We work with many of our clients on an hourly basis so I wanted to share some tips on how you can save on development costs and get great results working with hourly based software developers,
In the first part of this three-part series on working with hourly software developers we addressed some frequently asked questions. In part two we covered several tips for working with hourly based developers to ensure that your project is a glowing success.
In this third and final part of our three-part series we’re going to cover our final four tips to help ensure the success of your project.
Tip 5: Be intimately involved in your project
You have the vision and it’s your developer’s job to turn your vision into a reality. Being intimately involved in your project will help ensure that their work lives up to your vision.
We treat our clients as teammates when it comes to bringing their project across the finish line and involve them in every key aspect of the project,
Being intimately involved in your project doesn’t mean you need to micro-manage your project, but rather that you’re regular involved in the dialog enough to ensure that the project is living up to your expectations.
If you’re too busy to be involved in your project, then it’s almost inevitable that your project will not live up to your expectations.
Tip 6: Use a project manager
The project manager’s job is to ensure that the developers are executing your project in a manner consistent with your vision.
Our project managers are experienced in both software development and gathering requirements from clients and act to bridge the gap between the developers and the client.
The project manager looks out for the client’s best interests, while also translating the developer’s tech-speak into layman’s terms.
The project manager’s responsibilities often include…
- Requirements gathering from the client
- Specification and design
- Interfacing between developers and the client
- Ensuring the project says on schedule/budget
- Coordinating important meetings
- Ensuring a smooth release of the software to production
Unless you have a software development background then you’ll want to hire a project manager. Most experienced development firms will be happy to provide one.
Typically you’ll only need the project manager on a part-time basis, unless the project is huge or they’re managing multiple projects. The lion’s share of your hours will go towards the software development.
Tip 7: Get a weekly report
In order to help keep you up to speed on your project, the project manager should provide a weekly report documenting the following…
- The work in progress
- The work completed
- The work backlog (work to be completed but not currently in progress)
I recommend reviewing the weekly report in a weekly meeting with your project manager to ensure that you understand all of the items on the report. Usually a 30 minute phone call should suffice if you’re reviewing the report on a weekly basis.
Tip 8: Hire experienced developers with a relevant skillset
This one may seem obvious, but too often I’ve seen clients hire the cheapest developers with an irrelevant skillset rather than hiring an experienced developer capable on delivering a working solution.
For example, our companies’ expertise is in unattended payment solutions. This involves working with self-service kiosks, touchscreen-friendly user interface design and interfacing with complex payment devices like bill recyclers, EMV chip & PIN, coin dispensers, etc…
We’ve encountered potential clients who will look at our proposal and then hire another development firm with no experience working with kiosks or payment devices for cheaper.
Then they come back to us later, after wasting a good chunk of their budget, and want the project done right.
Instead, why not hire an experienced development firm who can get your project done right the first time?
In Conclusion
As you can see from this series, working with hourly developers can provide a win-win for both the client and the development firm when you work within certain guidelines.
Here are all three articles in this series…
If you have any questions or would like to hire us for your next project please contact us today and we’re happy to guide you through the process of hiring an hourly based developer.
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