| Many businesses are outsourcing the services of | | | | clear on the goal of the project. Any programmer that |
| programmers to custom build their software. Your | | | | has a specific set of goals in mind can ask you the |
| businesses software needs may include: | | | | right questions to develop a decent quote for your |
| - Applications. | | | | project. |
| - Auction tools. | | | | - Form and Function - What do you want the interface |
| - Finance (including spreadsheets, tax programs...) | | | | to look like and how do you want the new |
| - Presentations. | | | | programming to interact with other software and |
| - Design and photo software. | | | | devices you have in house already? |
| - Internet software. | | | | - Budget - When it comes to pricing out a |
| - Sales management. | | | | programming project, one big factor will be what you |
| - Program and project management. | | | | can reasonably budget for the project. Asking for bids |
| - Legal and accounting. | | | | for outsource services online will help you see if the |
| - Add-ins. | | | | funds you have put aside for the project are sufficient |
| - Software to ensure safety of computers- firewalls, | | | | or not. |
| encryption, anti-virus, anti-spyware. | | | | - Deadline - As with any business project, you do not |
| - Custom extras for major business programs like MS | | | | want to wait until the last minute. Your project may be |
| Office, communication tools. | | | | one that will require very little time or it may be one |
| However, your company may not yet be large enough | | | | that will take several weeks or months to complete. |
| to justify the expense of a full time programmer on | | | | Begin to look for outsource services being offered by |
| the payroll. If that is the case, you are in luck. There are | | | | qualified freelance programmers as soon as you |
| thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of talented | | | | decide that the project will enhance your business and |
| freelance programmers, ready and able to handle your | | | | include a reasonable deadline in your advertising. If you |
| projects and offer their outsource services for very | | | | are unsure of a reasonable deadline ask programmers |
| little money. Quality programming is now within reach | | | | to include one in their bid so you can get a fair idea of |
| for many smaller to medium businesses. | | | | how long it may take. |
| Planning Your Programming Project | | | | Be as explicit as you can be in what you write in your |
| Programming can be expensive so you want to | | | | ads, but bear in mind that the ads are publicly viewable |
| ensure you get the outsource services you need | | | | so if you have "secret" or proprietary ideas consider |
| within a reasonable budget and time-frame. | | | | how much you want to post; save some for a private |
| Before you get started, have in mind the following: | | | | discussion. |
| - Why - what do you want the software to do? Be | | | | |