[consulting] Finding quality subcontractors - More of a theory question then a request

[Kieran Lal]

On Aug 23, 2006, at 5:49 AM, Mike Hostetler wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> Been a lurker here for a while, but I'm facing a problem and was  
> hoping to gain some insight from this list.
>
> I've got a day job but am constantly asked to do moonlighting for  
> various people.  I've come to rely heavily on Drupal and another  
> project called Qcodo.  Using these two open source projects in  
> conjunction have really improved my productivity, but I'm at the  
> point where I just can't handle more work.
>
> So, I hired a subcontractor.  This guy is really nice, very sharp,  
> lives in Canada.  He's not cheap, but I found him to be  
> inexpensive.  I did my best to communicate the requirements to him  
> and set him off to go and work.  Unfortunately, this has resulted  
> in almost total failure, but not for the reason I expected.  My sub  
> was very good at doing exactly what I asked, but nothing in the  
> site flows together.  It's like I've been given all the pieces of  
> the puzzle (most of which are decently good), but nothing is  
> connected.
>
> I'll be able to pull this together no problem.  However, I am  
> realizing a fundamental flaw in how I've approached this  
> subcontractor issue.  I need somebody who I can ask to take the  
> site from beginning to end, rather then just provide me the pieces  
> to put together.
>
> So, here's my questions:
>
> Where do you find quality people?

http://drupal.org/search/user

Do they have a track record on Drupal.org?  Do they have code in core  
or contributed modules?  Can they communicate with other developers,  
answer questions in support forums, and carry on productive non- 
argumentative discussions on the mailing lists?  Collaboration and  
communication are signs of someone who is likely to communicate  
effectively to meet your needs.

> What is a decent rate to expect? hourly, by project? I've seen this  
> vary wildly depending on geography.

I think you want to look at what the individuals latest work is.  Was  
the last site they built a $100K site?  If so, then you can expect  
higher rates.  The truth is there isn't much reason to be  
geographically bound if you can interface between the client locally  
and your remote developer.   Find as many people as you can that have  
done a site similar to what you need, and then work with those people  
to get your site developed at what ever seems a reasonable rate.   
Ideally, if you site revolves around a particular set of contributed  
modules you are likely to find module maintainers who might be  
interested in working on your site.

You should also know that someone who isn't a lawyer is about to show  
you an article that is not legal advice and they are about to tell  
you that discussing rates on a mailing list is illegal.   This is  
will then spawn questionable responses while dancing around rates and  
mis-quoting law.  Be prepared :-)

> What is the best way to communicate requirements when I've  
> effectively placed myself as a filter between the client and my  
> subcontractor?

Discussing your requirements in public is a really smart way to save  
you and your client a lot of money.  If you start writing a case  
study even more people will get involved and give you invaluable  
advice on how to build your site quickly and effectively while  
allowing you to show case your work when you publish a case study  
after launching.

Cheers,
Kieran

> Thanks,
>
> -- 
> Mike Hostetler
> mike.hostetler at gmail.com
> http://www.amountaintop.com
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> consulting at drupal.org
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