startup outsourcing - 50 definitive ways to make it work!

STARTUP OUTSOURCING 5050 THINGS THAT GUARANTEE THAT YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED OUT OF OUTSOURCING

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THE 50 BITESBITE SIZED ADVICE FOR YOU TO STICK TO YOUR CUBICLE WALLS

Do not outsource your thinking process. Ever!

Google search for vendors is like walking into a club, hoping to walk

out marrying someone! Do research, not just search!

See who did it for your competitor. By now, they “get” your business.

Reduce “vendor education” cost!

When a sales guy says “Yes we can!” Don’t get carried away! Its his/her

job!

Awesome English does not guarantee awesome code. Corollary is true!

Good SEO’ed provider is not the same as Good provider!

Don’t sign up because the guy who you spoke to was good. A facade doesn’t make

for an entire house!

If you don’t know where you are going, any outsourcer would do!

Ask for hiring lead-times. Delay-to-market is what you pay with, otherwise!

Every vendor has unhappy customers. Make sure to find if they

are unreasonable, as well!

Evaluate tools used, as much as you evaluate people!

Interview the team. Any excuse by outsourcer to not do that is BS

Own design thinking & inspiration. Rent design execution.

Everyone does it for money. Some do it for curiosity. Nobody does it for charity!

You are not in it for the “best bean counter” title!

Equity for outsourced MVP is like sex for drugs. You are screwed anyway!

MVP is not what fits your outsourcing budget. MVP is what is minimum

viable for your users!

Good price per hour is not the same as good total cost

Penalty clauses – Fun to write, Fun to negotiate. No so much, to measure &

enforce!

Asian culture is used to frugality & value extraction. Bargain. Its not wrong!

You never win, even if your vendor pays you back. Be picky while picking!

Never judge a book by its cover. Read reviews. Ask for references.

Time estimate x 3, cost x 2 = Real deal, unless you pick the best – in whose case

cut the multipliers by half!

Your vendor has no passion for your idea. And that’s okay!

Document your expectations. To ass.u.me that your vendor ought to

know, is laziness on your part!

Nothing is obvious. Telepathy does not work. Be Explicit!

To confront is to disrespect, in Asian culture. Pick up subtle cues of objection.

Do a stand-up meeting, daily! Do a review, bi-weekly!

Don’t judge everyday!

Have a hacker buddy. Your outsourced project continues only if his WTFs/LOC is within prescribed limited, in his/her first

review!

Someone from your team can always have an ailing grandma. Don’t let her

fall sick often!

Be flexible, if the only thing that suffers by being so, is your ego!

Good Outsourcers say what it is now likeBad Outsourcers say what you like to hear

When in doubt, ask. Understand. Prepare. Contribute. Shouting comes

way down the order!

If there is a time zone element, be sensitive to it!

Be friendly with developers. Surprise them.

Encourage ideas

Reward the thinkers among your doers!

Make an effort to know each one in your team. It gives you a context!

Don’t allow on the job experimental learning at your project’s cost!

Be insanely responsive!

More you contribute, more you win!

Fly down once if you can!

If you have to fly often, hire someone locally!

Pay only after you get what you are paying for!

Pay on time, every time!

Like you can’t solve world’s poverty, you can’t fix all problems of your vendor. Know when to fight and when

to walk away!

Don’t fall in love. Your needs change!

Do them a favor or two. Offer to Refer!

Keep in touch. You get to know better when you are not a customer!

Startups! More power to you!

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