Owning your code: what to ask before you sign with any agency
Five questions that separate a supplier you can leave from one you cannot. Ask them of us too.
Where will the repository live? The answer should be your own account, from the first commit rather than at handover. If the code only exists in the agency's workspace, you are renting it.
Whose name is on the hosting, the domain, and the database? These get set up in a hurry at the start of a project and quietly become the thing that makes leaving expensive. They should be yours on day one.
What is proprietary? Some agencies build on an in-house framework you cannot take elsewhere. That is not automatically bad, but you should know before you sign, not when you ask for the code.
What does handover include? Written documentation, credentials, and a walkthrough for whoever picks it up next. And finally: what happens if we stop working together — a supplier who has thought about that answer is usually the safer one.
More engineering notes
What a website actually costs in India, and what you are paying for
Quotes for the same brief range from ₹20,000 to ₹20 lakh. Here is what actually drives the number, so you can tell which end you are being quoted from.
Why your fee collection is stuck at 60%, and what actually moves it
Most schools blame parents. In every institute we have worked with, the number moved when the process changed — not when the follow-up got louder.
Do you need an app, or just a better website?
An app is a bigger commitment than most businesses realise. Three questions that tell you honestly which one you need.
