Project management advice

Hey DarthV,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting things done - I've been there.

What you need is not technically "challenging", but creating an entire system like that from scratch is a good bit of work. Any proficient PHP/Perl/RoR etc programmer could handle such a job - you just have to find the right person that you can rely on.

As you've said, one of the big problems with sites like elance, odesk, etc. is that you'll get a ton of people bidding for your job who aren't really qualified. Or maybe they're technically qualified but their communication skills are so bad that it becomes a problem. Or maybe their attention to detail just isn't good enough. Unfortunately in my experience a ton of the people bidding will just say what they think you want to hear in hopes of getting the job. Your best bet with using sites like this is to just try to see who has the most/best feedback and pick the best one for the job.

I've struggled with this in the past. The ideal situation is hiring your own full-time programmer, but this is tough unless you have enough work to keep them busy full time. Hiring people for single projects or part-time work can definitely work out, it's just harder and more problematic in general vs. someone who works for you full time.

If you've got several projects lined up though I'd definitely say it's worth spending sometime to find the right person. You don't need much technically knowledge yourself, you just need to find a "good" programmer who is competent and honest and won't try to take advantage of your lack of knowledge.

I wish I had someone I could recommend, but I don't at the moment. From the sounds of it, a project manager is unnecessary and would just be an additional expense. What you really need to find is a good "LAMP" developer that does contract or part-time work. They are out there. Good luck!

Database-wise, I'd suggest going for something like MySQL. It's one of the most common database systems and ties in pretty nice with many development languages like PHP, Ruby on Rails and Django.

What skills are needed? Well, you need somebody who can program (i.e. write the code to make the website work). The same person should also be capable of setting up the database itself. For example, a normal dev process might go like so:

1) Define project scope. What does the client want, what features are needed.

2) Start mapping out the Database structure.

3) Once the database is set up, start programming.

As for general advice, make sure you speak with the persons you consider hiring. How is their communication? Ask for previous examples of their work (view the website as well as asking to view code samples). Be weary if they ask for the whole amount up-front:

Make sure you clearly define at the start of the project the payment terms and dates, for example:

Milestone #1: Define variables (complete database structure and website outline). You sign off and pay 20% of the arranged price.

Milestone #2: Define variables (working prototype). You sign off and pay 20% of the arranged price.

You get my drift (I hope).

As far as a Project Manager goes, you could go down this route. Just make sure you research them well.

Hi,

If you want to do project management only, open source project management solutions might work for you. I know two of them, which are available in one click install in Fantastico (cPanel). If you don't have one, setting them up is also pretty easy.

PHProjeckt: PHProjekt
Dot Project: dotproject - Open Source Software :: Open Source Project and Task Management Software

Mohit