I Have an App Idea…Now What?

Tips for Getting Your App Built

jakeandlindsay (Flickr)

Dave

Todaro@dave_todaro

President & COOAscendle

Commercial Software

Development

Strategy

ExecutionCoaching

Your Options

In-house

Contract

1

2

In-House

Technical Co-founder

Development Team

ContractFreelancer

On-shore Company

Offshore/Nearshore Company

Hybrid Company

You

Technical Co-founder

• Find someone with software expertise

• Offer them equity

• They work night

and day on your

producthackny (Flickr)

Technical Co-founder

Reduced cash outlay

Focus

Vested interest

Tough to find

Single point of failure

Giving up a piece of the pie

Technical debt

Development Team

• Hire multiple technical team members

• Typically managed by technical co-founder

Development Team

No single point of failure

More throughput

More discipline

Slowest to start

More expensive

Management requirement

Freelancer

• Hire a 1099 contractor

• Typically independent

• Can be from a staff augmentation firm

Freelancer

Senior technical talent

Fast to hire

Adjust level of effort

No paid benefits

Single point of failure

Less buy-in

Management requirement

On-shore Company

• Hire a domestic company specializing in software development

• They have all necessary roles

On-shore Company

Quick ramp-up

Combination of expertise

They manage the process

Face-to-face time

Most expensive option

Can be hit or miss

Offshore or Nearshore Company• Offshore

• Typically 5 or more time zones away

• Europe, Eastern Europe, India, etc.

• Nearshore

• Outside the country, but within a few time zones

• Canada, Central America, Caribbean, South America

Offshore or Nearshore Company

More options

Less expensive

They work while you sleep!

Hidden costs

Large management overhead

Language and cultural barriers

Hybrid Company

• Onshore project management

• Offshore technical resources

• Software engineers

• Quality assurance engineers

Hybrid Company

They manage the resources

Curated resources

Face-to-face time

Lower overall cost

Prices a little higher than direct to offshore companies

Which to Choose?

Technical Co-founder

Hybrid Company

1

2

Credibility Indicators

• Shippable software demonstrated on a regular basis – every 2 weeks is ideal.

• You have ability to influence priorities.

• Testing is done all the time, not “at the end.”

• Automated test techniques are used.

• Support after the product is released.

After Release

leedman, plantronicsgermany, azrainman (Flickr)

When Should I Move it In-house?

• You need continuous and significant software development.

• You feel like you “have to own it.”

• There’s funding to support a fullteam.

• You’ve found the right technicalleader.

fabola (Flickr)

From Our Blog

11 Questions You Should Always Ask App Development Companies

How Much Does it Cost to Make an App?

THANK YOU!

Ascendle.com/Blog

Dave Todaro

@dave_todaro

Ascendle.com