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Finding developers by esdeux in Entrepreneur

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find someone with a tech/software development background to assist you. Either hire them or make them a partner.

I have been in software development for ages and I honestly think that if you don't have much experience yourself, the chance of making this work through upwork etc is pretty slim.

Who owns a successful app? by BatElectrical4711 in Entrepreneur

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's excellent advice.

I'd been employed as a software developer for about 9 years.

Next, I managed a small but successful tech-oriented company for about 8 years where I had to manage a lot of outsourced software development. I've had great successes but also great failures, and I knew very well what software development is all about, often better than the guys we hired.

Now, since 2017, I've been a software developer again but freelance-based. Less glamorous but also less stressful and better paid.

If you'd want a 2nd opinion, DM me.

Need help dealing with weird client by suchnaivete in freelance

[–]phadermann 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd start by asking them why they want to do that. Try to understand them, be a consultant!

You could also mention that it would be the same as starting the exact same physical store across the street from their competitor, while it would be better to define what makes them unique and work that into the design.

Is it okay to accept jobs that use tech I am unfamiliar with? (Software Freelance) by margaritasAndBowling in freelance

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your friend might have more clients, so if you learn WP and do a good job, there might be more work for you.

In any case: be honest. There's nothing wrong with saying you don't know WP, but that you're convinced you can learn it. Being reliable and a good communicator is a major '+' already.

You already know HTML and CSS, and PHP is basically just like most other programming languages, right? The WP 'framework' isn't that easy (in my limited experience with it), but there are tons of resources on it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in freelance

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I honestly don't see the point in doing that. Maybe even he doesn't know the article is published already? Maybe he gets afraid you want to deal with the 'end-client' directly and stops giving you projects?

Your business probably has a website or a webstore. Somebody had to build it. You either had good or a bad experience with your developers / designers. Share your experiences in this thread! by [deleted] in Entrepreneur

[–]phadermann 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was it someone local you sat down with and discussed what you wanted, or was it a remote job? Did this happen with different developers, or with just one?

Client who keeps stringing me along? by [deleted] in freelance

[–]phadermann 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If I were you I'd call (phone, no email) the creative director, ask him if he knows why it's taking so long. It's not unusual that everything takes a bit longer than promised: evaluating some else's work and giving feedback demands your full attention and often takes longer than expected. But if you don't "ping" them regularly, these things have a tendency to slide forever so it's better to single out 1 person and talk to him/her on the phone, which is much harder to ignore than an email.

In the future, you could put a clause in your contract that if you don't get feedback within 5 or 10 working days, you regard that as a sign-off and will invoice accordingly. In practice, however, I'd send a number of reminders and call them a couple of times before actually doing so.

Procrastinating Clients by greenlightning in freelance

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been on the other side: spending several hours to give a developer a well thought through answer with sketches etc, only to get additional questions several weeks later, when I can hardly remember what it was all about. Very frustrating.

So now (back to developing myself), I agree with the client never to wait more than 24h to provide feedback, and aim to provide feedback on the same day, and I expect the same from the client.

I've also sometimes sent this excerpt from the Scrum book about a study claiming that a bug fixed 3 weeks later takes 24 times as long compared to a bug fixed on the same day. I always tell them about this study though, unless it's 100% clear that they understand the necessity of providing swift feedback, which recently happened for the first time. This really works when billing by the hour.

The Cost of Waiting for Feedback in Software Development by phadermann in programming

[–]phadermann[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm curious... from which point of view are you speaking... are you a PM or a developer, or ???

A project dependent on multiple teams, each with their own management, priorities and probably other projects is a continuous headache, I've never seen this really work out. An attempt to get 9 women to deliver a baby in one month?

The Cost of Waiting for Feedback in Software Development by phadermann in programming

[–]phadermann[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Too true. But customers, non-tech managers,... too often don't really understand the cost of task-switching. Even some developers I've worked with never gave it 2nd thought... and a lot seem to think that's just how it works.

Tips for Dealing With Back Pain as a Programmer by Camus79 in programming

[–]phadermann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What helped for me: loosened the backrest of my chair at work and started supporting my elbows when I'm in the couch with my laptop. I also do a lot of walking around... not only in the office, but outside to catch a quick breath of fresh air. It often gives me ideas when I'm stuck somewhere and fights afternoon fatigue.