5 ms·

The argument doesn't make sense. He brings up a lot of the challenges of outsourcing, and makes offhand remarks about good ways to address them. But if his argu

The argument doesn't make sense. He brings up a lot of the challenges of outsourcing, and makes offhand remarks about good ways to address them. But if his argument were true, no contractor would "work". The entire contracting industry fits into his description of "outsourcers". Lots of contractors work effectively for their clients. As a person in ANY business, if you believe that your only incentives are to get your clients to pay more, more often, then you will fail. Fucking your customers will wreck your business in any market. The customer has to feel like they got some value out of the deal. The real incentive for a contractor is to provide the best (perceived) quality of product, for the highest competitive price possible. Even the bottom-price bargain barrel shops know this. They're just bad at it.

achow 11y ago
I think the author has a point, as software development is lot different than most other contracting gigs. In most successful contracting jobs one would have a very clearly defined scope (processes and materials to be used, what is a clear outcome, etc.). Software development has lot of ambiguity - processes to be followed, materials (technology stacks) to be used, what is a clear outcome (nobody knows unless it is validated in the field - apart from internal testing scenarios).
- raverbashing 11y ago
  Exactly Most of the time, the people going for upwork have no idea of what they want, they just want 'an iPhone app'
  - spdionis 11y ago
    But don't forget that there are also good clients. Honestly it's not that hard to tell this kind of clients from the good kind.
- Kurtz79 11y ago
  It is in the interest of the customer to define and specify what it wants as much as possible. In more formal environments it is normal to have a requirements specification as a point of entry for developing the SW, and the first output by the contractor should be not code, but technical documents describing how this requirements are going to be met, how they are going to be tested, the technology used... Of course this is a process that require additional effort and time, not only on part of the contractors but from the customer as well (in terms of requirement definition and review). What I'm saying is that there are well known processes and methodologies to deliver SW products, and it's up to the customer to define what it wants, and to what detail, and up to the contractor making sure that he has a clear idea of what he is going to get.
osullivj 11y ago
Individual contractors can and do work well in client organisations. Separate scaled up consulting and outsourcing businesses are the problem IMHO, and this is what the article argues too.
morgante 11y ago
You're right: I think the biggest difference in product quality comes from the differences in reputational effects. A local developer or consultant will often rely almost exclusively on referrals and their reputation to get new (high-priced) gigs. So they have a strong incentive to keep quality high and to have satisfied customers. On the other hand, outsourcing providers tend to be fly-by-night operations whose sole competitive advantage is low cost. They have essentially no reputational incentive, as there will always be another fool looking for Facebook at bargain bin prices.

achow 11y ago

I think the author has a point, as software development is lot different than most other contracting gigs. In most successful contracting jobs one would have a very clearly defined scope (processes and materials to be used, what is a clear outcome, etc.). Software development has lot of ambiguity - processes to be followed, materials (technology stacks) to be used, what is a clear outcome (nobody knows unless it is validated in the field - apart from internal testing scenarios).

raverbashing 11y ago
Exactly Most of the time, the people going for upwork have no idea of what they want, they just want 'an iPhone app'
- spdionis 11y ago
  But don't forget that there are also good clients. Honestly it's not that hard to tell this kind of clients from the good kind.
Kurtz79 11y ago
It is in the interest of the customer to define and specify what it wants as much as possible. In more formal environments it is normal to have a requirements specification as a point of entry for developing the SW, and the first output by the contractor should be not code, but technical documents describing how this requirements are going to be met, how they are going to be tested, the technology used... Of course this is a process that require additional effort and time, not only on part of the contractors but from the customer as well (in terms of requirement definition and review). What I'm saying is that there are well known processes and methodologies to deliver SW products, and it's up to the customer to define what it wants, and to what detail, and up to the contractor making sure that he has a clear idea of what he is going to get.

osullivj 11y ago

Individual contractors can and do work well in client organisations. Separate scaled up consulting and outsourcing businesses are the problem IMHO, and this is what the article argues too.

morgante 11y ago

You're right: I think the biggest difference in product quality comes from the differences in reputational effects. A local developer or consultant will often rely almost exclusively on referrals and their reputation to get new (high-priced) gigs. So they have a strong incentive to keep quality high and to have satisfied customers. On the other hand, outsourcing providers tend to be fly-by-night operations whose sole competitive advantage is low cost. They have essentially no reputational incentive, as there will always be another fool looking for Facebook at bargain bin prices.