[consulting] oDesk

[Domenic Santangelo]

Domenic Santangelo
Sr. Engineer, WorkHabit, Inc
530-902-2576 Direct
Via iPhone

On May 4, 2009, at 7:48 PM, Matt Chapman <Matt at NinjitsuWeb.com> wrote:

> But if you're sub-contracting for an hourly rate to a tech  
> consulting firm or an online publishing firm, or someone else who  
> knows more than how to spell PHP, I think it's reasonable to expect  
> some accountability for your time and the accuracy of your self- 
> proclaimed expertise. Whether you are an employee, a contractor, or  
> a mafia loan out doesn't really matter.

In my head, the accountability is in the goods delivered. The client  
agrees that X work will be done in Y time for Z dollars, why make it  
more complicated than that? In the land of ideal contracts, there are  
acceptance criteria in place - if your work fulfills those, everyone  
is happy.

> Do you believe your mechanic when he tells you it took 40 hours to  
> change the serpentine belt? Or do you get a second opinion?

Ahh the car anologies begin. I get a second opinion personally, but we  
aren't talking about second opinions.

> What if your mechanic is in a country where you'd have no legal  
> recourse to recover your pre-payment if he's a con artist?

Most of us don't live anywhere like that, so this is kind of a red  
herring, right?

> By the way, I'd strongly advise all freelance developers to demand  
> significant up-front payment if you can.

No disagreement there :)

> When you're a consultant, it's easy to get screwed from both ends,  
> so yeah, I want to be able to monitor my hourly sub-contractors. The  
> only exception is when you've earned my trust, usually by performing  
> one or more projects for a fixed fee, paid on delivery.

Is monitoring via daily status reports not sufficient? If the both of  
you are clear on what needs to get done and what the time frame is,  
check ins seem reasonable. Personally I usually stay in a skype chat  
room with the client during business hours.

-D