Keys to success for remote software development team

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

Remote software development team best practices

Remote work is very popular nowadays. In an ideal world, every CTO would have unlimited access to talented people living nearby the office and having the expectations their employer may fulfill.

Different reports present different numbers, but in general, the demand for software developers is still much higher than the supply for a long time. So, remote work is sometimes the only option to increase a company's capability of doing their main business.

But how to be a good partner to a company when you see each other only a few times a year?

To do remote work effectively, you have to be really proactive. If you aren't active on Slack, you become invisible to the client. Answering emails after 3 days is not an option. Probably you're doing your job, but to give your client the feeling that you are part of the company, you just can't ignore public discussions, not answer open questions, etc.

What I've observed is that the number of people actively involved in meetings is not linearly dependent on the number of participants. In 3-people meetings, it's highly probable that everyone will have something to say. But when 13 people participate, I would be surprised if more then 4-5 people were involved. Can you afford to be in this quiet group?

People working on-site see each other for a few hours a day; they have many chances to talk. But for remote workers, it's sometimes the only chance to talk to some people with whom they work on a daily basis. It's good to seize the opportunity. But to do it well, you have to be prepared, ask the right questions, and offer solutions.

One of the most important things when working remotely is trust. I think that being transparent is the most important factor that may help in building relationships based on trust. I identified two main areas where being transparent is critical for remote teams:

Before I started to work as a member of a remote team, I was working in an IT department of a bigger company. We would sit together for 8 hours a day. Even if someone had to be off for a few hours, everyone knew about it. The popularity of flexible working time is something really great in our profession, but when working remotely, you have to remember that your client does not sit next to you, and it's always good to inform them upfront about longer off times.

Estimates come with some inaccuracy by definition. It may sometimes happen that you fail to deliver some feature or fix a bug on time. When working on-site, everyone sees you trying to deliver an underestimated story. It's not so visible when you work so hard off-site.

Use existing processes (for instance, daily standup) to talk about problems as soon as you identify them. Inaccurate estimations are acceptable if they have real reasons. But informing about delays is almost always required, and not being transparent here may undermine the relationship you have with your partner.

A casual developer's day consists mostly of coding and meetings. The number of meetings often depends on the seniority, but if you work in a Scrum team, you have about 4 mandatory meetings in a Sprint plus daily standups. Not too much. So you can be focused on tickets, and probably that's why you were hired as an external team member.

But can you do something more for the client? Are there any problems with the existing process you see, and you have an idea of how to improve it? Or maybe there is no space to share the technical news or interesting presentations with other developers, and you think it would positively influence the company's technical culture? There are many options to not only be a coder, which in remote teams is very important.

It's strange, but IT companies building cutting-edge solutions sometimes have problems with basic technical things like the internet connection or setting up meetings with screen sharing and audible voice. It's very similar to developers having problems with the microphone or headphones.

You probably meet developers experiencing such problems often, and those that have it rarely or never. I bet both groups have the same types of problems, but one simply identified the root cause and solved it right after it occurred for the first time.

You may have some issues once, maybe twice, but if you have some problems constantly, it means that you are not paying enough attention to them. If you work remotely, a proper audio setup is a very important thing in your toolbelt.

The list above contains things that are important in professional work, no matter if you work remotely or not. But when being on-site, you get many opportunities to minimize the consequences of not remembering about them. When you're not sitting in the same office as your client, you need to pay more attention to be active, transparent, and well prepared. At the end of the day, you may become as important to your partner as on-site developers, and that may bring value for both sides.

How to be a good partner to a company when you see each other only a few times a year?

True cost of software outsourcing - how can you meassure this?

After founding Solidstudio, Pawel was an originator in terms of pursuing expertise in eMobility. With the build-up of a solid knowledge-base on industry’s needs & wants, he now keeps a close eye on products’ development. He’s also hugely responsible for the business’ side and designs the business models for our products.

Paweł Małkowiak

Software development outsourcing is the term used when a technology company is hired to create and build a business’ IT systems. A hugely beneficial practise, outsourcing in this way can help small to mid-sized companies in particular not only gain a competitive edge, but significantly reduce costs and implementation time.

While the premise of software development outsourcing is quite simple and its benefits clear, finding a reputable company to deliver such services can be a challenge. Google ‘software development companies’ and the result is seemingly endless pages of vendors offering their services at competitive rates. So how do you know which of those developers will properly fulfill your needs and offer true value for money?

Knowing what to expect from a vendor, from both a service level and cost perspective is vital before choosing the best 

 for your business. There are a number of considerations that will help you identify a reputable software development company, all of which are detailed here, plus how much you should expect to pay for such services.

Software development outsourcing: What to consider

Outsourcing software development involves a significant level of trust from both parties to work successfully. More often than not, a business will have to share confidential and valuable data in order to get the IT systems it requires. Any reputable software development company will understand this and offer a service that not only meets a brief from technological perspective, but a human one too. To find a tech partner who will do just that, look out for vendors with the following attributes:

 – A reputable software development company will be sympathetic to their line of work being highly specialised, and will therefore help clients form requirements, ask difficult question and make sure all parties are completely clear on the business’ objectives

 – Making sure a software development company has the right skillset to fulfill technical requirements is vital, as any gaps in knowledge could lead to costly delays. A close look at a vendor's portfolio will give a good indication of whether the team possesses the correct skills, across the most relevant technology.

 – The more senior a team, the more business-orientated it is. A good way to gauge experience levels is to look at ‘Meet the team’ pages and see what percentage senior developers account for.

 – While a project might need multiple developers input, it’s a good idea to choose a vendor who will assign developers to one project at a time. Not only will the sense of ownership help increase a developer’s output, but means each project has one firm point-of-contact.

 – Any software development company worth it’s weight will help a client see past the ‘now’ with any technical requirements, and offer the expertise to scale a project up or down as needs and situations change.

 – Developers are in high demand globally, but that shouldn’t mean waiting long periods for projects to get off the ground. At Solidstudio, development can start in a matter of weeks, with the initial planning phase up and running in a matter of days.

 – A quality software development company will stay in regular contact with clients for a project’s entirety. At Solidstudio, weekly and biweekly calls are standard practise. Clients are also invited to join internal communication channels and are welcome to dial into daily standups if they so wish.

 – The last but one of the most important considerations of all. A quality software development company will be completely transparent at every stage of a project’s progression. From planning and implementation, to costs and potential issues, any work completed should be visible to the client, at any point. Be wary of talk of or signs of further outsourcing from within the vendor – this is also a major red flag.

Software development outsourcing: How much should it cost?

So now you know what to look for in an outsourcing software development company, the next big question is how much should it cost? Giving an exact figure here is almost impossible for two main reasons; firstly, because every project will have different requirements. And secondly, creating a digital product is a process of constant change, and therefore an estimate provided at initial contact stages could easily change (sometimes significantly) as the project evolves.

In order to get a realistic estimate, the best first step is to spend a good amount of time considering what your product requirements are and drawing it up into a project specification document. This should broadly outline how the required software should function, in both the short and long term, which will help vendors understand what level of work and seniority is required. It will also help avoid any misunderstandings in the development cycle and costly delays.

After sharing this document and an initial consultation with your chosen vendor before any work is carried out, you should expect an estimate based on an initial assessment of how much work is involved and the level of seniority it will require. Solidstudio has a track record of smaller end-to-end software development projects over a three-month period, as well as bigger, on-going projects and so can quickly offer very accurate initial estimates. These would include costs for:

It is worth reiterating costs can (and almost certainly will) change as a project evolves. Be wary of low estimates, cheaper estimates don’t necessarily offer the best value, and can often include hidden costs that soon add up. Reputable software development outsourcing companies will be completely transparent when it comes to costs, keeping clients abreast of any changes, and ensuring to check before undertaking new work that might add to the bill.

 is often best suited to IT outsourcing. This pricing method means fees are configured based on the amount of time spent on a project, combined with the cost of the effort (materials) used in the process. Solidstudio works to an hourly rate structure of $40-75, depending on the level of seniority required, with management overlay kept to a minimum.

For more information on software development outsourcing, or for an estimate, contact the Solidstudio team!

True cost of outsourcing - how can you meassure this? Read our article to find out.

Software development outsourcing: what to consider and how much does it cost?

Types of clients to avoid when you run software development business.

Everyone who dreams about starting their own software company needs to answer this question: I know how to build stuff, but where am I going to find my (first) clients?

I’m not going to share a guide to finding clients here. I’m not in the position to give people advice about it. I want to share my observations of the different client types who approach software companies - to be more precise, the client types you better avoid.

I’m not sure whether the more you grow, the fewer such clients approach, you manage to build mechanisms that block them, or you gain more experience and learn how to talk with such clients.

I feel that we’ve been dealing with a relatively high number of such 'cliche clients' in our early days. Another possible explanation is that at some point such clients no longer bother you that much since the people you want to do business with are in your sales funnel too.

Before listing my three least favourite types of clients, I want to note that I think some of them can still be transformed into leads. The question is: will the contract benefit you as well the client or just a client?

A common way to validate your startup idea is discussing it with others. The more you talk, the more your idea can be challenged and improved. It also gives you more information about possible competition. It can even help you find a partner or a customer. I’ve always thought that’s the most sensible way of founding a startup - or any other business, to be honest. It turned out a lot of people feel exactly the opposite.

Here’s an exaggerated representation of the conversation I’ve had many times (

 Hello, I have an idea, and I would like to talk about it as I am looking for a tech partner.

 Hi - sure, we can help you with that. What do you have in mind?

 Well, it is like an Uber for Crypto. But I can’t tell you any more details.

 Ok, I will keep everything confidential, but I need some information.

 Of course! I am sending you an NDA. Please sign it so we can talk.

Well, nothing wrong until this point, an NDA is a pretty standard thing, and it’s understandable to protect a business idea. Then the situation develops...

 I am looking at the NDA, and it says I need to pay you $500k for any single wrongdoing... I’m pretty sure our contract will not be worth that much, can we think about a more rational number?

 (conversation begins to chill) What do you have in mind? $500k is not a significant number if you think how much the idea is worth.

I can add a few more things here: rage, theft accusations, and swearing included. I understand the need to protect your ideas, but if the client starts the cooperation with a trust level equaling zero and is convinced everybody wants to steal from them - no NDAs will change that attitude. Collaborating on simple tasks will become a nightmare.

 Well, I want you to sign this $500k NDA, but I don’t have money to pay you for the work - can it be equity?

2. Treat everything as due yesterday - except the money.

We may laugh a little about the first client, but this second type can cause severe damage. Cashflow is crucial at every point for a service company. Developer salaries, equipment, office - all of that generates substantial costs, and lack of money can let you to bankruptcy in just a moment. The brutal truth is that in the early days, a software company is two invoices from going down.

If the client is not paying, is late with the payment or continuously tries to find ways to postpone the transfer - in my mind, that’s the biggest red flag there can be and a sign to quit any cooperation with the client. As painful as it can be - it will be always less painful than finding out there is no money to pay your staff with by the end of a month.

Sometimes you read an e-mail or answer a phone call that seems to be perfect. The client knows what they want, has an idea about the price, and has structures and processes in place to handle your team. There is only one ‘but’ - it all needs to happen now.

Such a conversation seems so right and tempting at the beginning of running your own company that you may rush into it - you call friendly agencies to ask if they have anybody spare to join you ASAP, move some of the developers from internal projects, and neglect other (possibly important!) leads. Once you have it all or most of it in place, contact goes silent.

Well… it happens - you think. But after a few weeks the same client calls, gives you a decent excuse and the situation happens all over, including the going silent part.

I don’t think there is a way to defend from such client. The difference between an experienced salesman and a newbie, is the latter is so excited about everything that they may go through a number of such cycles before giving up on such client.

At Solidstudio we had the pleasure of working with great clients. Sometimes with ok ones. We managed to cut off not paying customers and avoid signing deals with cagey ones. I believe trust is the most critical value in a business and not having it with the client will prevent you from building a meaningful and lasting relationship that works for both parties.

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Running and scaling a software company - Client Types

Case study and runtime observation of Solidstudio - introduction.

There are a lot of software developers in Poland. A lot. It started out slowly, but over the years people realised it’s a pretty good job here - high salaries (compared to to the national median), many job offers from foreign companies, and stable income.

My name is Paweł, and I’m one of them.

I graduated from the University of Science and Technology in Cracow, Faculty of Automation and Robotics, stayed around afterwards and picked up a job as a junior software developer at Ericsson. I switched companies a few times, and every time the change came with a promotion or raise. I worked for companies like Sabre, Oracle, and UBS. They say everybody wants to open a bar with friends at some point in their life and I think that’s what happened to me - I was always talking and thinking about opening my own technology company.

As far as I understood it, there were two ways. One would be to have an IT product and develop it. Another, running a company that creates IT products for others.

Well... we could now jump to summarising my adventures with my own product, but some subjects better be buried... Instead, let’s focus on the bright side and talk about running a software house/software company/software agency/IT company/bespoke software development company and any other term that describes building and delivering software to companies (you learn how many terms there is in the world to describe it as soon as you start to care about SEO...).

I can’t say what’s more difficult: starting a company and making it through the first year or scaling it up so it becomes a real business. Here’s one thing I know for sure: the amount of knowledge, experience, and relationships required to accomplish the latter is massive.

In this series of articles, I don’t want to talk about the real beginning, as I don't want to describe the joy and struggle that are part of running a company for the very first time. Solidstudio has just celebrated its first anniversary. Within one year, we grew from 3 developers focused on a single client to 10 people working with three different clients and with the appetite for more.

As a guy with no business education or experience, I want to take a look at several areas that (at this very moment!) are our main challenges and things we consider as must-have to build a self-organised, financially stable, and trustworthy IT company.

How to run a software development company?

There are many great places to build knowledge about running a company, even an IT company specifically. There are many great books and blogs written by Polish and English authors. Podcasts are still a pretty new thing, but they’re growing fast - for me, podcasts turned out to be the best source of information. Stories of how companies were built, sales lessons, case studies and many, many more.

There is one thing that annoyed me in all of this content - the lack of details. Numbers, detailed descriptions of SEO strategies, numbers of leads that transform into SQL (Sales Qualified Lead - yeah, difficult acronym.. just learned it a few months ago), named examples.

With this article, I want to start a series of posts where I share my experience. It’s not going to be about how to build a successful company. It will describe one’s journey while trying to do that. And it will be a series that features all the details I’ve mentioned above (limited by common sense and legal agreements).

I hope it will be of some use to others and offer valuable insights about the IT industry. I’m still discussing subjects of next articles - if you have any preferences or are particularly interested in a topic, please let me know, I’ll try to figure it out.

Remote work

28 FEBRUARY 2020 • 5 MIN READ