How to choose a software partner: 10 questions before you sign
The questions that separate a real technology partner from a vendor who delivers and disappears — code ownership, maintenance, deliverables, change costs.
Choosing a software company is a decision that will follow you for years — software is never truly “delivered”, it evolves. Yet most businesses make the call by looking at two things: the price and an impressive portfolio. The right questions are different.
The 10 questions
1. Who will actually write the code? The people you meet, or subcontractors you’ll never see? Subcontracting chains mean lost context and zero accountability.
2. Who owns the code? The right answer: you, upon final payment. If the code stays “theirs”, you’re locked in forever.
3. Where is it hosted, and in whose accounts? Domain, hosting and databases must live in accounts you own. Otherwise switching partners becomes hostage negotiation.
4. What ships every month? A serious partner shows working software at regular intervals — not progress reports. If the first demo lands in month six, worry.
5. What happens after launch? Ask for a concrete maintenance offer: response times, what’s included, what costs extra. “We’ll figure it out” translates to “you’ll pay”.
6. How are changes billed? Software always changes. If every small tweak is a new quote with a two-week wait, your tool will stagnate.
7. Have they built anything of their own? A company that runs its own products in production knows what software that must work every day means — because it wakes up with its problems.
8. Do they speak your language? If the first meeting is all technology and no questions about your operation, they’ll build what they know — not what you need.
9. What do they advise you NOT to build? A good consultant subtracts. If they agree with every idea you have, you’re buying hours, not judgement.
10. How do they measure success? Deliverables and deadlines are the minimum. Ask whether they’ll tie part of the engagement to business metrics: time saved, orders, conversions.
The real dilemma: vendor or partner
All ten questions collapse into one dilemma. A vendor takes a spec, delivers, invoices, leaves. A partner enters your operation, proposes, builds incrementally, stays to maintain, and measures the result in business language.
For a static website, a vendor is enough. For software that will run your business — internal tools, an online store, automations — you need the latter.
At Kronn we answer the ten questions before you ask them — they’re on our services page and in our contracts. If you’d rather ask them in person, book an intro call.