Trust you are doing fine.

Well,I introduce myself as a Software Professional working on Microsoft technologies (ASP.Net,VB.Net,C#,Visual Basic 6.0, Crystal Reports) & having around 10 years of experience.I have worked on & Implemented both projects and products like Imaging based workflow solutions, Document Management systems, Banking Solutions etc for Banking & Insurance domain.

I also work as independent software developer from home (part time / freelancer) & assure quality work. As far as rate is concerned, I expect in between $20-$25/hour(negiotable).

Please let me know if you have any freelancer requirement for your company’s projects.

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Thanks & Regards

Aman Singal

I admit that I disappointed you with my lacking programming skills but that was because the spec called for someone with great ( I read adequate) javascript skills for a GUI, that is for a graphical user interface. Then later on it the project I was expected to do hardcore javascript programming with database interaction. I was proficient enough in javascript to handle most GUI animation but this stuff required a professional programmer.

I also remember the spec was big but large part of the spec was just background information on the concept itself and not a branched outline of all functional and content elements of the website.

I have to say Im not sure what you’ve been doing after Doug because those other guys I haven’t really interacted with, so my comments might only be relevant to the Dough period.

Lastly, my frustration about this project isn’t as much about not getting all the work, as much as bearing to see a great proeject left in the shades, never seeming to get completed.
Anyways, I hope this project will still come to a good end sometime soon

Also, I hired you for the job as a javascript GUI expert, which you professed to be, and I went into heavy detail describing the interface I wanted. It was only after you had been hired that you mentioned that you weren’t really that good with javascript at all. Which forced me to hire yet another person.

As for as not having a detailed spec, the length of the spec is longer than my SEO Guide on this site. Sure, that doesn’t include everything, it doesn’t include the end of project details, certain aspects of monetization I am keeping secret, and everything else, but it did include everything needed to build a functional framework, which is around 90% of the site. When only 10% is completed I doubt spec had anything to do with it.

To get specific, on that project I had 1 programmer who misrepresented his abilities (you). 1 programmer who lied about the hours he could contribute (like from 40 to 4) (feras) one programmer who was skilled but vanished (doug), a programmer who started briefly but then stopped because of personal reasons (dave), second programmer I hired after Dave who suffered his same fate, and finally a second programmer after that who vanished, only for 6 weeks though this time. I’m still waiting for him to finish the work I’ve already paid him to do.

I can understand you being as frustrated with that project as me, because even though you misrepresented your skills you were atleast available, and in the end you got less work because the work you could do was secondary to the work that the others needed to do and they just kept quitting. But really don’t put the lack of communication on me, I was chasing programmers constantly.

I think on the project that you are referring to we have had the right people working on it (Doug was good) but the lack of communication and information made the project fall apart.

As both an experienced webdeveloper, and (website)project manager I have learned that the most important thing is a FULL and complete spec, upfront. Together with a payment scheme that awards both quality work and timely completion of tasks.
What lacked especially in your project management was a full spec because you were coming with ideas for the site along the way. In a perfect world maybe you can do that but in the real world you must first think out the whole site, write it down, and then hire the right people.

I think it would help any website publisher who hires help to read a management book, I can personally recommend Edward P. Lazear, Personnel Economics for Managers (ISBN : 0471594660).

Regards,
JR

However, I do get these huge benefits:

a) He already understands my systems, minimal explanation is needed

b) A routine work schedule & 100% communication access during that schedule means I can have issues fixed immediately.

Regarding b, the last freelancer I worked with took 2 months of chasing to complete a 15 minute task. It boiled down to a conversation like this — “But I have exams tommorow” Me:”Get this working tonight or your payment will be reversed.” Magically, it was fixed.

Looking back to when I started my first business, delayed programming projects have been the NUMBER 1 cause for failure, without question. Perhaps these business projects would have failed later on, but they never even got the chance.

My general belief now is that 99% of the good and reliable programmers already have a job and are working. My programmer was headhunted from another company. The same will likely occur with the next.

Maybe I’ve just had the bad luck of getting all the bad people.

I usually go with Scriptlance for my projects. Post an extremely detailed description of what you’re looking for, look through the respondents, and go with someone who has similar experience and a huge collection of positive reviews.

I had an enormous project that was haunting me for the better part of a year. I posted it to Scriptlance, found a coder, agreed on $300, which was one of the higher bids. He wrapped up the project in about 3 days, and then I spent another 4 hours in almost real time, finetuning his output.

It’s a big world out there, and the Internet lets you connect directly with the skilled people. If you’ve got your project management chops, then you should do just fine. Projects go sideways when the client isn’t specific enough, doesn’t appreciate the impact of changing requirements, has impossible expectations, and isn’t patient about legitimate delays.

I have just recently begun the process of identifying reliable offshore vendors. I am even looking for offshore design help.

Another avenue I am looking at is a US company that has both onshore and offshore capabilities.
This would seem to help a lot with the communications issues

Hiring a company instead of a freelancer can give you some extra security, but…can you be sure that it’s a company you are working with and not a kid with a cool website and several IM clients? I mean, if they are from India, you can’t really walk down there and meet them face to face, right?

There are freelancers that work fulltime. There are also very good companies that work very well (in the US, India, etc). But even the best freelancer/company can have problems with a project. Perhaps the project is very complicate? Sometimes clients are (i don’t mean you).

Anyway, we can all make mistakes, get delayed or have personal problems that cause as to leave a project. But there is one thing that i don’t tolerate and that doesn’t have any excuse…that is Disappearing. I mean…just disappearing without any (real) explanation. I saw this too many times…from freelancers and companies around the world. I like to call it going MIA. When someone does that, you can be sure you are talking to someone very very unprofessional.