Freelance/Outsourcing Service .. need your comments.

Hi All,

Just wanted to get some feedback on a new venture I am pursuing... your help would be greatly appreciated...


I am currently in the process of starting a freelance/outsourced software development service. My aim is to build up a small network of freelance developers, gain development work which will be done by the freelancer(s) while I obtain overall control of the project.

I was just wondering if I could get your thoughts on the service (if you wish to preview my website, please send me a email or private message).

My target market is small to medium sized businesses worldwide and offer competitive rates, full project management from start to finish and a full range of skills. All developers will be interviewed and given the standards as which to work by. My offering to the freelancer is development work, a low project management percentage cut of the project price, all documentation made available and no need to interact with the end client. Basically we are a subcontracter I guess.

- What do you think will/wont work with this service?

- Do you think there will be a demand for outsourced development that is fully controlled?

- Do you see any risks that might come up?


... Please be as ruthless as possible with your comments!

_________________
SuperRobot5000!

First off, it's good to see a fellow Kiwi

1. Make absolutely sure you have way more than enough developers freelancing for you. You can never have too many. If you think you will be able to start with 5 developers, you should get ten developers! If you ever run short and have to turn down projects you have instantly lost credibility and income.

2. Make sure they are credible, reliable professionals. There are thousands of people out there who have no idea how to act professionally. This will be your toughest part of your project, finding the right people. I would ask each freelancer to provide you with a typed (Word document) CV/Resume, examples of their work, references, then go through a professional online interview with them. You can pick up a lot from the way they answer your interview questions. Then contact AT LEAST TWO of their references. I can't stress this enough, employees (even sub contracted freelancers) are your biggest asset, and can also be your biggest liability.

3. Have your freelancers sign sub-contracting agreements for each and every project, make sure the agreement contains non-disclosure clauses, cancellation clauses, deadlines and everything required for sub-contracting.

That's all I can think of now. I don't know the demand for outsourced software development, so good luck on that one

Thank Julian. I actually drove past your hometown in the long weekend. I went to Wellington to see family, as I am originally from there. If knew you better, I could have popped in and said hello.


Well... after some thinking (and doing), I have the following planned...

- I have setup a project site to allow for collaboration and task tracking.
- I also plan to standardise communication by using skype and having weekly productivity meetings with project members.
- I will search high and low for good developers that I will interview thoroughly.
- I have constructed a set of documentation and standards that the developers will follow and also push aspects of the Microsoft Agile Solution Framework as our methodology of choice.

I was planning on finding freelancers and projects for any and all plateforms/technologies, but as advised, I should concentrate on one technology (with will be .NET/MS-SQL development)... then if all goes well, I'll branch off to PHP/MySQL.


A number of people i have spoken to are very positive on what I want to achieve... but there a a few other things that are holding me back just a wee bit...


Although I will market locally, I want to target businesses located anywhere in the world. However, are small/medium sized businesses generally open to offering development work to offshore development service companies? And do these types of projects really workout?

Will the additional overhead of trying to manage the development team and tasks outweigh the price benefit of having offshore freelance developers?

Realistically, how much responsibility can be placed on the freelance developer? (requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment)


Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure that I am making the right move(s).



........................................
SuperRobot5000 !!

Just been looking around the net, and came across this website which is basically what my idea is all about!

http://www.sagewing.com/

Originally Posted by SuperRobot5000 Well... after some thinking (and doing), I have the following planned... - I have setup a project site to allow for collaboration and task tracking. - I also plan to standardise communication by using skype and having weekly productivity meetings with project members. - I will search high and low for good developers that I will interview thoroughly. - I have constructed a set of documentation and standards that the developers will follow and also push aspects of the Microsoft Agile Solution Framework as our methodology of choice.

I would work on a business and/or marketing plan before I get this off the ground. This will help you get going in the right direction.

It's like the construction saying, "measure twice and you only have to cut once."

Originally Posted by SuperRobot5000 Although I will market locally, I want to target businesses located anywhere in the world. However, are small/medium sized businesses generally open to offering development work to offshore development service companies? And do these types of projects really workout?

Your success will depend on reliability. You have to do the dilligence to find programmers/developers that you can trust for getting the job done.

Originally Posted by SuperRobot5000 Will the additional overhead of trying to manage the development team and tasks outweigh the price benefit of having offshore freelance developers?

Let's clear this up, your freelancers are not considered overhead if they are contracted per project. Your overhead exists with recurring costs to run the business i.e. rent, Internet connection, etc. You don't have to pay your contractors until you get paid, so you don't truly have overhead in that regard.

Originally Posted by SuperRobot5000 Realistically, how much responsibility can be placed on the freelance developer? (requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment)

That is all dependent on the quality of the freelancer. But, with quality and dependability comes a cost. It's hard to find good, reliable freelancers that are cheap. Luckily, you have the freedom of setting prices relative to your costs.

chaka42 has answered everything as I would have, except the last one. All the responsibility lies with you, you are the project manager, you hire the freelancers, you take all the responsibility. You need to build a team that will act professionally and with reliability. The team you have will reflect what your capabilities will be.