Questions to Ask a Development Agency Before Signing
Practice3 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
Before signing, ask the agency about process, team, code ownership, testing, support and how the price is built. Good answers are specific, avoid "we will handle everything" and come with a willingness to put them in the contract.
Why ask before signing
The conversation before signing is the cheapest way to check a vendor. The answers show how the agency really works. The general rule: a good answer is specific — it names stages, roles and tools and the agency is ready to put it in writing. A bad answer is "don't worry, we'll handle it".
Questions about process
What does the work look like from kickoff to launch? Good answer: the agency names stages — analysis, design, development, testing, launch — and what you receive at each.
How often will I see results? Good answer: regular demos of a working version and access to a staging environment. Bad answer: "we'll show you when it's ready".
What happens if I want to change something? Good answer: the change is described, estimated in time and cost, and you decide whether to accept it.
Questions about the team
Who exactly will work on the project? Good answer: names and roles — manager, designer, developers, QA. There should be one person responsible for communication.
Have these people built similar projects? Good answer: examples you can look at and an honest account of the difficulties.
Will any work be subcontracted? Good answer: a direct yes or no, and if yes, to whom and on what terms.
Questions about ownership and access
Who will own the source code? Good answer: the client, and it is stated in the contract.
Where will the code live, and whose name are the server, domain and store accounts in? Good answer: in a repository you can access; key accounts are registered to your company.
Questions about quality and testing
How do you test the product? Good answer: a description of manual and automated testing, checks on the devices and browsers you need.
How do you review code? Good answer: code review within the team, shared style rules, version control.
What counts as done? Good answer: an offer to agree on acceptance criteria for each feature.
Questions about support
What happens after launch? Good answer: a warranty period for bug fixes and separate terms for ongoing support.
How quickly do you respond to critical failures? Good answer: clear response times written into the support agreement.
Could another team continue the work? Good answer: yes — there is documentation, deployment instructions and a clear code structure.
Questions about price
How was the estimate built? Good answer: a breakdown by stage or feature, a list of assumptions, and what is not included.
Fixed price or time and materials? Good answer: the agency explains the pros and cons of both models for your specific project.
What costs exist beyond development? Good answer: servers, domains, paid services, store publishing and support are named upfront.
Worrying answers
- a promise to do "everything, fast" without asking you anything;
- reluctance to show the team or projects;
- refusal to hand over code and access;
- a price with no breakdown;
- no answer about testing.