Five questions to ask a dev agency before you sign anything.
Most founders ask about price and timeline. Those are table stakes. The five questions below are the ones that reveal whether an agency can actually deliver — and whether they'll be honest with you when things go sideways.
The sales process for a dev agency is designed to build confidence. Polished decks, case study screenshots, a senior technical lead on the first call who disappears once you sign. Your job before the contract is to stress-test that confidence and find out what's real.
These five questions aren't hostile. They're professional. A good agency expects them and has clear answers. An agency that stumbles or deflects is telling you something.
Can we meet the actual developers who will build this?
The sales team and the delivery team are often two different groups. Agencies that sell on senior talent and deliver through juniors offshore are common. Meeting the build team before signing surfaces mismatches early — and good agencies always say yes to this request.
"Absolutely — let's schedule a technical discovery call with the lead developer on your project."
"We assign the best available talent once the contract is signed."
Can you show us a recent project similar to ours, with a reference we can call?
Portfolio screenshots and case studies are marketing. A live reference is signal. Agencies that have delivered projects like yours should have clients willing to talk. Agencies that can't provide references usually can't because outcomes weren't what clients expected.
A reference within 48 hours — ideally someone at a company of similar size and project type.
"We have confidentiality agreements with most clients." (This applies to a few, not all.)
What happens when scope changes, and how do you handle it?
Every project has scope changes. What differs between agencies is whether those changes are handled transparently or weaponised for margin. You want a process — a formal change order with written cost and timeline impact before any work starts on the change.
"We have a change order process: you submit the change, we estimate impact on cost and timeline in writing, you approve before we start."
"We're pretty flexible — we'll figure it out." (This means you'll see it on the final invoice.)
Who owns the IP and what does handover look like at the end?
IP ownership should be yours, completely, upon final payment — including all source code, assets, and documentation. Some contracts retain rights until payment clears. Others have perpetual license language that gives the agency ongoing rights. Ask specifically what the handover package includes.
"All IP transfers to you on final payment. You'll receive the full repo, deployment credentials, and a documented handover document."
"You'll have access to the product." (Access is not ownership.)
What is the biggest risk to this project, in your view?
This question separates honest agencies from sales-mode agencies. Every project has real risks — technical, timeline, third-party dependency, API availability. An agency that can't name at least one risk hasn't thought hard about your project. An agency that gives you a specific, honest answer has.
A specific technical or timeline risk named clearly, with a plan to mitigate it.
"We've done this before — we don't see any major risks." (Everything is a risk.)
The bonus question you can always ask.
"What would you do differently on your last project if you could go back?"
Every honest agency has an answer. It's usually technical — a different architecture choice, a discovery phase they rushed, a handoff they'd have documented better. An agency that says everything went perfectly on every project is describing a fantasy. The question also shows you how they process failure, which is the thing that matters most when your project hits turbulence.