How to choose a software company in Iraq: 9 questions before you sign

Why do so many software projects fail?

Most projects don’t fail on technology but on unclear scope, unwritten expectations and no support after delivery. A project that starts with “we want an app like X” and no scope document usually ends in a dispute over what was agreed.

The questions below are designed to surface those risks early — before the first payment.

The nine questions

Ask every company you’re considering, and compare the answers in writing:

• Can I see a system running at a previous client and speak to them?
• Who owns the source code after payment, and is it delivered in a repository in my name?
• What are the written response times for critical and normal incidents?
• Is the interface designed for Arabic from the start, or translated later?
• Does the system support dinar, dollar and a daily exchange rate?
• How does the system behave when the internet drops?
• Are payments tied to milestones I can see and test?
• Who will actually work on my project — employees or contractors?
• What happens if I want to move the system to another team in future?

Red flags

Be wary of a price quoted before any analysis, refusal to hand over source code, proposals that omit the server, admin panel and hosting, and the absence of a written support agreement. These aren’t details; they signal costs you’ll pay later.

How to compare proposals

Put the proposals in one table: detailed scope, timeline, payments, code ownership, support and hosting. The cheapest proposal that omits support and hosting often becomes the most expensive after a year.

To see how we answer these same questions ourselves, our custom software development company in Iraq page explains how we work, step by step, and what you receive at the end of the project.