The journey of any startup is perilous in the best of times and potentially disastrous when unexpected events interrupt a go-to-market roadmap. Regardless of the nature of a business interruption, reigniting operations or adapting to changes in markets can prove too much for tech startups.

This post examines three ingredients tech startups need to infuse more resiliency and agility into their business models. Through years of experience co-teaming with companies in Silicon Valley, Intelliware has found adding these three ingredients to their client’s cultures enabled them to pivot more effectively when market conditions changed suddenly. These companies now sing the praises of the added value they gained from partnering with the leading Canadian Agile specialists.

When is the right time to bring in outside help?

Many situations can trigger a situation that forces you to spin your wheels, resulting in delays or even paralysis in your company’s time-sensitive journey. And no wonder. A lot rides on your success, including the welfare of the people helping you deliver day in, day out. The global pandemic has disrupted business as we know it, and having to learn how to innovate while working remotely can only add more pressure to underlying concerns you may have about your product.

For example, maybe your prototype performs well in presentations, but it’s not ready for market. Or perhaps the next iteration of your application has stalled altogether, in the face of so much recent uncertainty. Whether facing a string of small defeats or looking to move your startup to the next build level, the right partnership can help you accomplish so much more with the resources you already have.

Training your team to build better

Practice makes perfect but can eat up valuable time and lead to dead ends. If you find yourself facing more obstacles than solutions, a second opinion from a trusted and experienced partner will likely reveal new options or paths you hadn’t considered. That’s the added value of choosing a strategic partner on the merit of experience over daily rates. Some startups call that added value the X factor of their success.

Three ingredients that increase business resilience

Learn to recognize value early in a new partnership using these three ingredients:

1. Complete a strategy and code review

Start with an Agile discovery process that focuses on developing a clear understanding of the current technology environment and your audiences and identifies your business, product, technology, and project objectives before mapping the best way forward. Get experts to review your code and provide you with an objective and informed opinion.

2. Adopt Agile processes

Set new standards for the way your software is built and delivered. by instructing your internal teams on how to plan, create, collaborate, and build using proven Agile processes.

3. Deliver using a co-teaming approach

A co-teaming approach ensures that you have the in-house capability to evolve and adapt your solution. Agile specialists, like Intelliware, can teach your teams Agile best practices that they can apply across all your projects.

What to look for when choosing a development partner

If you embark on a search for a partner, make sure you look for an Agile company with a portfolio of successful projects, ample domain expertise, and these qualities:

  • Technical expertise with access to development Centers of Excellence that can provide supplemental capabilities in technologies that may be valuable for your solution
  • Leadership that focuses on delivery, quality, efficiency and effectiveness  
  • User experience best practices that deliver leading-edge UX expertise
  • Talented people with tools and advice on hiring and developing highly functioning Agile delivery teams

 

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Discover the many benefits of nearshoring in our free new ebook: The Toronto Connection: Your business guide to securing a leading development partner. Learn why so many American tech companies work with application development firms in Toronto and what to look for in a great partner.