Hiring the wrong developer or agency is expensive. The cost shows up in missed deadlines, unexpected invoices, poor-quality code you will have to pay someone else to fix, and products that never actually launch. These questions help you evaluate any developer or agency before you commit.
Portfolio and Experience Questions
- Can you share 3 live URLs of websites or apps you built in the past 12 months?
- Have you built a project similar to mine? Can I see it?
- What is the most complex technical challenge you solved in the last year?
- Can I speak directly with a past client who had a similar project to mine?
- What percentage of your projects launch on the originally agreed timeline?
Team and Process Questions
- Who specifically will work on my project? Can I meet them before we start?
- What is your end-to-end process from brief to launch?
- How do you handle feedback and revisions?
- What does your QA process look like before handoff?
- How do you manage scope changes and what is your change order process?
- How many other projects will my team be working on simultaneously?
- What tools do you use for project management and communication?
Technical Questions
- What technology stack would you recommend for this project and why?
- Who owns the code and all files at the end of the project?
- Will I receive source code or just a deployed product?
- How do you handle security and data privacy?
- What is the hosting setup and who manages it?
- How does deployment work and can I push updates independently after launch?
Commercial and Legal Questions
- What is included in your quote and what is explicitly not included?
- What are your payment terms and what triggers each payment milestone?
- What happens if we need to stop the project mid-way?
- Do you offer a warranty or bug-fix period after launch?
- What does ongoing support look like and what does it cost?
- What is your process if something goes wrong post-launch?
Red Flag Answers to Watch For
- They cannot provide live URLs or client references
- They cannot clearly explain who will work on your project
- They resist putting anything in writing
- They cannot explain their process in plain language
- They agree to everything without pushing back on anything — including an unrealistic timeline or budget
- They quote without asking any clarifying questions about your requirements
The most revealing question: "Tell me about a project that went badly and how you handled it." An agency or developer who can give you an honest, specific answer with lessons learned is significantly more trustworthy than one who claims everything always goes perfectly.
What Good Answers Look Like
A confident, experienced developer or agency will answer almost all of these questions without hesitation. They have clear processes, past client references they are proud to share, and nothing to hide about how they work. Hesitation, vague answers, or deflection on any of these questions is information worth acting on.
Want to work with an agency that can answer all of these?
Talk to us. We will answer every question clearly and put everything in writing.
Talk to Vola
Vola