Some experience with freelancers
Why do I periodically work with freelancers? There is one reason: because when a need arises, not a single contractor available to me offers a combination of two characteristics: significant, compared to freelancers, added value for me as a client, plus a guarantee of product quality stability.
Simply put - as a qualified customer, I work with a freelancer today no worse than with a contracting company: the risks are not higher, the quality is proportional to the budget (I myself choose a specific performer), the cost of “quality unit” is lower.
But this is me, experienced. But a small company, which thus reasonably seeks to save its already small budget, would be good in working with freelancers to follow several rules that significantly reduce the number of negative feedback on the work of the latter :
')
1. Freelancer - lazy and illiterate. In fact, not all, but we proceed from the worst. Therefore, it needs to be controlled and managed. From here follow the rest of the rules.
2. If the task can be misunderstood, it will be misunderstood. When working with a freelancer, you need to remember: everything that has not been recorded - at least as an e-mail - is the fault of the customer. If only because it is important for him to finish this in time, well, but the veteran - he doesn’t bother with turnover, maybe even a week. He receives money for the amount of work, not for speed.
3. The smaller the task, the more accurate the deadlines will be met. This means that the task “to make a website design”, for example, needs to be given to the artist as a decomposition for 10-15-20 short subtasks. Since maaaaahonky term. At this point you don’t get a bolt, you don’t take a break on the ruler. And another thing: the freelancer usually estimates the terms poorly - it is better to calculate the work schedule yourself. The ideal is to give a freelancer a Gantt chart with the price of each stage. So that he means not to think, but to do. That is exactly what you pay him for.
4. Always keep in mind a period of 25-30% more than stated. Because it is. According to statistics (I don’t mention the source), in the CIS 94% of the software (I think, and other) projects do not fit into the deadlines.
5. Monitor progress on tasks once a day. For your money - you have the right. And never take the word on% readiness to a freelancer! For this, we did a project decomposition into final “short” tasks in order to see how the process was moving.
6. Immediately, before starting work, agree on fines for deadlines. It is better if the freelancer calls them himself, and you, as a last resort, will correct them in return. Otherwise, he will definitely have the thought “No, well, here is a goat, but ??”, which will negatively affect the level of motivation and performance.
7. Remember that it is never possible to fine more than 40% of the total amount of the contract - the motivation is zero, the quality and timing in the end is the same.
8. The sequence of the struggle for the timing:
a) Reminder
b) the threat of a fine
c) Hitting
d) Re-run
d) Change of tactics: talk heart-to-heart, explain why time is so important to you, find out and, possibly, suggest how to eliminate what prevented work on schedule
e) CHANGE EXECUTOR
9. If there is a real chance to work with the same freelancer in the future or look for someone else through it - at the end of the project, even if there were shoals, over money, hand a girl - flowers or candy, a guy - 100ml balsam or a cool lighter. Because all employers are chmoshniki and exploiters, and you are white and fluffy, only strict.
Simply put - as a qualified customer, I work with a freelancer today no worse than with a contracting company: the risks are not higher, the quality is proportional to the budget (I myself choose a specific performer), the cost of “quality unit” is lower.
But this is me, experienced. But a small company, which thus reasonably seeks to save its already small budget, would be good in working with freelancers to follow several rules that significantly reduce the number of negative feedback on the work of the latter :
')
1. Freelancer - lazy and illiterate. In fact, not all, but we proceed from the worst. Therefore, it needs to be controlled and managed. From here follow the rest of the rules.
2. If the task can be misunderstood, it will be misunderstood. When working with a freelancer, you need to remember: everything that has not been recorded - at least as an e-mail - is the fault of the customer. If only because it is important for him to finish this in time, well, but the veteran - he doesn’t bother with turnover, maybe even a week. He receives money for the amount of work, not for speed.
3. The smaller the task, the more accurate the deadlines will be met. This means that the task “to make a website design”, for example, needs to be given to the artist as a decomposition for 10-15-20 short subtasks. Since maaaaahonky term. At this point you don’t get a bolt, you don’t take a break on the ruler. And another thing: the freelancer usually estimates the terms poorly - it is better to calculate the work schedule yourself. The ideal is to give a freelancer a Gantt chart with the price of each stage. So that he means not to think, but to do. That is exactly what you pay him for.
4. Always keep in mind a period of 25-30% more than stated. Because it is. According to statistics (I don’t mention the source), in the CIS 94% of the software (I think, and other) projects do not fit into the deadlines.
5. Monitor progress on tasks once a day. For your money - you have the right. And never take the word on% readiness to a freelancer! For this, we did a project decomposition into final “short” tasks in order to see how the process was moving.
6. Immediately, before starting work, agree on fines for deadlines. It is better if the freelancer calls them himself, and you, as a last resort, will correct them in return. Otherwise, he will definitely have the thought “No, well, here is a goat, but ??”, which will negatively affect the level of motivation and performance.
7. Remember that it is never possible to fine more than 40% of the total amount of the contract - the motivation is zero, the quality and timing in the end is the same.
8. The sequence of the struggle for the timing:
a) Reminder
b) the threat of a fine
c) Hitting
d) Re-run
d) Change of tactics: talk heart-to-heart, explain why time is so important to you, find out and, possibly, suggest how to eliminate what prevented work on schedule
e) CHANGE EXECUTOR
9. If there is a real chance to work with the same freelancer in the future or look for someone else through it - at the end of the project, even if there were shoals, over money, hand a girl - flowers or candy, a guy - 100ml balsam or a cool lighter. Because all employers are chmoshniki and exploiters, and you are white and fluffy, only strict.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/45256/
All Articles