Smart Business Magazine, August 2017

82 Smart Business Cleveland August 2017 Vetting the team How to choose developers for a SaaS project Entrepreneurs and businesses are making significant investments in Software as a Service SaaS While these initiatives are predicated on a strong idea they often lack the follow through needed to succeed The key thing is to build a solid product that fills a clearly defined niche says Jeff Schafer Chief Revenue Officer and Digital Strategist at Metisentry The build it and they will come model doesnt work Businesses need a solid operational plan that follows the launch as well as a partnership with a team of knowledgeable people working behind the scenes to keep the business and technology innovation on track Smart Business spoke with Schafer about what to look for in a SaaS development team What should companies look for in a development team The first thing to consider is knowledge Find a team that has five or more years building SaaS products and have their name on products that are out in the market making money The latter is a big differentiator and its overlooked Developers instead are chosen because the client likes the development marketing or product team or they feel comfortable because the team understands the concept Carefully consider the success of the products the development team has built in the past Otherwise you can start planning your Version 20 launch with a more qualified team Make sure the team has a project manager with 10 or more years experience at the helm Dont settle for less Work with a development team that is skilled at security and regulated technology Ask if they are familiar with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards compliance or HIPAA compliance Developers who have had to meet those security standards and can manage the associated audits and can implement the necessary security hardening tactics can conceivably build a program that keeps any information secure Those who havent had to overcome such security obstacles could leave the program vulnerable to attack and the client will pay for that in the future Also clients need to make sure theyre not sold the A team but assigned the B team Its common that a team will bring in its top strategists and developers to the initial meeting and then assign the junior developers the job with the promise of senior level oversight Consider leadership abilities and the composition of the whole production team before a project begins What are some red flags companies should look out for when choosing a development team Development teams have a tendency to think theyre creating a product for themselves and lose sight of the needs of the audience Make sure the purpose and end user is clearly defined Sometimes the scope of the product is unnecessarily widened there are 40 features that can be built but only five are necessary Including too many features risks overwhelming users Have a plan for what happens after launch in terms of marketing and support Thats usually best handled by a combination of an industry evangelist and a product manager Who are the critical members of a development team A production manager coordinates and defines what the product will and wont do They manage the budget for product development and post launch operations keeping the big picture in mind and herd the cats to make sure the product is delivering on the promises of the visionary The visionary is the face of the company who defines to the public what makes the product unique and connects it to the audience They come up with the concept maintain the message and enhance the brand This requires charisma to create a connection to the concept that people can relate to and continue to evolve that message because consumers are fickle so whats unique one day isnt unique the next Many products flop because the development team wasnt capable of executing through all stages of a products creation and rollout Vetting the team is a crucial step toward preventing that from happening JEFF SCHAFER Chief Revenue Officer CRO and Digital Strategist Metisentry 330 294 4910 jschafer@ metisentry com Insights SaaS Business is brought to you by Metisentry LINK UP Jeff led SaaS teams that built Stationcheck coms fire station preparedness app and 60MinuteKidsClub coms fitness tracking app Connect with Jeff at linkedin com in fiveseat INTERVIEWED BY ADAM BURROUGHS INSIGHTS SAAS BUSINESS