Retaining an Access programmer, issues, pitfalls to avoid?

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Guest

I'm considering retaining an Access programmer to polish up an existing
database.

For those who've hired programmers, what are some issues I need to address,
any pitfalls? Most important, where do I find one? I'd prefer one in my
area.

I'd like to hear your experience.

Thank you,
Kelvin
 
Kelvin,

I think the most important issue is that you must first define the scope of
work you want done. You really need to define what needs to be done (in as
much detail as possible). What functionality do you require, reports,
forms,etc. If you do not define this properly from the beginning you can
easily be taken for a ride or simply have the project grow out of control.
Make sure you get your agreement in writting and stypulate a price and time
table to protect both parties. Also include a confidentiality clause if
your data is proprietary or sensitive in nature. You CANNOT over specify
your needs!

People here might be able to help you, many very good programmer her (I
myself am in Montreal), where are you located? Although much development
can be done without needing any face to face. I did a 2 yrs project using
telephone and e-mail as our of communication.
__
Hope this helps,

Daniel P
 
Location is not as important as qualification. Given today's technology, you
can accomplish almost anything at any distance.
Some questions to ask.
Can I see a sample of your work?
What certifications do you have?
May I have some references for whom you have done work and the nature of the
work you did for them?
What experience do you have in my industry?

When you decide to engage somebody, be sure there is signed agreement that
spells out the statement of work in great detail.
Be sure the statement of work includes estimates of time and cost for each
phase of the project.
Be sure there is a change management process in place that will cover
changes, overruns, etc.

This is not to be suspicious, but it is important that all parties fully
understand the project and their responsibilities.
 
I will only add not to forget to include into the cost of the development the
expenses that occur on your end. Specifically the time either you or a
champion of the product will have to spend to bring the developer up to speed
and clarify objectives and details.

I've learned that as a developer if I don't come out of a project interview
without a major headache I probably wasn't asking enough questions. Clearly,
if your project wasn't complicated you could have bought a solution off the
shelf.
 
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