Key details at a glance
Phase 1 (Shortlist) narrows from portfolio review, case studies, LinkedIn team checks, and Glassdoor signals down to a top 5 firms. Phase 2 (Interview) — technical calls, hard questions, client references, and a redflag checklist — narrows further to a top 2 firms. Phase 3 (Paid Trial) — a 2-week discovery engagement assessing spec doc quality, communication pace, and how the team pushes back — selects the final 1 firm. Most businesses skip Phases 2 and 3 entirely — that's where 80% of bad partnerships begin. Phase 4 (Contract) should formalize IP ownership, source code rights, exit clauses, and payment terms only after the prior phases are complete.
