and what to expect.
Can you build it with no-code tools, or do you need custom software?
No-code tools suit simple forms, workflows and lists. See where they strain, what to check before you start and when custom software is the better step.
What is user acceptance testing, and how does an owner do it before accepting software as finished?
User acceptance testing is the final round before you accept software as finished: who tests, what to test, how to rank faults and sign off in writing.
What is a customer portal, and does a small business need one?
A customer portal is a login where customers see their own jobs, quotes or invoices. What it does, when emailed links are enough, and how to keep it safe.
What should a developer hand over when the project ends or they leave?
What a developer should hand over when a project ends: a plain-words pack, a hand-over meeting, a test run by a second person, and a plan if they go quiet.
Custom software and apps
Off-the-shelf tools get you most of the way. When the last stretch is where the time goes, we build the part that fits: the dashboard, the portal, the internal tool or the app.