Choosing a Software House: 7 Questions to Ask Before Signing
A checklist from our experience across many projects for evaluating software houses — questions often overlooked but critical later.
7 questions to ask
1. “Is my project team internal or outsourced?”
Many agencies show polished portfolios but outsource to cheap freelancers when work starts. Ask: how long have the engineers handling my project been at the company? Ideal: > 1 year tenure, high retention.
2. “Who owns the source code when it’s done?”
Make sure it’s 100% the client’s after final payment. Some agencies hold source code to lock you into maintenance fees. Check the contract.
3. “What’s the documentation handover process?”
Not just source code — ask for: README, architecture diagram, deployment guide, env config samples, runbook for routine ops. Without docs, source code is a time bomb.
4. “What’s your revision and change-request policy?”
- How many revision rounds are in scope?
- How are change requests quoted?
- How are decisions tracked?
5. “What’s the post-launch warranty?”
Industry standard: 30 days for landing pages, 60–90 days for web/mobile apps. Warranties cover bug fixes — not new features.
6. “What tech stack do you use — and why?”
Good software houses can explain the tradeoffs. e.g., “We picked Astro for the marketing site because of SEO, but Next.js for the dashboard because it’s highly interactive.” Avoid “because we know it.”
7. “May I talk to your past clients?”
Serious software houses are happy to connect you with 2-3 past clients for a reference call.
Red flags
- Way below-market pricing — usually means outsourced juniors or weak testing.
- No written contract — verbal agreements = no recourse.
- No milestone process — full payment up front with no milestone breakdown.
- No live portfolio — only screenshots, no links.
- Chat-only communication — no video calls or structured meetings.
How we work at Lancartech
Every project starts with:
- Free discovery call — we learn the business, goals, scope.
- Detailed proposal — scope, timeline, cost per milestone.
- Signed contract before kickoff.
- Sprint-based delivery — demo every 1–2 weeks.
- Full handover with docs + 1-hour client team training.
Free consultation to discuss your project.
