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We're evaluating a few app development partners for an upcoming mobile project and realized that every company highlights similar things: AI capabilities, fast delivery, cross-platform expertise, UX, security, and cost efficiency.

For those who've hired an external development team, what actually made the biggest difference after the project started?

Some questions I'm considering:

How do you evaluate technical expertise beyond their portfolio?
How important are industry-specific case studies?
Do you prioritize communication and project management over hourly rates?
What questions do you ask before signing a contract?
How do you verify code quality, scalability, and long-term maintainability?
Are there any red flags that made you avoid a company?

I'd love to hear from founders, product managers, CTOs, or anyone who's worked with an external app development partner. What would you do differently if you were choosing again?