Five-minute market research survey

How do businesses buy software development support?

This short survey looks at how businesses handle software backlogs, when they bring in outside development help, how they prefer that work to be run and what pricing feels reasonable. It takes about five minutes, answers are anonymous unless you choose to leave an email address, and every question is optional.

Section 1

Your business and software

A little context so the answers can be grouped sensibly.

How many people work in your business?

1-910-4950-199200-9991,000+

How important is custom software to how the business operates?

It is the product we sellIt runs core internal operationsIt supports a few processesWe mostly use off-the-shelf tools

Who currently develops or maintains your software?

An in-house development teamOne in-house developerA freelancer or contractorAn agency or development partnerNobody at the moment

Section 2

Backlogs and unfinished work

How requested work builds up, and what happens to it.

How much requested work is currently waiting to be delivered?

Very little, we keep upA handful of itemsA long list we revisit occasionallyMore than we can realistically track

Why does work usually get stuck?

Select all that apply.

Not enough development capacityCompeting prioritiesNobody owns the decisionBudget approval takes too longThe system is risky to changeKnowledge about the software has been lost

What does the delay actually cost the business?

Optional, in your own words.

Section 3

Buying external development support

How your business finds and engages outside help.

Have you used external software development support in the last two years?

Yes, currentlyYes, previouslyNo, but we have considered itNo

What usually triggers the decision to look outside?

Select all that apply.

A backlog that stopped movingA developer leftA specific project with a deadlineA system became unreliableA prototype needed to become production softwareHiring was too slow or too expensive

What makes buying external development support difficult?

Select all that apply.

Unclear or unpredictable pricingLong sales processesUncertain qualityToo much management overheadContract length and commitmentHanding over access to systems

Who signs off on that spend?

Founder or managing directorOperations or financeTechnology lead or CTODepartment headA committee or board

Section 4

Working arrangements

How you would expect an external team to fit around yours.

How would you prefer work to be tracked?

Inside our own project management systemOn the supplier's board, linked to oursA shared summary, updated regularlyNo preference, as long as work ships

How involved would your team expect to be day to day?

Daily contact and ceremoniesA weekly check-inUpdates when work is deliveredAs little as possible

Which is more useful to you?

One priority finished properly at a timeSeveral items progressing in parallelIt depends on the work

Section 5

Pricing

How you would expect this kind of support to be priced.

Which pricing model would you most trust?

A fixed monthly subscriptionA day rateA fixed price per projectHourly billingOutcome or milestone based

What monthly budget would feel reasonable for ongoing senior development support?

Under £1,000£1,000 - £2,499£2,500 - £3,999£4,000 - £6,999£7,000+I genuinely do not know

Would you pay a small fee for an assessment before committing to ongoing work?

Yes, if it is credited against later workYes, if the output is useful on its ownOnly if it is freeNo

Anything else you would want a software development partner to understand?

Optional.

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