How to choose a coder/company for development?

[oberheimer]

I posted on freelance site to get bids
I got everything from $800 - $8 500
Then contacted a different compay that could do it for $8 000
The last company sounded really good (good customer service...)

I'm not a coder so (php, mysql, ajax...)

It's a custom built multi user blog/social networking system with alot of extras.
I'm sure i could get it cheaper, but want to be 100% sure that they know what they are doing.
How do you usually do?
The company is from India that i contacted

 

[nightscream]

Well it looks like you are looking for something like facebook with a bit less functions. Well it's hard to know if a certain company is capable of it but there are a few ways to see if they are.

1. Ask for a portfolio(previous jobs), so you can see what they have done before and if they have big projects like yours, they are capapble

2. Does their website looks professional? (doesn't always say something but I always look at that too)

3. Ask for a timeframe(if it's to short in your eyes, think twice before you hire someone. People who don't know what they are doing, probably say a date that isn't really possible)

4. Price, dont' always go for the cheap way. If a company is a bit expensiver they probably have their reasons(clean code, speed optimatisation, tested if it really works).

There are some reasons you should consider, I'm a coder so that's how I would use other people services.

I hope it helps

 

[astrix]

One thing you always need to do is : ask them for their recent work/apps or software made. Or even testimony. That you can use to confirm how good they are at project deadlines and work. Also clean and professional design is always preferred, other than those "Times new roman" based font personal pages of company who wants to sell/buy. So always research about company before giving them work.

 

[mrjohn]

The company is from India that i contacted

Have fun with that. Make sure to post back with how that ends.

A piece of advice: find someone you can meet in person at least once. I do development for a living, and I get a lot of business mopping up the messes left by overseas firms.

Here's what's gonna happen:

1. You have your great idea, you explain it to them, etc.

2. They say yes to anything you say, because that's their entire sales pitch.

Try this: throw something at them that is a royal pain in the ass. Dynamic subdomains is a funny one to try. See how eager they are to say yes to that.

Don't mistake an eager sales force for good customer service. Good coders aren't generally hanging out with good customer service. If you don't believe me, try getting good customer service from Google, the Mecca of modern coding.

3. They slap you with whatever chunk of code they have sitting around that most closely resembles what you want.

4. You keep bouncing all this back and forth between their crappy attempt to foist mediocre code on you and your need for an actual coder who knows what the hell he is doing.

5. You give up. They keep whatever you paid.

Using the outsourcing firms is dandy for basic work. If you need a WP blog thrown up overnight, they can do that. They're terrible for real, original development.

 

[HappyDay]

I would only ask guys I have worked already with or which I know since years.If you are interested I can give you an address of an USA based top coder and developer but I don´t know if he is interested.

 

[DylanButler]

MrJohn nailed it, don't go to India unless your expectations are very low or your patience is very high.

Good coders are worth 10 lousy coders, and a good coder does not often come cheap. Go with a firm that has a reputation to uphold, not some back alley studio.

In my opinion even the highest quote you received is probably underbidded.

Hope this helps, and remember you get what you pay for!

 

[nightscream]

mrjohn is right but you don't actually have to meet them in person. Well it's a bonus but not always possible. Sometimes you have to trust your gut to hire someone. Of course never take the cheapest way, cheap is most of the time bad(it will probably work but changes will be a pain in the ass probably).

 

[mackay]

Outsourcing is a well-known compelling services at this time. You will never know unless you try the service. You just have to be careful in choosing the right company, ask portfolios and references these could definitely help you to decide. Good luck in your search.

 

[mrjohn]

Outsourcing is a well-known compelling services at this time. You will never know unless you try the service.

I've never had syphilis. Doesn't mean I need to try it.

 

[mwzd]

Why don't you 'experts' show us 'poor' Indians how its done? Lets see some of you 'anti-outsourcing' brigade actually show some of your work, instead of just making all encompassing statements without any substance. It's hilarious to see people whose sites don't even figure in the top million in terms of alexa rank talk big about 'custom' development.

Ober - choose someone who knows what the project would require and has the demonstrated ability to deliver it.

Geo location hardly matters now that we have this wonderful medium called the 'internet'. Those still grappling with the global marketplace paradigm are probably not geared to be globally competitive. I'm all for supporting local businesses, but not at the cost of your own.

 

[Arjun]

Why don't you 'experts' show us 'poor' Indians how its done? Lets see some of you 'anti-outsourcing' brigade actually show some of your work, instead of just making all encompassing statements without any substance. It's hilarious to see people whose sites don't even figure in the top million in terms of alexa rank talk big about 'custom' development.

Ober - choose someone who knows what the project would require and has the demonstrated ability to deliver it.

Geo location hardly matters now that we have this wonderful medium called the 'internet'. Those still grappling with the global marketplace paradigm are probably not geared to be globally competitive. I'm all for supporting local businesses, but not at the cost of your own.

Amen to that!

mrjohn, DylanButler - agreed that some companies are 'noobs' or w/e it is you 'uber custom developers' call them, however, it may not be a fair thing for you to write-off all Indian companies.

You consider yourselves savvy with the internet - why don't you guys spend some extra effort and search for "Kolkata", "Mumbai", "Chennai" and "Gurgaon" Web Developers and go through their work / teams?

You might actually be surprised at the kind of stuff these guys can put together...

Their teams no longer consist of the stereotype Indian male in his forties sweating in front of an age old monitor screen trying to make a dollar and ward off sleep.

These are proper business models with turnovers of probably upto 100 times your net-worth (I don't know what you self acclaimed 'pro', 'custom' developers make - but I know of two companies here which do over $100,000 + worth of business a year ).

Hence, before you slam an entire country's workforce, please get your facts right.

Also adding to what Samit rightly said - you're here on the internet - whether you like it or you don't people from all over the place WILL be present. You can't just go all racial here, lol. Or heck, try that - you'll know very soon just where you stand when you see all business dodging you and your 'pro' services. The bottomline is who really can provide what - and for how much - PERIOD.

Getting back to the thread opener's query, oberheimer - in my opinion, get a hold of these guys over Skype or something, talk to them - ask them exhaustive questions in addition to the various technicalities you're after. There have been several cases I've read about on the net about off shore companies scamming guys or overcomitting and then screwing people over...

A committed company or individual would not give up and you might just find yourself a satisfactory solution.

However, if a guy cracks up after a couple of questions, you'll know you gotta move on and find another fellow.

In addition to this, you might want to use a little caution with such a company whom you've never dealt with before - theres a little guide that I wrote sometime back - some parts of it may be relavant to you.

Anyway,

Good luck with your project

 

[RicoShay]

Great advice from Arjun and Samit... but also a few valid points from previous posters.

If you are set on outsourcing the work to India or wherever else in the world, do make sure that the company/person you're giving the work is going to be up to the task. This is not easy to do and can take time.

It is true, a lot of people will try to convince you that they are up to the job when in reality they just want that deposit. But this is where you have to be smart in making a good decision.

It might help if you write up a document with exactly what you want from the site. Explain the features in as much detail as possible. You don't have to give away your business plan... you don't need to go into detail about what the site is about or who its aimed at - just make clear what you want it to do.

Have a good think about scalability, security, time-frames etc.

How do you want the site to be built? Decide whether you'd want the site to be built on existing scripts or fully custom coded. Which language/ which framework/ DB etc. What about the graphics side of things? What about security and testing? Do some research into these things. The more you understand about this stuff, the better you will be equipped to ask the right questions.

With each candidate you should contact them over the phone/Skype, ask to see portfolios - ask about what they did on each site they show you.. and don't rush into anything. Ask LOTS of questions. And also remember, the more questions they ask YOU, the better. As you progress with each candidate - ask for their opinions on what/how they think the site should be built... ask why... write this stuff down. When you've gone through interviewing 4-5 candidates, you'll be able to see some patterns and will most likely have a better understanding of things overall.

Never outlay large sums of money. In most cases you'll be asked for a deposit of some sorts. Work out a solution where you can pay something like 10% upfront then get to see some work valued to this 10% before you make further payments.

I negotiated a payment structure similar to this. 10% upfront, then I got to see some work and also assessed how well they communicated with me during that time... when I was happy, I put down another 25% and paid the rest in stages as they met certain milestones.

Also make a contract/agreement which clearly outlines what you want, the time-frames, set milestones, prices etc.

I started my project two years ago and I was in a similar situation to yourself. Its not been an easy ride, I made a lot of bad decisions, but learned some valuable lessons. I tried with programmers close to home, then outsourced... then tried another UK based company... all failed.... In the end, I did outsource the project... but I decided it was worth to fly over to the programmers country and meet them in person before making any commitments.

Anyway, ask for help & advice as you are doing now and do lots of research. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[Duende]

This was a great post that really opened my eyes up a little more. I wish I had some NP money to donate, but good point from the outside the US members. I'm looking for help fine-tuning my site at MMA.BS and was totally disregarding the international reliable talent.

 

[hammythomas]

Choosing a web developer for your project is not a simple task.It can be a time consuming process.
When you are choosing development company for your site you have to check how Much Experience does The Web Design Company Have?You know what Other Services Does The company Offer? What Programming Languages And Operating Systems Does The Website Development Company Work With and what is your requirement?