As a seasoned web professional since 1995, I am always interested in hearing stories from individuals who have encountered challenges while working with a developer. I have led several sessions focusing on this topic and I always start by asking the audience what kinds of problems they have experienced in the past. Some of the common threads include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cMy developer delivered something that was not exactly what I had in mind. I then had to pay them to change it to match my expectations.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMy developer missed the deadline.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMy developer has gone AWOL. They refuse to return my phone calls and emails.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cThe costs are spiraling out of control with no end in site.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMy developer takes suggestions personally.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMy developer does not understand my industry.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cMy developer does not have the core competencies to complete every aspect of my project.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the audience always has a good laugh at some of these responses, none of them surprise me. I have heard them all before. The good news is that many of these problems can be avoided up front with proper planning and expectation management.<\/p>\n
Developers are a rare breed. Given the barriers pertaining to technical jargon, preconceived notions can ultimately create conflicting ideas of what the finished product should look like. Instructions and objectives can become cloudy \u2013 ultimately creating a loss of time, effort and money for the hiring party.<\/p>\n
This presentation will cover Interviewing Your Potential Developer, Planning & Project Management, Using a Version Control System, and Bug Reporting. Ii will give the audience a reality check on how to go about working with a developer to get a project built on time and on budget.<\/p>\n
Here is a brief list of some of the questions that will be answered in the presentation:<\/p>\n
\u2022 What questions should I ask when interviewing a developer?
\n\u2022 What are the communication pitfalls that I should avoid?
\n\u2022 How can clients get involved in project management?
\n\u2022 What is version control and how does it benefit me?
\n\u2022 What is the best way to handle bug reporting?<\/p>\n
The presentation will also delve deeper into questions that should be asked throughout the various phases of working with a developer, including:
\n\u2022 Will my project be billed as hourly or as a flat rate?
\n\u2022 Once my project launches, is there a maintenance fee?
\n\u2022 Where does my project rank with the other projects on your production schedule?
\n\u2022 Do you have the bandwidth to give my project the attention it deserves?
\n\u2022 What is your procedure when something goes wrong?<\/p>\n
In addition to providing appropriate questions that should be addressed, the presentation will also involve examples of common answers and real life examples. It will include suggestions based on years of first hand experience from the developer\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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