Hiring a Software Consultant?
Hiring a consultant for your business can be a little uncomfortable. You have a contract that protects your business, but what if the consultant is just… bad? There are a few tips and tricks for identifying a less than stellar software consultant and this article will cover those.
Low Balling
Whether your project requires temporary help or more long term, beware of consultants that bid low. There’s an axiom that states “you get what you pay for.” Some software consultants purposefully provide low estimates. These low estimates may seem like you are getting a bargain, but beware that those consultants make up for this low estimation through scope change fees and additional customization fees. These fees quickly add up to be well more than the original estimate. Be sure to get multiple quotes from software consultants before hiring and compare their experience with their rate. While the cheapest consultant may look like a great choice, the more expensive consultant will save you surprise billing and additional headaches in the end. Realistic cost estimates may seem expensive, but it’s a more accurate representation of what you will end up paying. You can also help protect yourself from purposeful low bids by building into your contracts some wiggle room for specifications on scope and requirements. You should also get a feel for your consultants on how flexible they are before hiring them.
Bait and Switch
Some consultant firms lure clients in by showing off their star performers. This helps justify a higher price and makes the firm more attractive. However, these firms increase their profit margins by bringing in junior developers to do the actual work. Sure, the seasoned engineer might be some part of the development process, but the time that engineer spends on your project is severely limited. You should meet the entire team that you are hiring. At the end of the day it is your product you are paying for. You should interview the team to get an understanding of their competence for defining requirements and developing solutions. Your contract should explicitly list the developers that shall be working on your product. Including a hefty penalty combined with listing explicit team members should dissuade the more devious firms from attempting this ploy. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Communication Breakdown
Good communication is necessary to complete a project. Great communication is necessary to complete a great project. When you hire a consultant, be mindful of lacking communication. No news is not good news with your consultant. You should be driving conversations and making decisions. An unseasoned consultant, especially when paid hourly, may find no incentive of coming up with a decision or ending a long, drawn out meeting. Your decisions should have a clear deadline of delivery or schedule with defined, time-bound milestones. Without a time based factor driving the schedule, an unqualified consultant has room to draw out the project bleeding your company of your cash.
What’s Yours is Yours
When you hire a consultant, you are opening up vulnerability in your character, your trust, and your company. The consultant that is working for you is creating something that should be making you more money than the investment in hiring the consultant to complete the project. Your contracts should protect that vulnerability. The intellectual property rights for products a consultant creates should remain the company’s. You should lay out any tools or processes to help protect that property. Some consultants may try and hold your product, equipment, servers, and accounts hostage. This can become especially problematic when you try and replace the consultant or even add more consultants to the team. Be sure to include in your contracts that the company retains the intellectual property rights for anything developed and^[[C any domains your register. Check with your contract author to determine additional safeguards against having your company held hostage by a bad consultant. Demand copies of any documentation, licenses, and credentials for a consultant as part of the contract.
Project Vampires
Nothing is worse than hiring a consultant that looks great on paper and has talked the talk only to find out they can’t walk the walk. This is probably the most common problem I hear from companies that hire bad consultants. A project vampire is typically someone who is either unfamiliar with a technology that are supposed to be an expert at or someone who cannot make a decision and stall the project while they “figure it out.” Both scenarios are bad news as every minute that ticks by “figuring it out” leads to higher billing. On the flip side, the company itself could be that vampire with not making direct decisions and communicating those to the consultants (communication is key!) as well as keeping those consultants accountable with deadlines and milestones. Decision by committee is rarely productive and as the project drags on, the bill will increase as the consultant is waiting to hear back or busy “figuring it out.”
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
This is my axiom. As a consultant to your business, I act as a team member for your product. I communicate early and often on anything I don’t understand, I’m not familiar with, and and concerns I have over the technical direction of your project or existing infrastructure. I do respect your business and the decisions that go into operating it. After all, it is your business and I’m helping your achieve your goals. Communication is key to a successful project and I communicate… often. I also share ideas on technical direction and can step back if there is a technical direction already in place. I can work with existing team members (including other consultants) to hit your goals and deliver a quality product. My time is as valuable as yours and I don’t prefer to waste my time or your dime for endless meetings or over analyzing solutions. I do prefer to help your business succeed. I advocate for your business when necessary to ensure you retain what is yours and you don’t over pay on shoddy work or vampires.
Teamwork makes the dream work. If you are looking for a consultant for your project contact me below:
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