Computing ANYTIME!

Successful online software outsourcing Part II

In part I, I gave a comparison between between Rent A Coder and GetAFreelancer outsourcing sites.  I now want to propose some guidelines for getting successful results.

1.  Specifications:  Be as specific and detailed as possible, it is worth spending extra time here than to waste time later, through emails trying to fix up what the coder did wrong or misunderstood.

2.  Require a demo program or demo website, depending on the case, which covers all the use cases required by aour software.

3.  For large projects > 1000$ I would suggest requiring unit tests.  This takes extra time, but improves the code quality and reliability, It is also easier for you to test later.

4. Outsource parts of projects, never complete projects.  There is no way to protect your IP online, so ideally outsource generic libraries, while keeping your main application secret.

5. Keep a list of your favorite coders,  I have gotten burned a couple of times with really bad work.  IT is worth a few extra bucks to save a lot of extra time, so the bookmark your favorite coders, and work with them.

6.  For large projects >1000$ it is good Impose coding standards, and require the use of automated tools to validate.  e.g. for .NET FXCop and SourceAnalysis are two tools, which can pick off an amazing number of problems.  Setup your configuration for these tools, and require your coder to validate against them.