

Ask HN: How can outsourcing be improved from the contractor's side? - twidlit

I think it's safe to say that outsourcing development work is hard to get right and filled with disappointing results but I am curious of any ideas on what should the contractor be doing / providing / using (apps or setup) to facilitate a good outsourcing outcome.
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mattm
Communicate. It doesn't matter if you're on location or working remotely. If
you communicate clearly, understand things before you start work on them and
get your message across then you will have success. For each new feature or
task, make sure you understand what the outcome is expected before you start.
I have wasted a lot of time the times I have not followed this advice.

Prioritize. Get your client to help prioritize their work. If they have a list
of features to implement, ask which ones are the highest priority. Help them
understand that you are only one person and that only one thing can take
priority at a time.

Read. Read a book about your field for at least 15 minutes per day. At this
rate you will finish one or two books a month and be far ahead of people who
do not read. Be constantly improving your skills and learning new ways of
doing the things you are currently doing. (I admit this is advice I have
implemented for a couple years but have gotten away from recently in the last
month.)

Your question might have been probing for the tools to use. The tools don't
matter as much as the person behind the tools.

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twidlit
Agreeing 100%. 'Communicate' can be unpacked into 1. asking a lot 2.
systematically eliminating fuzziness 3. use visual tools (drawing, screenshot,
references)

