Better Web Development, part 5: Business
In the last eight years, I have made lots of advances with my web development. I am always learning new methods, new tools, and new strategies on the path to intelligent web development. These are tips I’ve learned from my progress so far.
(Inspired by the Graphic Push article “The Path to Intelligent HTML“)
Business
(This are tips I’ve learned as a home office-located, solo-operating, contract-based worker. These may or may not apply to your own unique situation.)
Hourly Tracking - NO
I hate keeping track of my hours, so I might be slightly biased on this one. But, biased perception aside, I believe using a fixed estimate is much better alternative than tracking my hours. Granted, you need plenty of experience before you can build an accurate fixed estimate. It also takes more up-front, unpaid time to generate your estimates, which aren’t guaranteed to turn into a paying project. But I find it is almost always worth it in the long run.
Most importantly, you’re getting everything out up front. No surprise costs for your clients! I make my estimates extremely detailed. This way, they serve as scope documentation, pricelist, and checklist. Focusing on so much detail at the start of the project means that both parties are aware of exactly what they’re getting themselves into, cost-wise and time-wise. A detailed list with individual costs for each task allows a client to see which items cost the most, allowing them to refocus their project to fit their budget. In the development phase, the estimate becomes a detailed todo list!
In most projects, a request or two will surface after the initial esimate is approved and the project gets going. This is 100% normal - developers shouldn’t be surprised, and client’s shouldn’t be reluctant to ask! But armed with a detailed estimate, both parties can easily see what was or wasn’t in the original scope, and can determine if the new request will be an additional cost or not. Again, the goal is to eliminate surprise costs. Clients are more comfortable working with you if they know the exact cost of the project from the beginning, and your cash flow is more reliable because you know exactly how much a particular project is going to bring in! (Note: there are certain projects where getting paid hourly is the better alternative, but I use fixed estimates by default.)
Time Awareness - YES
I’ve talked a little about this already in the Tools section, but let me repeat a piece of advice you’ve heard before: time is money. Especially if you’re a freelance or contract worker and work by yourself. There’s no one to distribute the work to! Good time management doesn’t just keep you organized, it also a free way to increase the value of your time. Being able to squeeze more billable hours into your day means that your days are worth more.
There are also ways to increase the value of your time that aren’t free. Another phrase you’ve heard before is: it takes money to make money. Sometimes it takes an investment to save some time down the road. For instance, if you know that a new tool will save you time, consider buying it. If part of a project is outside your comfort zone, and you don’t think learning to do it is worth the time it would take, consider outsourcing that part of the project. Sometimes learning new tricks and techniques will save you time down the road, which would mean the time spent learning it would be paid off later.
Predict Updates - YES
If you’re like me, the single most important assest to your business is your time. The more time you spend making in-scope tweaks and modifications to a fixed-estimate project, the less you are effectively getting paid for your time, and the less time you’ll have to work on other projects. You can’t eliminate the tweaks - they’re an important step towards the goal of developing something your client is ecstatic with - but you can make the tweaking process smoother for both of you. Smoother tweaking not only means spending less time on updates, but it also means being more responsive to your client and being more flexible with their needs. Sometimes this means doing extra work in the initial development.
It takes experience to recognize the most likely targets for modification - sometimes it takes experience with a particular client to know their unique trends. But once you know what to look out for, you can start simplifying those adjustments. For instance, take the XML-based link definitions I referred to in the Methods and Techniques section. I adopted that method when I noticed a tendency of my clients to edit the external links embedded in a flash movie towards the end of the project. By moving the link definitions into an XML file, I not only helped make these edits smoother for myself and my client, but I also opened up the possibility of my client being able to edit these links themselves after I had completed the project, using just a text editor!