Zoha provides software development outsourcing from Addis Ababa for teams commissioning a defined product or business workflow. We agree the first-release scope, delivery responsibilities, review points and handover with you. This guide explains the questions we work through before a remote engagement, including account access, source ownership, communication and ongoing support.
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Evaluate the difficult work with written evidence
A screenshot can show interface work without explaining a data migration or approval process. Ask about the part of your project that carries the greatest risk. Record the supplier's role and the limits of what each example demonstrates.
| Criterion | Evidence to request | Written assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Scope understanding | Questions, first-release boundary and exclusions | Clear, partial or unresolved |
| Delivery responsibility | Named roles, review points and acceptance tasks | Clear, partial or unresolved |
| Difficult workflow | A relevant explanation of normal use, mistakes and recovery | Clear, partial or unresolved |
| Access and ownership | Permission boundaries, source, accounts, data and exit arrangements | Clear, partial or unresolved |
| Continuity | Support coverage, change handling and knowledge handover | Clear, partial or unresolved |
Weight criteria according to the project, and keep notes behind each judgment. An operational system may need more emphasis on data integrity and continuity than an information website. Respect confidentiality: redacted demonstrations or explanations may be more appropriate than another customer's documents.
Ask who owns each decision
| Responsibility | Question for the proposal |
|---|---|
| Product decisions | Who prioritises the work and resolves conflicting requirements? |
| Delivery leadership | Who coordinates contributors and reports blockers? |
| Acceptance | Who checks the agreed examples and approves a release? |
| Accounts and code | Which accounts and repositories does the buyer control? |
| Support | Who receives a problem after handover, during which hours? |
Distinguish a supplier-led project from people joining your internally managed team. They place different coordination responsibilities on the buyer. Confirm the proposed role mix and availability rather than assuming everyone shown during sales will contribute.
- Ask what the supplier actually handled in a relevant reference: design, development, hosting and support may involve different teams.
- Confirm who will contribute to your engagement and who can make technical decisions.
- Ask how scope changes, delays and difficult feedback were handled.
- Request only information the reference is permitted to share; a recognizable logo is not evidence of every delivery role.
Use a first milestone that reduces uncertainty
In the interview, ask how the team would reason through one difficult case: an approved order needs correction, a user leaves or an import contains duplicates. Look for questions about the business rule and how it would be checked. This is a discussion of reasoning, not a request for a complete unpaid design.
If investigation is needed, agree a bounded first milestone: an application takeover review, a prototype for a risky journey or one working workflow with acceptance examples. Define deliverables, access, review and ownership so you know what another team could use if the engagement ends. Production access is not needed merely to request an initial estimate.
Agree your working arrangement with Zoha
Our delivery base is Addis Ababa. We discuss the overlap needed for decisions, demonstrations and written updates, with a named business contact and agreed buyer-owned accounts. For an Ethiopian buyer, confirm whether local workshops or remote reviews suit the project. Location does not replace an accountable technical lead, clear scope or recorded acceptance decisions.
Choose the Zoha service that matches the work: an outsourced project, a dedicated development arrangement or agency delivery under your own brand. The scope should state the actual roles, review process, ownership, support boundaries and handover materials for that engagement.