Development vendor scorecard

Technical depth

• They asked about your constraints before proposing a stack

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They asked about your constraints before proposing a stack

  1 2 3 4 5
• They can explain a past technical trade-off and what it cost A partner with no regrets has not shipped enough.

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They can explain a past technical trade-off and what it cost

  1 2 3 4 5
• They pushed back on something in your brief

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They pushed back on something in your brief

  1 2 3 4 5
• You will meet the engineers who do the work, not just a lead

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You will meet the engineers who do the work, not just a lead

  1 2 3 4 5
• They were specific about testing, not just "we do QA"

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They were specific about testing, not just "we do QA"

  1 2 3 4 5

Delivery process

• You can see working software regularly, not only at milestones

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You can see working software regularly, not only at milestones

  1 2 3 4 5
• They described what happens when an estimate turns out to be wrong

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They described what happens when an estimate turns out to be wrong

  1 2 3 4 5
• Deployment and environments are their responsibility, not an afterthought

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): Deployment and environments are their responsibility, not an afterthought

  1 2 3 4 5
• They have a defined handover process, not just a final invoice

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They have a defined handover process, not just a final invoice

  1 2 3 4 5
• They asked who on your side makes decisions

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They asked who on your side makes decisions

  1 2 3 4 5

Communication

• You know exactly who you speak to day to day

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You know exactly who you speak to day to day

  1 2 3 4 5
• Time zone overlap is enough for real conversation, not just handoffs

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): Time zone overlap is enough for real conversation, not just handoffs

  1 2 3 4 5
• There is a named escalation path when something goes wrong Ask who you call at 9pm during an incident. Hesitation is the answer.

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): There is a named escalation path when something goes wrong

  1 2 3 4 5
• They write things down — you have already seen evidence of this

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They write things down — you have already seen evidence of this

  1 2 3 4 5

Commercial terms

• The quote is itemised, so you can see what each part costs

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): The quote is itemised, so you can see what each part costs

  1 2 3 4 5
• You understand precisely what triggers a change order

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You understand precisely what triggers a change order

  1 2 3 4 5
• Payment is tied to delivered milestones

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): Payment is tied to delivered milestones

  1 2 3 4 5
• You know the cost of ongoing support before you commit

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You know the cost of ongoing support before you commit

  1 2 3 4 5

Ownership and exit

The most important section, and the one most often skipped.

• You own all code, designs and documentation outright

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You own all code, designs and documentation outright

  1 2 3 4 5
• Work happens in your repositories and your cloud accounts

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): Work happens in your repositories and your cloud accounts

  1 2 3 4 5
• The stack is mainstream enough for another team to pick up A proprietary framework is a lock-in disguised as an efficiency.

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): The stack is mainstream enough for another team to pick up

  1 2 3 4 5
• You could leave in 30 days and still run the software

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): You could leave in 30 days and still run the software

  1 2 3 4 5
• They gave a straight answer to the exit question without flinching

  Score from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong): They gave a straight answer to the exit question without flinching

  1 2 3 4 5