How to Choose a Developer

September 27, 2009 · by Sean Schofield

In my last post I discussed a strategy for choosing the right open source technology. In that post, I argued that choosing the right developer is far more important than choosing the right technology. Let's take a few minutes to explore some decision-making rules for choosing the right developer for your open source project.

You Get What You Pay For

My first piece of advice in hiring a developer is that you shouldn't try to do so "on the cheap." A well-qualified programmer will typically charge $75 - $125/hr. There's no perfect correlation between a developer's rate and his or her ability. I have hired excellent contractors at $50/hr and some terrible ones at $150/hr. As a general rule, don't expect to get a decent programmer to work for you for less than $50/hr.

Craigslist.org is littered with people who will claim to do your site for $15/hr or some ridiculously low amount, but you're really taking a chance with these folks. Most of these programmers are located overseas or they are very inexperienced. Can you build a successful project using these types of people? Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. Time zone and language barriers can be frustrating and dealing with an inexperienced programmer located in your home country can be equally unproductive.

Do Your Research

You should spend a fair amount of time researching your development partner before signing a contract. You should ask for references and call them personally. How enthusiastic are their customers about the service they were given? Were the projects on time and within budget? Does the developer communicate clearly with their customer? I recommend LinkedIn as an excellent resource for finding out more about a developer's experience. You can also read recommendations from customers right there on the website (although I would still recommend calling a few just to check them out further).

Time is Money - Don't Waste It

As a developer, nothing is more frustrating than dealing with a potential client who isn't really serious about hiring someone. You may be happy to spend hours talking about your business ideas, but a professional developer is not interested in wasting time. Developers make their money writing software. Time spent talking with a customer who does not really have money to spend is time that could have been spent servicing actual paying customers. My general rule is that you can expect maybe 30 free minutes of a developer's time for every $10,000 you are planning to spend. So, for example, if you want to talk with us for five hours about your project, we better be talking about a $100,000 project.

Come Up With a Budget

When you call a developer, you're likely interested in answering the question, "Can this developer do the job?" The developer, on the other hand, is probably asking themselves, "Can this customer afford to pay me?" Custom software is expensive, even if it's based on open source. Some developers will be hesitant to ask you how much you're planning on spending. Do them a favor and mention your budget towards the beginning of the conversation.

In my opinion, there is really nothing wrong with giving the developer a range to work with. For instance, if you called my company and said "I am thinking of spending between $15,000 - $30,000", we would politely tell you that we do not take on projects this small. We would, however, give you some free advice on how to find a developer in your price range, and maybe even recommend a specific company for you to contact.

Category: Open Source eCommerce | Tags: open source, Development