Infographic 2 · ZANISS SOFTWARES
Choosing the wrong software development partner is the single most expensive mistake a non-technical founder can make — usually discovered six months in, when rewrites are already on the table. This infographic distils a 10-point evaluation checklist, a 50-point scoring guide, and the red flags that separate a real engineering team from a glorified body-shop.
Domain experience, technical depth, process maturity, communication cadence, code ownership, security posture, testing discipline, deployment automation, post-launch support, and pricing transparency. Score each vendor 1–5 — anything under 35/50 is a warning. The infographic shows what 'great' looks like on each axis so you don't have to guess.
Vague answers about who actually writes the code, no questions about your business model, instant fixed quotes without discovery, no live references, refusal to share code samples or architecture diagrams, and pricing that's dramatically below market. Any two of these in a single conversation is enough to walk away. For the long-form version, see how to choose a software development company.
Who owns the IP and source code? What's your incident response SLA? How do you handle scope changes mid-sprint? Which of your past projects most resembles ours, and can we speak to that client? What's your handover plan if we want to move in-house in year two? Vendors who answer these crisply tend to deliver crisply.
Book a free consultation and we'll map this framework to your project — no fluff, no sales pressure.
