5 Tips for Choosing a Software Development Partner from Peru
What Kind of Reputation Does the Company Have?
We checked the reputations of all the companies listed in this article, so you can skip this step when choosing a software development company in Peru to partner with. But let’s say you need to do everything yourself – how do you do it?
You should take a two-pronged approach – examine the company’s website and social media and take a look at independent review platforms. When you go to the company’s platforms, look for customer reviews. Naturally, a company will only highlight positive comments.
The less honest companies may even fake their reviews. Thus, do some simple googling to see if the people commenting truly exists. If one comment is fake, it’s likely others are, too. Then, go to independent platforms to see how reviews there compare to the ones the company itself puts out.
Serious review platforms curate customer comments to weed out fake ones. They’re not 100% accurate, but the bigger picture should be valid. If reviews from independent platforms and those that the company promotes line up, you can gauge a software development company’s reputation.
Do They Have Experience with Projects Similar to Yours?
A company’s reputation is a good indicator of the overall quality of services it provides, but it’s just a rough overview. You need something more specific. Software development is a very expansive field of study, so even the best developers in Peru (or any other place) may not have the skills to accomplish what you need of them.
What’s the solution? To find out if the company has experience working on projects like yours. Demonstrable experience is the best measure of how well a company will perform on a specific project. You can usually check this by looking at their portfolio or their case studies.
Usually, you can find these clearly displayed on the company’s website (experience is a major selling point and most developers are aware of it). If not, contact the representatives and ask for these documents.
However, there is a caveat when you are dealing with software companies from Peru and asking for documents – they may not be allowed to show them. Many nearshore development companies sign non-disclosure agreements when working on projects for US companies.
Thus, they would risk a lawsuit if they share them. There are some workarounds – the company representative may provide a document that doesn’t contain any confidential information or they may be allowed to tell you about their experience, without getting into specifics. You should still do your best to get all information you can.
Do They Specialize in a Specific Area?
From custom software development, through UX design, over to cloud storage solutions – software development is an expensive field, as we’ve mentioned. Consequently, you should look for a company that specializes in what you need and only in what you need, if possible.
The first reason is clear – developers with a particular area of expertise will likely do a better job than those with more generalist knowledge. However, there is also one more reason – the cost. Software development companies can ask for higher hourly rates if they have multiple areas they specialize in.
In other words, a full-stack developer will ask for a higher rate than an HTML developer, even if all they are doing on your project is HTML development. In practice, most companies have developers with multiple areas of expertise, increasing their price, but the more focused a company, the better off you are.
How Much Are You Willing to Pay?
We mentioned costs, but it’s worth stressing. One of the main reasons people outsource software development to Peru is because Peruvian developers are cheap, at least compared to their US counterparts. The approximate average yearly income of a developer in Lima, Peru is 20,000 USD in 2022.
Compared to what you would be paying US developers or even developers from other LATAM countries, like Brazil or Mexico, this truly isn’t much. Of course, the best software development companies in Peru will charge more than average ones. So, you can always cut costs by hiring newer and less experienced developers.
However, is that a wise move? Consider the cost-effectiveness. Yes, you can save money by hiring developers with little-to-no experience. But what happens if they can’t get the project done up to your standards? Or, if you find many bugs once the project is over and the software goes live?
You’ll need to pay for new development cycles, nullifying any savings you made and extending the timeline until you have functional software. Thus, while outsourcing development to Peru is done to cut costs, it should still be done prudently.
How Will You Communicate?
Finally, we get to the last, but highly practical consideration when choosing a software development company from Peru to partner with – what channels of communication will you use? Software development projects are unique because they are done in iterations.
Almost 100% of development companies utilize some type of Agile framework for project management. The core of Agile is flexibility and listening to the client’s input. Practice has shown that client involvement is essential to creating a satisfactory final product.
And that entails having open lines of communication at all times. So, how will the company enable you to speak with the relevant people? Will the project team be assigned an account manager whose primary job is to communicate with you?
What technologies do they use to facilitate communication? What is their level of English proficiency (or do you speak Spanish, when talking about Peru specifically)? What are their working hours and how do they align with yours?
You should get answers to all of these questions before you decide to outsource development to a Peruvian company. Well, except for the last one – Peru is a nearshore country and their time zone mostly aligns with the US, so this should not be an issue.
Regardless, the rest of the questions need answers. And, finally, once you know how the practical issues will be overcome, there is still the subjective part – how comfortable do you feel when communicating with the company?
Once again, good communication is one of the cornerstones of Agile projects, so take your time to find a company you feel good working with.
You Have Other Options
We’ve provided you with a list of the 15 best software development companies in Peru and tips on how to choose the one that is best for you. If you can’t find one that meets your standards, there’s no reason to give up. Below, you will similar list of the best developers from other LATAM countries, so take your time and find one that fits you perfectly.