How much? I would do it for X / 10 rubles!

Yesterday was a free minute and I sat down to read Habra. One of the first articles that came across “ Our answer is 3doodler. Assembled in 20 minutes . ” And now I read it, watch the video, and feel that I have a déjà vu. And this is not good. Raising a wave of indignation. I am not comfortable.

But what is this?

I am a business process analyst, architect and software developer. Converting “analog” requirements into a “digital architecture” followed by its implementation is my mission, my bread.

Returning mentally to the causes of deja vu the picture appears before your eyes:
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Scene One:

You meet with the customer. The customer has a problem. He does not know how to solve it, he is not familiar with technologies that will help with this. Actually because you are now talking.

You listen carefully. Specify questions. Build a draft solution model highlighting the areas of the task that require a separate study on the scope of work and deadlines. At the same time, you build a stack of technologies that you need and match it with the capabilities of the customer, with your current capabilities. The work is at the stage of analysis. Work is already underway.

Scene Two:

Some time has passed. Dates and costs are already agreed. Work in full swing. In the morning you get up with thoughts about the project. Your body drinks coffee, but you yourself have long been dominated by abstract models, interface prototypes, logical traps and inconsistencies - the creatures of last night.

The day is coming. You look into the void and smile. You have just found a solution to one problem that tormented you. One of the many components of a global task. This decision, it is almost tangible. He still can not "touch", but it is already there. You catch yourself thinking that the answer was suggested to you by some echoes from your projects of the early 90s of the last century. Some subtle allusions sent your thoughts in the right direction. Hmm ... All the same, experience is important even in areas where a lot is changing even over several years. This makes me happy.

Late evening. You are already tired, but the task does not let go. She is relentless. Until the prototype confirms the correctness of the decision invented during the day, it will not work. And you write. You are debugging. I will not go to bed without commits!

Night. Sleep, what could be more beautiful? Or something can darken him? Nightmare? No ... Brain. Your brain keeps debugging the code. Every now and again. Stop! What's this? And if so? Perhaps, with such conditions, there will be a bug here! How could I not take this into account? .. 5:31 on the clock. I have to sleep. I'll figure it out in the morning. In the morning ... sleep!

Scene Three:

All is ready! All is ready? But how not so! You are experienced. You know that if you have a ready-made solution in your hands, then this is not the end - implementation is ahead. And the introduction of it is insidious. Oooh, he will definitely have surprises for you. How will the system behave in real conditions? You go over the points again - no, everything should be fine. It is necessary to run. Everything is solved, it all went through many times. Everything will be fine.

Scene Four:

The time has passed. The solution is implemented and works. Behind the setting, fitting under the reality, user training. Customer satisfied ...

And one day, you are talking with this client on the topic of developing cooperation and you feel something is wrong. In the course of the conversation, you find out that the customer either through the line of acquaintance, or what kind of destiny was a certain person. Young, positive, kept confident. A person, sort of from your field, well, this is also a “programmer”.

The customer showed him your work, briefly explained what and how, and as if casually asked how much she was looking at. The man thought for a couple of minutes and suggested the amount ... And everything would be fine, but the amount announced was ten times less. So he said: "I would do for so much ...".

Since then, your customer has become some kind of gloomy. There are no new projects with it.

Reflection

Maybe this stranger is a genius? After all, he analyzed business processes in a few minutes, revealed the goals and tasks of the solution, decided on what and how he would do it, developed the architecture, business logic, and took into account the implementation nuances. Give him a little more time and he will give the same and even better for the cost of your Work / 10!

Or not?

Maybe a person has already seen a ready, suffered solution, to which others were thorny and mechanically appreciated the repetition of an already invented one? After all, it seems that everything is already clear. Is this not one of the reasons for the erroneous estimate of the cost of work? Is this a sign of insufficient experience?

The most ideal formulation of a task for a developer is a demonstration of its implementation.

And you, what did you feel? Common situation?

UPD
Do not take it as a reaction to specific events. The article mentioned at the beginning indirectly gave impetus, but was not the cause. The topic was in the air for a long time, eventually it took shape. Please take this post as a parable. I specifically publish it on Friday. So say the mood.