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What does a consultant with programming chops bring that a non-programmer doesn't? The ability to write functional computer code, for one, which is a superpowe
by patio11 14y ago
What does a consultant with programming chops bring that a non-programmer doesn't?
The ability to write functional computer code, for one, which is a superpower.
Besides that, I speak the language, engineering folks generally like working with me over working with "icky marketing types", I have a good understanding of what is easy and what isn't in terms of implementation, I can spec projects or deliver prototypes without needing my hands held too much, etc etc. (And virtually my entire shtick is "Marketing objectives which are worth serious money to you can be achieved by writing carefully considered code.")
- danso 14y agoThe ability to work with (and have the respect) of the engineers is definitely an asset that cannot be overvalued. But in terms of writing functional computer code...how much are you actually writing? Is this code merely to wireframe/prototype something? Or is it an actually deliverable that the company will build atop? I guess what I'm getting at is the usual cynical trope by engineers against consulting: that consultants are hired to tell you what you already know/should've known. So given a hypothetical company of such stature as Fog Creek, what is your strategy for convincing them that you can tell them something they don't know? I'm not saying that engineers are above needing consultants, it just seems like a culture that, as you point out, can be extra-resistant to being told by a third-party what to do, in lieu of a concrete deliverable.
- patio11 14y agoBut in terms of writing functional computer code...how much are you actually writing? Is this code merely to wireframe/prototype something? Or is it an actually deliverable that the company will build atop? Depends on the engagement. There is code I wrote running in production at some clients. (Might want to keep an eye on the FC blog, as I expect there will be something interesting on there eventually, but until then that isn't my story to tell.) So given a hypothetical company... what is your strategy for convincing them that you can tell them something they don't know? I tell them something they don't know, and continue doing so until I win the engagement. With specific reference to Fog Creek, I was active on their forums for a few years and folks there read my blog, so I wasn't exactly starting from a position of We Totally Don't Know Anything About You on the credibility ladder.
- mgkimsal 14y agoDo you mean "functional" as in "it actually works" or "functional" functional?
- patio11 14y agoFudge, English at 5 AM is not my forte. I meant "functioning" rather than "that one that gets mental co-citations with Lisp but whose definition I cannot conveniently call to mind at present." (n.b. I suspect that there's some business problem you can solve with that, too, but personally I'm pretty pedestrian with regards to programming methodologies.)
- jebblue 14y agoThanks for the fudge, much nicer to read, appreciated.