How to Choose a Software Development Company in Nigeria: 8 Questions to Ask
Choosing the wrong software development company is one of the most expensive mistakes a business can make. Projects stall, costs escalate, and the code you end up with may be unmaintainable. The good news: most bad decisions are avoidable. They come from moving too quickly and asking too few questions. Here is a framework that changes that.
1. Can you show me production code or live products you have shipped?
Portfolio pages are easy to produce. Live URLs and real case studies are not. Ask to see products that are actively being used by real users. Ask about the scale, monthly active users, transaction volumes, uptime history. A company that has shipped real products in production will be able to answer these questions without hesitation.
2. Who will actually work on my project?
Some agencies present senior engineers in sales calls and assign junior developers to the actual work. Ask directly: who is the lead engineer on this project? What is their background? Will any of the work be subcontracted? Get names, not job titles.
3. How do you handle project management and communication?
Weekly status calls, written updates, access to a project management tool: these are table stakes. What matters more is: what happens when something goes wrong? How are scope changes handled? How are delays communicated? Ask for a sample status report from a previous project.
4. What does your technical process look like?
You do not need to understand every detail, but the answer should include: version control (Git), code review process, testing approach, deployment pipeline, and staging environment. If a company cannot describe their development process clearly, the code they produce will reflect that.
5. How do you handle contracts, IP ownership, and NDAs?
All code written for your project should be your intellectual property upon final payment. This should be explicit in the contract. NDAs should be available before you share any sensitive business details. Be cautious of companies that push back on standard IP assignment language.
6. What does post-launch support look like?
Launching is not the end. Bugs appear, infrastructure needs maintenance, and products need iteration. Ask what the handover process looks like: will you receive documentation? Source code access? Is there a maintenance retainer option? A company that disappears after launch is a liability.
7. What are the red flags I should watch for?
Price that seems dramatically lower than others (often means corners are being cut or scope is being misunderstood). Inability to answer technical questions directly. Vague timelines with no written milestones. Pressure to start work before a written agreement is in place. Reluctance to provide client references.
8. Can I speak to a previous client?
The most revealing question. A company with strong client relationships will connect you without hesitation. The conversation does not need to be long, a ten-minute call with a previous client will tell you more than any portfolio page.
Talk to us. We welcome scrutiny.
We will answer every question on this list before you commit to anything. Submit a brief and let us earn your confidence.