[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":164},["ShallowReactive",2],{"common:header":3,"common:footer":37,"common:common":46,"common:form":65,"common:organization":84,"post-how-we-vet-development-teams":141,"page:blog":160},{"navigation":4},{"links":5},[6,9,22,25],{"title":7,"link":8},"Home","\u002F",{"title":10,"link":11,"submenu":12},"Services","\u002Fservices\u002F",[13,16,19],{"title":14,"link":15},"IT Recruiting","\u002Fservices\u002Fit-recruiting\u002F",{"title":17,"link":18},"Staff Augmentation & Outstaffing","\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F",{"title":20,"link":21},"Dedicated Delivery Team","\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F",{"title":23,"link":24},"Career","\u002Fcareer\u002F",{"title":26,"link":27,"submenu":28},"Company","\u002Fabout-us\u002F",[29,31,34],{"title":30,"link":27},"About Us",{"title":32,"link":33},"Blog","\u002Fblog\u002F",{"title":35,"link":36},"FAQ","\u002Ffaq\u002F",{"copyrightHolder":38,"legalLinks":39},"D-Factor",[40,43],{"title":41,"link":42},"Privacy","\u002Fprivacy-policy",{"title":44,"link":45},"Cookie Policy","\u002Fcookie-policy",{"buttons":47,"contactUsSection":54,"contact":64},{"contactUs":48,"upload":49,"sendMessage":50,"bookCall":51,"leaveRequest":52,"clearForm":53},"Contact us","Upload","Send a message","Book a call","Leave a request","Clear form",{"title":48,"description":55,"phoneNumber":56,"email":57,"legalInfo":58},"Leave your request in the form or book a call with our specialists.  After that you can get a free consultation on your project or direct access to our verified staff database.","+48 888 420 245","info@d-factor.pro ",{"legalName":59,"registeredAddress":60,"krs":61,"nip":62,"regon":63},"D-Factor Sp. z o.o.","Aleja Armii Ludowej 6, 00-571 Warsaw, Poland","0000850123","5252847391","385621047","contact",{"labelName":66,"labelPhone":67,"labelEmail":68,"labelCompanyName":69,"labelMessage":70,"labelFiles":71,"labelLocation":72,"labelCoverLetter":73,"labelAttachCV":74,"upload":49,"or":75,"contactsUs":48,"forClients":76,"forDevelopers":77,"successMessage":78,"errorMessage":81},"Full Name*","Phone number","Email*","Company name","Message*","Attach file","Location","Cover letter","Attach CV","or","For clients","For developers",{"title":79,"text":80},"Thank you!","Your request has been accepted. We will contact you within 24 hours.",{"title":82,"text":83},"Error sending message!","Please, try again later or email us at info@d-factor.pro",{"name":38,"description":85,"url":86,"logo":87,"foundingDate":88,"address":89,"telephone":96,"email":97,"sameAs":98,"contactPoint":102,"hasOfferCatalog":109},"Verified software teams and specialists across Europe — nearshore outstaffing, dedicated development teams, and IT recruiting for UK and EU companies.","https:\u002F\u002Fd-factor.pro","https:\u002F\u002Fd-factor.pro\u002Fimages\u002Ficons\u002FLogo.svg","2017",{"@type":90,"streetAddress":91,"addressLocality":92,"addressRegion":93,"postalCode":94,"addressCountry":95},"PostalAddress","Aleja Armii Ludowej 6","Warsaw","Mazowieckie","00-571","PL","+48888420245","info@d-factor.pro",[99,100,101],"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fcompany\u002Fdfactor-pro\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fclutch.co\u002Fprofile\u002Fd-factor","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.goodfirms.co\u002Fcompany\u002Fd-factor-sp-z-o-o",{"@type":103,"telephone":96,"contactType":104,"areaServed":105,"availableLanguage":106},"ContactPoint","customer service","Worldwide",[107,108],"English","Polish",{"@type":110,"name":111,"numberOfItems":112,"itemListElement":113},"OfferCatalog","Nearshore IT Services",3,[114,124,133],{"@type":115,"itemOffered":116},"Offer",{"@type":117,"name":17,"description":118,"serviceType":119,"url":120,"areaServed":121,"provider":122},"Service","Vetted senior and mid-level specialists from our EU partner network on D-Factor payroll, integrated into your team and tools within 3–7 days. Shortlist in 48 hours. No freelancers, no hidden costs, EU contracts. We handle payroll and compliance — you direct the work.","Outstaffing \u002F Staff Augmentation","https:\u002F\u002Fd-factor.pro\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F","Global",{"@type":123,"name":38,"url":86},"Organization",{"@type":115,"itemOffered":125},{"@type":117,"name":126,"description":127,"serviceType":126,"url":128,"areaServed":129,"provider":132},"Dedicated Development Team","Composed nearshore dedicated development teams based in Poland and across the EU. Assembled for your roles and ways of working — exclusive to your roadmap for 6+ months. EU contracts, predictable billing, five-stage vetting, 100% IP yours.","https:\u002F\u002Fd-factor.pro\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F",{"@type":130,"name":131},"GeoShape","Western Europe, UK, North America",{"@type":123,"name":38,"url":86},{"@type":115,"itemOffered":134},{"@type":117,"name":135,"description":136,"serviceType":137,"url":138,"areaServed":139,"provider":140},"IT Recruiting for Tech Teams","Full-cycle IT recruitment for permanent in-house software engineering hires. Technical screening by senior engineers — sourced from Poland and the EU. 2–4 vetted finalists per role, not a stack of CVs. ~2 months to first day.","IT Recruitment","https:\u002F\u002Fd-factor.pro\u002Fservices\u002Fit-recruiting\u002F","Europe",{"@type":123,"name":38,"url":86},{"title":142,"slug":143,"description":144,"date":145,"modifiedAt":145,"author":146,"tags":147,"serviceTag":152,"category":153,"image":154,"readTime":155,"coverImage":154,"seoTitle":156,"ogTitle":142,"ogDescription":157,"ogImage":158,"body":159},"How We Vet Development Teams: D-Factor's 5-Stage Process","how-we-vet-development-teams","A practical look at how to vet a nearshore dedicated development team — reputation, process, technical interviews, a real test project, and partnership review — before anyone joins your roadmap.","2026-08-14","D-Factor Editorial",[148,149,150,151],"dedicated team","vetting","nearshore","software development partner","DDT","Dedicated Teams","\u002Fcontent\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-we-vet-development-teams\u002Fcover.webp",8,"How to Vet a Dedicated Development Team | 5-Stage Process | D-Factor","Trust a nearshore dedicated team before the first sprint. Five stages, engineer-led checks, no freelancer marketplace.","\u002Fcontent\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-we-vet-development-teams\u002Fog-image.jpg","\u003Cp>Choosing a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F\">nearshore dedicated development team\u003C\u002Fa> is not a logo exercise. The risk is not that someone can write code in a demo. The risk is that six months later you still do not own the product knowledge, the delivery rhythm, or a partner you can hold to a contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is why vetting has to happen \u003Cstrong>before\u003C\u002Fstrong> the first sprint — on the company, the way they work, and the people who will actually sit in your tools. D-Factor runs a \u003Cstrong>five-stage process\u003C\u002Fstrong> on every partner in the network. Most applicants do not pass. You only see teams on the other side of that filter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This article is both how we do it and a checklist you can reuse if you are evaluating any software development partner in Poland and EU nearshore markets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Why “we have 200 developers” is not vetting\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Volume is not a quality signal. A bench of CVs, a Clutch page, and a slide about “senior engineers” tell you almost nothing about:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Whether the \u003Cstrong>company\u003C\u002Fstrong> will still exist and stand behind a replacement\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whether \u003Cstrong>code review, hiring, and attrition\u003C\u002Fstrong> are real processes or slogans\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whether the people on your Slack have been through an \u003Cstrong>engineer-led\u003C\u002Fstrong> screen\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whether you can enforce \u003Cstrong>IP, billing, and EU-side contracts\u003C\u002Fstrong> when something goes wrong\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Unvetted freelancers and anonymous marketplace profiles fail this test by design. Staff augmentation with a thin vendor layer often fails it quietly: you get a person, not a team you can inspect. For one to three specialists on a short horizon that can still be the right buy — see \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F\">Outstaffing \u002F Staff Augmentation\u003C\u002Fa>. For a unit on your roadmap for six months or more, you need a team-level filter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five stages below are that filter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Stage 1 — Reputation review\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>We start with the company, not a candidate PDF.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Public track record and references — not only selected case-study quotes\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Conversations with previous and current clients where we can get them\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Consistency across sources: delivery claims vs what clients actually say about communication, stability, and ownership\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What you should copy:\u003C\u002Fstrong> ask for two client conversations in a similar engagement shape (team size, duration, domain). “We cannot share names” is sometimes real; “we cannot share anyone” is a stop sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reputation is a \u003Cstrong>gate\u003C\u002Fstrong>, not a score. A polished website does not compensate for a pattern of churned clients or unexplained team swaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Stage 2 — Process audit\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>A dedicated team lives or dies on how work actually moves — hiring bar, review, incidents, knowledge sharing — not on a certified wall of logos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the process audit we look at how the partner:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Hires and levels engineers (who owns the technical bar)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Runs code review, QA, and release discipline\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Handles absences, holidays, and replacement without resetting your board\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Documents enough that product knowledge does not live in one person’s laptop\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Collaborates with a client who \u003Cstrong>keeps product and architecture governance\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Certificates can support this. They cannot replace it. If the partner cannot describe a normal week on a client account, they are selling capacity, not a team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This stage is also where \u003Cstrong>outstaffing vs dedicated team\u003C\u002Fstrong> becomes visible. Individual placement with you absorbing all rituals is \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F\">outstaffing\u003C\u002Fa>. A composed unit with account management, stability, and a shared working culture is a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F\">dedicated development team\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Stage 3 — Technical interviews\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>People still have to pass as engineers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We review skillset, code quality, relevant domain and stack, then run interviews that cover:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Technical depth at the seniority you are buying — not title inflation\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>How they reason about trade-offs, not only syntax\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Communication: can they work with your PM, EM, and existing in-house staff\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Recruiters schedule. \u003Cstrong>Engineers\u003C\u002Fstrong> own pass\u002Ffail. The same principle we use in \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fit-recruiting\u002F\">IT recruiting\u003C\u002Fa> applies here: a partner who cannot discuss the stack with your tech lead is forwarding CVs, not vetting a team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a dedicated team you are not scoring one hero. You are checking that the \u003Cstrong>unit\u003C\u002Fstrong> can hold a bar together — seniors who can lead, mids who can own slices, no “remote discount” on quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Stage 4 — Test project\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>A conversation is not delivery. A \u003Cstrong>real test project\u003C\u002Fstrong> shows how the team estimates, splits work, reviews each other, and ships something inspectable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are not looking for a weekend puzzle. We are looking for:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Working habits under a small, time-boxed brief\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whether “senior” means judgment or just years on a CV\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>How they handle incomplete requirements — because your backlog will look like that too\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Buyers evaluating a partner without a network should do a paid, scoped spike (days, not months) before a six-month retainer. Unpaid “homework” that looks like free production work is a different smell; keep the spike small and explicit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Stage 5 — Partnership review\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Only after the first four stages do we accept a team onto the verified shortlist. Partnership is the commercial and operating fit:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>EU-side contracting (D-Factor is headquartered in Poland), IP assignment, invoicing\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Who you call when delivery slips — a named counterpart, not a ticket queue\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Replacement and continuity terms\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Whether they accept that \u003Cstrong>you own the product\u003C\u002Fstrong>: roadmap, priorities, and architecture stay with you\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>A partner who wants to disappear into a black-box “we will handle everything” is a different product (classic outsourcing). Dedicated team, in our model, means you keep direction; we compose and govern the capacity. More on that split: \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fdedicated-team-vs-outstaffing\u002F\">Dedicated Team vs. Outstaffing\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>What buyers should ask on the first call\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Use these even if you never speak to D-Factor:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>Who technically screens — engineers or sales?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Do you vet the \u003Cstrong>company\u003C\u002Fstrong> and the \u003Cstrong>people\u003C\u002Fstrong>, or only send CVs?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Can I speak to a client with a similar team shape?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>What does replacement look like in week twelve?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Where does product ownership sit on day one — and on day ninety?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Is this a dedicated unit or staff augmentation with a team label?\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>What fails your process? (If the answer is “almost nobody,” there is no process.)\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>If you need the engagement model itself, not the filter: three or more engineers, six months or longer, one counterparty → \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F\">Estimate My Team\u003C\u002Fa>. One to three specialists, shorter horizon → \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F\">Outstaffing\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>After they pass: onboarding is still on you\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Vetting reduces the chance you hired a theatre company. It does not replace kickoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Access, operating model, and a codebase brief in week one still decide the next six months. We wrote that playbook separately: \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-onboard-dedicated-dev-team\u002F\">How to Onboard a Dedicated Dev Team in Two Weeks\u003C\u002Fa>. If outstaffing has already started to cost you coordination and attrition, the model switch is here: \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhen-to-stop-outstaffing\u002F\">When to Stop Outstaffing and Move to a Dedicated Team\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>FAQ\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3>Is five-stage vetting only for dedicated teams?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The \u003Cstrong>partner network\u003C\u002Fstrong> is five-stage vetted for dedicated teams and for specialists we place through \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Foutstaffing\u002F\">outstaffing\u003C\u002Fa>. The engagement still differs: unit + stability vs individual capacity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Can we interview the engineers ourselves?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Yes. If you want to approve candidates yourself, assembly takes longer (typically into the 4–8 week range). Standard composition from the vetted pool is faster because the filter already ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Do you use freelancers?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>No. Specialists come from vetted partner companies — employment, accountability, and a replacement path sit behind each person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Where are the teams?\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Poland and a partner network across Europe, structured for timezone overlap with the UK, Western Europe, and Nordics. Contracts under EU law. We do not sell an anonymous offshore pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Decide the filter, then the model\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Inspect the partner\u003C\u002Fstrong> — reputation, process, people, a spike of real work, commercial terms\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Choose the model\u003C\u002Fstrong> — dedicated team vs outstaffing vs permanent hire\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Keep product control\u003C\u002Fstrong> — backlog, architecture, and success metrics stay yours\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>See the five stages on \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fabout-us\u002F\">About us\u003C\u002Fa>, then talk to us about a composed team: \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fservices\u002Fdevelopment-team\u002F\">Dedicated Development Team\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",{"meta":161},{"title":162,"description":163},"Engineering Blog | D-Factor","Practical guides on dedicated development teams, nearshore hiring, and engineering leadership from the D-Factor team.",1786723668381]