IT development company

For an SME, entrusting the creation of custom software to an IT development company is a real investment: financial, human and organisational.

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How do I choose the right IT development company for my digitalisation project?

To maximise your chances of success, here are the key criteria to consider when selecting an IT provider.

Check the sector expertise of the IT companies on your shortlist

Not all IT development companies have the same experience:

  • Favour a provider that has already worked in your sector (industry, healthcare, education, electric mobility, accounting and invoicing…).
  • Analyse its client cases: for example, Yelido developed LoToTo for Knauf/Engis (HSE processes) and Noé for Smi-Le (digitalisation of nursing rounds), demonstrating its command of regulatory and operational challenges.

This specialisation reduces the time needed to understand your business context and ensures a relevant result for your SME.

Make sure of an agile methodology and a commitment to transparency

An “agile” approach gives you:

  • Constant visibility on progress thanks to demonstrations at every stage,
  • The possibility of adjusting the scope and the user experience before too large an investment is committed,
  • Co-development in which your feedback is taken into account continuously.

Also check that the IT provider offers a functional specification document (development requirements) that you can understand.

Favour proximity to your IT development company and post-deployment support

For a Belgian SME, geographical proximity to its IT development company makes communication easier and improves responsiveness:

  • Choose a company based in Belgium (or in Europe) for more flexibility in organising scoping workshops and training sessions.
  • Confirm that there is an evolutive maintenance contract, including fixes, security updates and regulatory adaptations.

At Yelido, for example, you benefit from hosting approved by the FPS Health (for health data), responsive support after go-live and a dedicated hotline for urgent questions.

How do I prepare my SME for a project with an IT development company?

For an SME, starting the creation of custom software with an IT development company requires a minimum of preparation to ensure the project succeeds.

Know how to define your needs for your future IT development company

Even before choosing which IT development company will handle your project, you can carry out a small internal review of your existing processes to see more clearly and simplify your search for a provider:

  • List the tools in place (Excel spreadsheets, customer relationship management software or CRM, enterprise resource planning software or ERP, etc.).
  • Identify the bottlenecks: delays in information, manual re-entry, synchronisation errors.
  • Distinguish the essential features (must-have) from those that can wait (nice-to-have).
  • Technical and regulatory constraints (integration with an existing application, GDPR compliance, FPS Health approval for health data, etc).

This step lets you write a short functional specification, which will serve as a reference to assess how well the commercial proposals understand your needs and how relevant they are.

Prepare for change by building positive momentum around the project

For your SME to get the full benefit of its partnership with its IT development company, you need:

  • Targeted communication and change management: Even before talking about features, identify the possible points of friction and openly address your employees’ legitimate objections (fear of the unknown, concern about extra work). It is crucial to create, from the outset, a climate of transparency and awareness of the necessary digital transition, in order to reduce resistance and involve every employee in the digital transformation process.
  • Appoint either an internal lead or a cross-functional steering team (depending on the size of your SME/project): your challenges and real needs must be solidly represented in the feedback you give to your IT development company.

Choose Yelido as your IT development company!

At Yelido, nothing is left to chance: we support you step by step, from defining your needs to evolutive maintenance, so that your custom business software becomes a real performance driver for your business.

Ready to launch your project? Contact the Yelido experts today and find out how to turn your unique needs into operational digital solutions.

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