In our business of developing quality apps for a number of industries, we tend to encounter two types of clients: hands-on managers who are looking to be involved as much as possible in the development process, and more passive clients who don’t ask many questions until their app is complete.
Both types of clients undoubtedly have their merits. But it does raise an important question that could relate to you as you are looking to partner with an agency to develop your mobile app: should you care just how your app development company operates in order to complete your project?
The answer, of course, is complicated, and might be disappointingly vague at first: it depends. Let’s break down the merits and drawbacks of involving yourself closely in the app development process.
Understanding the Basics
First, let’s get an easy answer to this post’s central question out of the way: yes, you should have a basic idea of how your app development company operates. By that, we mean that you should understand who will actually develop your app, the development and testing timeline and protocols, and whether or not the agency builds software within an agile framework.
Without knowing these basic pillars of app development, you may be unpleasantly surprised by the process, and in the worst case scenario end up with an app that does not fulfill its goal. But after getting on the same page for these issues, another important question arises: hands-on, or hands-off? Here are the implications for each route you can choose.
The Hands-On Approach: Guiding the Process
Above all, close involvement in the development process means making sure that it stays on track. As much as we learn about your business, you will still know its situation, needs, and goals better than we ever can. We will approach you if any questions come up that turn into decision points for the app or its interface, but you can streamline the process by being involved in the first place.
A hands-on approach also means being more involved in the testing process, which plays a crucial role in making sure that the finished piece of software works just as intended. You’ll be able to engage in testing yourself, or view testing logs and make suggestions that could impact user experience and functionality.
The main benefit of the hands-on approach is that you’ll be able to ensure that you and your are on the same page every step of the way. The main downside is that you might limit your developer to just doing what you tell them instead of working with you to discover how to accomplish your goals in the best way possible.
But of course, being closely involved in the app development means investing a significant amount of time and effort into the process. If you cannot expend those resources, you may lean toward the second approach.
The Hands-Off Approach: Focusing on Results
If you choose not to be involved in the development process, you may actually quicken the time it takes to complete at least a testable version of the app. We will always ask for feedback, both internally and externally, and will keep you involved in major decisions. But by prioritizing major over minor decisions, you can expedite the process.
In addition, you save valuable time that would be spent engaging with developers and account representatives. You are probably looking for your app to improve business efficiency and effectiveness, and some of those benefits may be lost if you have to spend time on a daily basis thinking about decisions to be made within the app development process.
Of course, we’ll be happy to work with you regardless of which approach you choose. Ultimately, our goal is to give you the best possible apps for your needs, and we understand that achieving this goal may need more involvement on the client side for some projects than for others. Still, knowing where you stand before you go into the project can help you set expectations and ensure a productive working relationship with your app development company.
And when you’re ready to develop your app, whether it’s using a hands-on or hands-off approach, we’re here for you. Contact us today to learn how we can partner to develop an app tailored to your company and your business objectives.
