[consulting] REVISED RFP FOR DRUPAL DEVELOPER - Deadline November 18, 2010

[Victor Kane]

Right. Neither side can afford to write a blank check.

The solution is not for the client to make the consultant write a blank
check in terms of how much effort is involved, but rather for project
management to come of age and face real costs; that is, find a method.

As Sam says, it has been done before, and it has a lot more to do
with openness and transparency and sharing of risk and science, rather than
bargaining "in this economy". Or any other.

Victor

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 7:10 PM, Ken Williams <kwilliam at aed.org> wrote:

>  I think the critical issue is whether or not there is significant
> expectation of code work and experience in working with APIs.  My general
> impression from Drupal Con is that there would be a sufficiently broad range
> of turnkey modules we can use as building blocks, and we're looking for
> someone with a broad enough view of those.  In the current economy, it is
> unrealistic to hope that most businesses, and particularly nonprofits, will
> write a blank check, unless they already have a successful earned income
> strategy or pre-approval and range of motion from their own clients.  A
> critical factor is whether or not the client has a clear sense of their own
> strategic objectives and what they want the product to look like and do. In
> this scenario, the adept consultant comes as a resource in strategies to
> manage costs and add value.  Few clients, however, are sufficiently rigorous
> at the front end, and hence I do understand these reservations and concerns
>
>  Ken Williams
> Senior Technical Advisor
> AED Center for Leadership Development &
> Director
> New Voices National Fellowship Program
> 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #1049
> Washington, D.C.  20009
> 202-884-8972
> 202-884-8419 fax
> kwilliam at aed.org
> http://cld.aed.org
> http://newvoices.aed.org
>
> Want to learn about the nation's best leadership development program for
> emerging leaders?
>
> Watch this:
>  http://vimeo.com/7168443
>
> And if you are an AED employee, visit the revamped AED Workplace AIDS Web
> site!
> http://awac.aed.org
>
> .
> >>> Sam Cohen <sam at samcohen.com> 11/11/2010 4:45 PM >>>
>
> I'm going to differ a bit on this. I don't think the project is
> unreasonable at all as long as the client is flexible and willing to work
> with you..
>
> Sure, if you have a client who wants everything done is a very specific way
> then with that type of time line it would be impossible.
>
> But as long as the client understands open source and understands Drupal,
> you can build an amazing site very fast. I think it's premature to dismiss
> any situation as possible or impossible or under budget without first
> assessing the client's willingness to work with you.
>
> On a project like this, I'd say to the client, for that much money you can
> have me for X number of hours. We will keep time to a minimum by trying to
> incorporate existing modules, and possibly adapting the requirements to
> those modules. Where necessary we will customize things, but we will try to
> keep that to the minimum necessary.
>
> As long as the client understands that the work is based on hours and not
> specific specs, there's no reason it won't work. In fact, you can come in
> way under budget.
>
> Best,
>
> Sam
>
>
>
>  On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Bill Fitzgerald <bill at funnymonkey.com>wrote:
>
>> Hello, Ken,
>>
>> If you are interested in looking at platforms, you also might want to look
>> at VoiceBox: http://code.funnymonkey.com/
>>
>> Disclaimer: I'm part of the team that built and maintains VoiceBox.
>>
>> It's free to download, install, modify, and use any way you see fit.
>>
>> Screencasts are at http://code.funnymonkey.com/screencasts.
>>
>> RE the timeline: breaking your project down into a set of phased
>> deliverables might be a more maintainable approach, as this would allow you
>> to proceed in stages without committing too much in the way of time/money
>> into a small development window.
>>
>> Like some of the other respondents in this thread, we are booked up and
>> not looking for work at the moment, but your project sounds interesting, and
>> this list is a good place to find development talent.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/11/10 12:41 PM, Marilyn Langfeld wrote:
>>
>> Hi Ken,
>>
>> Here's the intro to Drupal Commons: http://acquia.com/products-servicesand the description page
>> http://acquia.com/products-services/drupal-commons
>>
>> The other link I sent earlier is to Acquia's own installation of Drupal
>> Commons, which serves as a demo site, allows you to join and try out the
>> functionality, and ask your questions.
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 3:35 PM, Ken Williams <kwilliam at aed.org> wrote:
>>
>>>  Thanks Marilyn, I really appreciate the lead and the feedback. We'll
>>> revisit the budget and see how we could realign what we have.
>>>   Ken Williams
>>> Senior Technical Advisor
>>> AED Center for Leadership Development &
>>> Director
>>> New Voices National Fellowship Program
>>> 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #1049
>>> Washington, D.C. 20009
>>> 202-884-8972
>>> 202-884-8419 fax
>>> kwilliam at aed.org
>>> http://cld.aed.org
>>> http://newvoices.aed.org
>>>  Want to learn about the nation's best leadership development program
>>> for emerging leaders?
>>>  Watch this:
>>>  http://vimeo.com/7168443
>>>
>>> And if you are an AED employee, visit the revamped AED Workplace AIDS Web
>>> site!
>>> http://awac.aed.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> consulting mailing list
>> consulting at drupal.org
>> http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> http://samcohen.com
>
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>
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