

Ask HN: How do I keep my p/t web development team motivated? - az

Hi, I need ideas how to motivate my web development team to complete my website which I started almost two years ago.  I'm not a programmer or web designer, but my friend the web designer is working on the website for me.  His friend a web programmer is doing the programming and together they are creating the website.  I have the business model and the concept is mine.&#60;p&#62;The problem: Their progress is taking much longer than it should take, now almost two years from when we seriously started working on the website.  The issue is that they have full-time jobs besides my website and my website falls to the way-side.  We are in touch through 5pmweb.com's Project Management capabilities as well as through emails and chats.&#60;p&#62;For the time being, they are working for free.  I tried offering them money to speed up their motivation, but they flat-out refused.  They said that money isn't going to make a difference and they are already doing whatever they can to complete the website.  I also tried (but not as hard) to offer them a piece of the profits for the first year or so, but I believe they said the same that it won't change anything.&#60;p&#62;An important aspect is that the nature of the website is that it's a seasonal business and in order for the website to be completed post-programming and web design is I have to meet with organizations to sign them up with my website.  For every month they are slow, I have a greater chance of missing the next season. This is because I need to make the sign-ups and then the website can go public.&#60;p&#62;You'll probably say that I should abandon them and look elsewhere for another programmer and pay money.  The issue with that is they already have the concept and understand the way how to program what needs to be done and I feel confident that they can do it.  The concept is not easy to understand unless you are familiar with the product, which they are.  They also spent almost two years on-and-off working on the website, so to abandon all that work spent doesn't make much sense.  I also feel that it will cost me much less competing it with them since this website will be a milestone for both of them and something to show-off  in their portfolios.&#60;p&#62;My programmer suggested adding another programmer to the team, this time as a paid employee.  My programmer will give instructions to the new guy on pieces of the website to complete and they will finish up.  He says that he has two potential candidates one is cheaper than the other but one is better than the other.  Would you think adding adding another programmer to the team make much of a difference? (I know you have no specific details to base your assumption on, but I also don't have any.)&#60;p&#62;Do you have any ideas in helping me move this project along?  How would you motivate such a slow team?&#60;p&#62;Also, how would you consider a pay-out at the end of the website's completion.  Right now, the understanding is that we will discuss payment when the website is complete.  Originally it was supposed to take a year,  but now its almost two and I don't see the end ahead.  Would you make a tier-payment where payment is decreased by a percentage for every extra month?&#60;p&#62;Truth is, they just got serious again and are busy working on the website as I see from interacting with them on 5pmweb.com.  I don't know how much effort they are putting in, but I need some suggestions to keep their fire hot and alive!&#60;p&#62;Thanks!
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CyberFonic
Is your design documented? Is the implementation documented? If so, promote
your current two guys to team leaders, hire some kick-ass programmers to
finish the job. Pay a substantial incentive for hitting a mutually agreed
deadline.

Oh, by the way, do you have a business plan? One with dates, budgets, revenue
targets? If so, pull numbers out of that, do a discounted cash-flow analysis
and a big chunk of that is your development budget. It's either doable or not.

If you have no documentation, no business plan, then you have nothing, just a
dream morphing into a nightmare.

~~~
az
I don't understand what you mean by if my design or implementation is
documented. I have nothing to do with the programming and I'm assuming you're
talking about that.

I haven't started on a business plan but I would like to make one. Do you have
any resources you suggest to write one?

The idea is kick-ass (to use your phrase) and the website has a lot of
potential added-value available to the consumer.

What benefit are you suggesting there is to promote my development team so I
can hire others? It took me a while to get them settled and comfortable to do
the job! I don't see where you're going.

------
pavel_lishin
First I advise against communicating with them via giant walls of text, not
checking whether those HTML paragraph breaks actually put in line breaks or
not.

edit: after making my way through it, this jumped out: "Right now, the
understanding is that we will discuss payment when the website is complete."

This seems like a good way to get into a three-way fight and legal troubles.

~~~
az
So what is a better way to communicate? We live in different states and its
much easier on all of us if we communicate via the Internet.

I also suggested we have a weekly phone chat to keep it more personal, but it
hasn't happened as much as I have like it to, so I'm going to change it
starting now.

In terms of legal issues, I'm going to talk to my lawyer and ask him what he
suggests. Yes fights are inevitably gong to happen.

~~~
CyberFonic
I think "wall of text" referred to the fact that your post is one huge,
impenetrable block of letters. No paragraphs, nothing to chunk it down to be
readable.

~~~
az
I see what you mean, but he mentioned 'they'. I wrote it in paragraphs in my
email so I can take advantage of spell check and then I pasted it. I tried
editing it, but HN doesn't seem to let.

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justinlilly
What happens when the business takes off? Will you be okay with having your
friends do it whenever its convenient for you? If not, you're going to have to
get a team in there anyway. Why not do it sooner rather than later? That way,
they have a system they have a say in, rather than inheriting something that
could be complete garbage from their perspective. I think it will lead to a
happier long-term team as well as you getting your site up quicker.

------
kristianp
Modern wisdom goes; you need to set a deadline for release, then figure out
what features can be implemented in that time frame. "Release early, release
often".

------
FreeRadical
Why do you keep mentioning 5pmweb?

~~~
az
Because I love the website! Before my team suggested we use it, our progress
was much slower because they didn't have any concrete idea of what to work on.
Now, its broken down into many pieces and much easier to collaborate.

No, I have no relationship with 5pm.

