

Importance of Having Technical Knowledge Onboard - matttah
http://shout.setfive.com/2008/12/05/importance-of-having-technical-knowledge-onboard/

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adatta02
The issue seems to come down to trust. How can you trust any third party to be
acting in your best interest?

The situation comes up anywhere where you don't have domain knowledge of the
project. I've seen several people get burned by shody contractors, plumbers,
mechanics, ect. It strikes me like finding a competent and honest development
team reduces to the same problem.

Unfortunately, in this era of outsourcing and globalization it seems
significantly more difficult to find a local development shop that someone can
personally recommend.

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jeeringmole
Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? -- Juvenal (see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes>)

This is a lovely idea, but suffers from a severe bootstrapping problem. How
should the firm choose the technical person to hire? Or which consultants to
use to recommend a technical person?

I have seen plenty of situations where the technical person onboard is second-
rate -- or worse. I have also seen plenty of over-priced second-rate
consultants.

IMHO part of the solution will be the eventual emergence of meaningful
certifications of technical competence. Although problematic in a number of
ways, the IEEE CSDP is probably a good first effort. Other professions are
licensed, and have continuing education requirements.

~~~
wulong
Who needs a watchman when your company has someone who's technical at its
reins (or close enough to them)?

