{"id":11244,"date":"2022-01-18T19:09:34","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T01:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threecloud.wpengine.com\/?p=11244"},"modified":"2023-07-31T09:57:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T16:57:23","slug":"choosing-the-right-software-partner-3cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/resources\/choosing-the-right-software-partner-3cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Right Software Partner &#8211; 3Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before co-founding <a href=\"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/post\/3cloud-acquires-polaris-solution\/\">Polaris<\/a> (now a part of 3Cloud), I worked at a consulting firm where I contributed to and eventually led many custom software engineering projects. Through that experience, I discovered the joy a successful software project can provide, especially for organizational leaders and end users. In most cases, however, the process was also very tough on my teammates, who faced difficult-to-meet expectations. Polaris was formed with a mission to reimagine software development.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Below, I\u2019ll share insights from 12 years of building\u00a0a\u00a0better approach to software solutions, the core values that any IT leader can use to help ensure a successful project, plus\u00a0a\u00a0free\u00a0Discovery\u00a0Template\u00a0to use\u00a0when vetting potential development partners.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why You Need\u00a0<\/strong><strong>a Partner, Not Just a Vendor<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A client recently commented that most software vendors today describe themselves as partners, but 3Cloud actually delivers on it. When launching a critical software project, you need a vendor who can offer you a strategic partnership and critical thinking alongside technical skills. A partner engages with you on the \u2018why\u2019 behind an initiative, knows when to execute and get it done; and also steps in when you need help making sure you\u2019re building the right thing.<\/p>\n<p>Finding a partner like this can actually be simple, as long as you engage your network\u00a0of other IT executives\u00a0and are clear about what\u00a0you\u2019re looking for.\u00a0Here are three hallmarks of a good partner to\u00a0share when seeking recommendations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Relentless focus on value<\/strong> \u2013 With the earliest interactions, from estimating to learning about your needs, a firm should be willing to contribute knowledge and value. From there, you can rest assured your partner will be committed to getting it right.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Transparency\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Other\u00a0fields of engineering have laws of physics and gravity to put bounds on them, but\u00a0software is typically only constrained by imagination. As a result,\u00a0projects rarely go exactly as planned. When things change,\u00a0a partner should be\u00a0transparent so effective decisions can be made. A software partner who regularly shares their recipes for success is a good signal of transparency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confident\u00a0humility<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0When you, your team, and a software partner work together, you want\u00a0that\u00a0assembled\u00a0group of people\u00a0to\u00a0turn into a single team. You need a partner with\u00a0opinions, but\u00a0also\u00a0one\u00a0whose talent will work with and teach other teams. They should be as open to new ideas as they are prolific in generating\u00a0them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re looking for help building a new custom application or modernizing a legacy\u00a0system, these considerations can guide you\u00a0in the right direction.\u00a0Once you\u2019ve narrowed your list down to some select providers and are ready for the next stage, you can put these interview questions to use.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Discovery<\/strong><strong>\u00a0Questions to Ensure a Successful Partnership [Template]<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Ranging from the\u00a0straightforward\u00a0to the unexpected, these\u00a0seven\u00a0questions are designed to help you find your perfect software partner\u2013someone who cares about your business priorities and can get your project done at budget, on time, and done right the first time.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Will you introduce me to three<\/strong><strong>\u00a0successful<\/strong><strong>\u00a0references you\u2019ve worked for?<\/strong><br \/>\nDon\u2019t treat this step as a formality, and read up on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2016\/07\/the-right-way-to-check-someones-references\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Harvard Business Review<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0classic\u00a0guide to checking references.\u00a0Apply the same rigor you might to hiring an employee to\u00a0selecting\u00a0a partner.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Could I meet the #2 and #3 people who, in theory, you\u2019d have on our project?<\/strong><br \/>\nMany\u00a0companies have a great #1 or\u00a0top-tier\u00a0team, but\u00a0inspecting\u00a0a sample of the\u00a0rest\u00a0of the team\u00a0can give you\u00a0insights into what their\u00a0work will really be like.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong>How confident are you in your estimates?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>What will you do if things don\u2019t go\u00a0<\/strong><strong>as<\/strong><strong>\u00a0planned?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong>Can you s<\/strong><strong>end me a link to something your firm\u00a0<\/strong><strong>built<\/strong><strong>\u00a0that is public<\/strong><strong>ly<\/strong><strong>\u00a0available?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong>What other services beyond software development do you do?<\/strong><br \/>\nA\u00a0strong software partner\u00a0should have deep experience\u00a0in\u00a0Agile\u00a0and\/or\u00a0DevOps\u00a0enablement. But if this answer veers too broad (e.g.\u00a0digital marketing and more) you should be concerned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><strong>Of the software projects you\u2019ve done, can you\u00a0tell me\u00a0a bit\u00a0about the\u00a0one\u00a0you\u2019re most excited about?<\/strong><br \/>\nThis last question gives you an opportunity to learn\u00a0what they\u2019re passionate about.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This level of inquiry is the stuff great partnerships are made of. Recently, we were tapped by\u00a0Aspire Software, a company with real vision and drive to be the best at helping landscaping services businesses succeed. We led\u00a0an\u00a0effort to update their architecture and modernize their\u00a0software, setting\u00a0Aspire\u00a0up for many years of innovation, and I\u2019m\u00a0so\u00a0proud of the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>As a product of both St. Louis and Chicago, I was raised by my parents to put in an \u201chonest day\u2019s work\u2026 always.\u201d In 3Cloud partnerships, modernization meets these Midwestern values. We want to bring the joy of successful software projects to everyone\u2013from individual team members to entire organizations to end users. If you think we might be a fit for your next project, book a design session, on our dime, to see what we can make together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before co-founding Polaris (now a part of 3Cloud), I worked at a consulting firm where&mldr;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":11459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[292,264],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-app-innovation","category-enterprise-apps","topics-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3cloudsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}