Agile, Risk Reversal and Software Engineering
There is a fundamental principle in sales and marketing that risk reversal is a good idea. There is a reason why direct mail marketers (who test offers religiously) all have those cheesy "get double your money back if you don't completely love . . ." offers - they work.
In programming though, what is the right way to handle development risk?
Build Time vs. Contact Time
One of the biggest problems I am struggling with on fixed bid contracts is the difference between build time (which is to some extent under the developers control) and contact time (which often isn't) . . .
Do developers Create bad clients?
As a developer, I've been known to complain about some of my clients from time to time. However, and interesting question is whether - as developers - we CREATE some of the bad behaviors of our clients. Here are three ways I've personally seen developers create bad clients (and how you can avoid them) . . .
The Two Types of Website Clients
I think there are broadly two types of clients - one is looking primarily for advice and the other is looking primarily for implementation.
Have you ever come across the client who "wants a blog". When you ask them why, it's because they've heard that they are a great way of building SEO positioning. When you ask why that matters they say to generate traffic. When you ask why that matters, they say they want to generate leads. When you ask why that matters they say to increase sales. So, what they actually want is a cost effective way to increase sales of which a blog may or may not be the right approach . . .
Sitting in The Sun
. . . outside a friends cabin in the Highlands of Scotland. The sun is almost a little too bright, but is shaded through the remaining leaves on the trees in the forest across the street. The biggest distraction is having to gently blow the falling blossoms off of my keyboard once in a while. It's a hard life . . .
Selling Agile to Small Businesses: A Challenge
I believe that Agile methodologies deliver better, more relevant applications more quickly and cost effectively that BDUF waterfall projects in the vast majority of cases. But when selling web applications to small business owners who have no understanding of programming, how do you sell an agile approach?
