-
6
Sep
I believe that one of our biggest problems in the past is that we didn’t know how to hire an outsourcer. It is obvious that outsourcing has plenty of benefits, but to take full advantage of those benefits we need to know how to hire the right outsourcer.
This brings us to step one which is to plan out every step of the project.
We cannot start looking for a provider until we know exactly what we want to do.
We need to plan out every step and detail. If we start looking for a provider before every detail is written down then we are just wasting their time and ours.
Here is what we need to know:
1. What is the level of expertise in the person we need to hire?
2. What is the complete scope of the project?
3. What is the time frame, so we can set deadlines and reviews?
4. And we need a performance scale that will allow us to track progress.
Having this information in front of us will allow us to answer any questions the outsourcers might have.
Of Course, Different Projects Require Different Procedures
Each project needs to have its own outline, so we know what services we are hiring for.
It is also a good idea to use more than one outsourcer, we want a good number of outsourcers so if someone is too busy or not very reliable we can grab someone else.
We should be able to set up a basic outline that can be used over and over again.
We also need to set up the project deadlines so that we can stay on schedule. The deadlines that we set will ensure that the project is being done, that the designer is staying on course and give us a chance to have some revisions before the project gets in too deep.
Here are the things I want the outsourcer to understand;
1. I want the ability to cancel the project if I feel that the provider is not living up to his or her agreement.
Make sure this is discussed with the provider up front, in case there is a problem.
2. We want to be able to watch the project as it is happening, we want to be able to ask for revisions at any stage of the project.
3. The ability to revise any issues such as price or completion date that may arise during the project.
One of the biggest problems is the lack of communication between us, the customer and the outsourcer. I am not talking about just design & programming, but things like final completion dates and getting a better idea of the purpose for the site.
I think one way of addressing these problems would be to set all payments into quarters. Other words we would get paid 4 payments instead of 2 and the contractor would get paid the same way.
These check points need to be set before the project begins. This allows everyone to have peace of mind in knowing problems will be fixed during the process and not at the end.
One thing to keep in mind is that problems are going to come up and we need to be prepared for those problems.
A lot of people think everything is going to run perfectly and they get upset when the first problem arises, we need to prepare the clients, ourselves and any outside contractors, so everyone knows things might get a little bumpy at times.
We must stay professional at all times.
Here are the questions we need to ask, and we should also be able to answer any of these questions if they are asked of us.
1. I want a resume and past list of clients.
2. I want to try and go back and forth a little to try and get the best price we can. For both parties this is the most important part of the whole process.
I want to make sure we agree on a price that is fair to everyone, we don’t want our project to be dropped because someone else came along and was willing to pay more nor do we want to pay twice the rate for something.
Once the price is agreed on we need a written agreement between us and the client as well as us and the contractor.
I am quite aware that jobs can be done without a written contract, but Geeks on Steroids will no longer be doing jobs without a contract.
In the agreement, I need everything from the financial terms to point by point details clearly stated so that both sides understand. Also make sure the contract has the total cost of the project, as well the completion date.
I want to drop our prices and charge per a revision.
3. I want to figure out the overall cost per project including all revisions and any other problems that may increase cost. With this number we can figure out our bottom line and charge per revision for anything that goes outside that margin.
4. When you outsource a project, you have to have a timeframe that everything needs to be completed within. This needs to be worked out on every project we take on. Doing it this way allows the provider to set aside the time needed to complete the job on schedule.
In addition to the final due date, we also want to set up reviews and check points during the project. This way we can tell for sure if everything is running on schedule.
5. The method of delivering good or services is an important topic that needs to be discussed up front. The company that is outsourcing the project should have an idea of what form they want the work delivered in, and then work with the provider to make sure that this is doable.
Tags: Outsourcing, Website Designersnone




