Minimum Viable Product · Project management
I found a potential web development firm to build out an MVP for the startup I’m building, CloudConservatory.com. However, there are a couple aspects of the deal that have raised questions and perhaps a yellow flag of concern.
I’d love to get thoughts and guidance.
This firm has just set up shop here in Boston, with a newly assembled team. I like the lead project manager and trust his input. As his 2 developers have extensive experience.
So I sat down with the team and described the idea for my platform that is going to integrate live streaming video (using the OpenTok api), archiving of those video streams, user accounts & profiles, and scheduling & payment capabilities. In the end, the team loved the concept and the prospect of building it out.
The concern, though, is that they put together a quote for only $15k. My expectation was something closer to 3-6x that range. Also, they expressed that it should only take 6-8 weeks. Again, expectation tells me that 3-4 months is more realistic.
When I asked the lead project manager the motivation behind the pricing, he mentioned:
Is this an opportunity I should embrace? Or what do I need to look out for or keep in mind? I’m not a developer myself, but do have a couple local friends who are willing to look over code and general architecture.
Cheers in advance, Trevor