Good Finally Friday Morning

[Jim]

We were lucky yesterday with very little snow lorsha. But, noreasters just don't seem to ever miss us.

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

[cd34]

Originally Posted by Jim

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

In controlled circumstances, sure.

To quantify this project, I had a recent quote from two companies that were going to rewrite it for ~$15000 in 20-35 days. The prior outsourcing contract (if you calculate the time spent exclusively on this project) was $16000 for the development. If I had to put a price on the time I've spent on it, I can't really say that it was any cheaper than $15k -- and it was only done in 12 days because I spent more than 8 hours/day working on it.

Outsourcing failed me in this case because I didn't have a documented test procedure or acceptance procedure. Because our initial tests worked, we hadn't thought about the variables. Also, while development was going on, we were refining ideas and making changes which certainly added to the time involved, however, the end product by the company did not match the document that they wrote based on the requirements I had given them. I think most of that was a result of the distance, time zone issues, skillset of the programmer and the fact that English was a second language. Had we been able to have a face to face meeting (and no, videoconferencing wasn't a substitute), I'm sure that project would have turned out much better.

And what is outsourcing really? Technically, when you have web design done by someone else, aren't you really having that outsourced? Or web hosting? Accounting/Tax preparation?

To me, outsourcing is contracting work out to someone that has the ability, time, special resources or skill to accomplish something that you don't have time or can't handle inhouse. I think in the strictest sense of the word, whenever you turn over some aspect of your business to an outside entity, you've outsourced.

Whether I would outsource overseas? Sure. Urb has spent a little time working on a few things that we've got coming down the pipeline. Would I contract to India or the Philippines? Perhaps. Will I outsource Tech Support? Never.

That's not to say that there aren't some good companies out there offering remote support -- its just that I have a pretty concrete view of how I think things should be, and I would much rather have many aspects of the core business handled in-house.

[docholly]

Morning..

Woke up to an email that made me rip a new ass to a certain cocky Brit.. who always seems to disappear when the farking check arrives..

Oh except the checks that are paying us $$$$ ..those he's around for..

sooo i'm waaaay to grouchy to post anything pleasant.. however it is about 40 degrees here .. was raining yesterday.. i've had my A/C on for a month and suddenly it's january again?? I blame Bush...

cheers and i hope your day is much better than mine started out being..

Originally Posted by Jim

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

It's funny that i should read that. On a conference call we had yesterday there was much discussion on the HB1 visa issue..which is the work visa that was created in the 1990's to attract the "best and brightest" to the US for brain power. Last year it took 2 months to give out the 65K visas.. this year, it was increased 133K and they were gone in 1 day. 45% were used by companies that have huge outsourcing companies in India. Once the HB1 visa is issued, the visa holder has 5 years to apply for a green card. Turns out the trend is that the HB1 visa holders over the last 7 years (2 years of tracking) 70% never apply for green cards but take their learned US knowledge back to Madras and apply it there to get US and UK companies to outsourse their jobs overseas.

Our govt is sooo fucking brilliant.

[Linkster]

Good "Lets Kill Us Some Knights Templar Anniversary Day" Friday the 13th morning Guess that ole King Phillip IV started this "unluckiest day in history" and the Masons have been getting us back ever since

Now that the Scottish Knights Templar have expanded to the US I guess this day should be made a holiday here too |goodidea

[digifan]

Originally Posted by Linkster

Good "Lets Kill Us Some Knights Templar Anniversary Day" Friday the 13th morning Guess that ole King Phillip IV started this "unluckiest day in history" and the Masons have been getting us back ever since

Now that the Scottish Knights Templar have expanded to the US I guess this day should be made a holiday here too |goodidea

Thanks for posting it, I didn't know that...