Off-Shore Development, Continued
So you've written your product spec and now you want to get started building your product. Seems easy enough, doesn't it? My biggest takeaway from Mark Leslie's sales class was that it always takes longer and costs more than you think it will. Mark was referring to the sales cycle for startups. But this statement is highly applicable to developing your product.
Here's my advice on how to use a service like Rent a coder. And by the way, please sign up through the link above, since I get affiliate $$ that way.
My biggest suggestion is that you test out 2 or 3 bidders with a very small project first. A small project might be something like creating a simple web site that has a couple fields where users can enter information and some calculations get done on the server with results displayed on the web site.
Why do this? Once you are into the thick of it with your main project, you are a lot more invested. With a small project, it's a lot easier to pull the plug if things are going well. It gives you a way to test out a few potential developers to see the quality of their work and how good (or bad) their communication is. Sure, it costs you a little money to have 2 or 3 developers build a simple web site, but the DATA that you get from the process is invaluable. If you run into problems on a little project, just imagine the problems you will have avoided on your big project.
Always wanted to build that simple web site for Mom but never had time? Now's your opportunity to do it - a simple test project for developers you potentially want to use for your big deal.
You want to be cheap, but not too cheap. Obviously someone who quotes you $1000 to build a little web site is trying to rip you off. Conversely, a developer with no ratings who bids $5 is, more likely than not, going to give you a result you won't be happy with. Your goal is to find a balance.
On rentacoder, I find that working with individuals is more productive than working with large teams. Large teams are great if you have a huge budget - you're working at a funded startup or a large software company. But if you are essentially building a web site, or a toolbar, or something like that, it's better to work with an individual or a small (read: 2 - 4 people) team. There's already some additional overhead simply from having to communicate over IM, Skype, etc. But if what you are saying then has to get communicated to someone else that you don't interact with directly... forget it.
Things to evaluate:
1) Communication. How frequently? Good English? Answers your questions? Is respectful?
2) Quality. Delivered what you asked for?
3) Schedule. Delivered on time?
I've had very few experiences on Rent a Coder where things were actually delivered on time. I've had a lot more where good progress was made, but deadlines had to be extended. The key is to know when to extend a deadline and when to pull the plug. I've spent more time than I should have giving people the benefit of the doubt when I should have pulled the plug. One deadline extension seems fair. More than one...
The more small projects you do, the more potential people you have to work with. Remember that many coders are doing work on "RAC" to generate some extra income. Just like you may have a day job, the coders you hire also have day jobs and often do these projects at night and on weekends. The big shops bid and have full time people working on projects. I have been fortunate enough, after a number of tries, to find individuals and small teams who do contract work full time. These are the best.
Always choose coders who have an average rating of 8.5 or higher and no more than 1 bad rating, pferably 0 bad ratings. Choose coders who have at least 3 ratings, preferably 5 or 10 or more. Don't be fooled by low low prices.
Next time I will talk about how to manage the project now that you've selected a bidder.
Here's my advice on how to use a service like Rent a coder. And by the way, please sign up through the link above, since I get affiliate $$ that way.
My biggest suggestion is that you test out 2 or 3 bidders with a very small project first. A small project might be something like creating a simple web site that has a couple fields where users can enter information and some calculations get done on the server with results displayed on the web site.
Why do this? Once you are into the thick of it with your main project, you are a lot more invested. With a small project, it's a lot easier to pull the plug if things are going well. It gives you a way to test out a few potential developers to see the quality of their work and how good (or bad) their communication is. Sure, it costs you a little money to have 2 or 3 developers build a simple web site, but the DATA that you get from the process is invaluable. If you run into problems on a little project, just imagine the problems you will have avoided on your big project.
Always wanted to build that simple web site for Mom but never had time? Now's your opportunity to do it - a simple test project for developers you potentially want to use for your big deal.
You want to be cheap, but not too cheap. Obviously someone who quotes you $1000 to build a little web site is trying to rip you off. Conversely, a developer with no ratings who bids $5 is, more likely than not, going to give you a result you won't be happy with. Your goal is to find a balance.
On rentacoder, I find that working with individuals is more productive than working with large teams. Large teams are great if you have a huge budget - you're working at a funded startup or a large software company. But if you are essentially building a web site, or a toolbar, or something like that, it's better to work with an individual or a small (read: 2 - 4 people) team. There's already some additional overhead simply from having to communicate over IM, Skype, etc. But if what you are saying then has to get communicated to someone else that you don't interact with directly... forget it.
Things to evaluate:
1) Communication. How frequently? Good English? Answers your questions? Is respectful?
2) Quality. Delivered what you asked for?
3) Schedule. Delivered on time?
I've had very few experiences on Rent a Coder where things were actually delivered on time. I've had a lot more where good progress was made, but deadlines had to be extended. The key is to know when to extend a deadline and when to pull the plug. I've spent more time than I should have giving people the benefit of the doubt when I should have pulled the plug. One deadline extension seems fair. More than one...
The more small projects you do, the more potential people you have to work with. Remember that many coders are doing work on "RAC" to generate some extra income. Just like you may have a day job, the coders you hire also have day jobs and often do these projects at night and on weekends. The big shops bid and have full time people working on projects. I have been fortunate enough, after a number of tries, to find individuals and small teams who do contract work full time. These are the best.
Always choose coders who have an average rating of 8.5 or higher and no more than 1 bad rating, pferably 0 bad ratings. Choose coders who have at least 3 ratings, preferably 5 or 10 or more. Don't be fooled by low low prices.
Next time I will talk about how to manage the project now that you've selected a bidder.
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