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Written by Joao Pereira November 26, 2006 Web Development Auditing FirmsSometime ago I worked for a company doing web development and project management. One day I was asked to check on the work being done by another company to one of our customers and I ended up delivering an extensive analysis of the quality of their work regarding webpage coding (HTML & standards), programming skills (code layout, use of standards, proper names, error trapping), website performance under stress (1000's of simultaneous requests), |
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| I have direct experience with "being audited" and it was no fun. About 5 years ago we did a job for a company in Connecticut (i was based near Seattle at the time) it was a complex database programming job, and involved modifying existing code. This was a very tedious project, and took much longer than expected. After we successfully finished the project the owner had our work audited by a third party. He then took our bill and modified it using the Auditing company's recommendations. The end result is we were denied about 35% of our bill, and this company basically said "tough luck, what are you going to do about it". They knew that besides an inconvenient & expensive lawsuit there was absoultely nothing we could do. So having experienced the negative side of auditing i can say that there is huge potential for bad feelings. However, it could be of great use for projects that 'go bad' or are poorly executed. Cayley Vos |
Al Toman
said:
| > The end result is we were denied about 35% of our bill Dear Cayley Vos, This can be considered theft of services, however, doesn't help your case. However, your example demonstrates the necessity of contractual agreements, especially in conducting global business. Decades ago I learned the value of "possession is 99%" back in the early 70's gasoline shortage ... and here I stood next to a tank containing well over a million gallons of petrol. Therefore, lesson learned, I get the green (possession) before I turn on the working machine. How I handle the money on my end is: #1 - I'm very selective for whom I'll contract work in the first place. #2 - I phase each job. #3 - My web design contract agreement requires the client to pre-pay each phase of the job. They pay, I do the work, they sign-off on the work, they send check for the next phase, etc. I allow a 10% retention for final cleanup. Once the 10% is received, I move the work off of my server and (allow them to) publish the web site. The work is my property until publication and in accordance with the specific contractual agreement. If I smell a bad smell, I encrypt the work. If they attempt to hijack it, they only get goo-muck code! I also have a delay of project (by the client) charge. You delay, you pay. Designing a (business) web site, today, requires a close partnership between the web site owner/webmaster and the web site designer. I'm very, very careful about the partnerships into which I enter. I found out that those who do not like the pre-pay arrangement DO NOT intend to pay for the work in the first place. I have no use for them. Have I ever been shmucked? You bet! But no more! |
Rae Deisler
said:
| This issue has potential to be hugely problematic. For instance, how do you know the third-party auditing service is going to offer definitive results? How do you allow them to decide things like efficiency, technology, workflow, etc? This takes the responsibility from your work force and gives an outside agency the power. I think there are some problems, Joao, that you'll have to solve on the PR end if you want to make this a success. Why should I trust you? What kinds of empirical methods can you guarantee that will result in deliverable, measurable outcomes? |
Francine M.
said:
| Just to follow up with this - Joao I think you have a good idea but it's apparent some legwork will need to be done. The whole "interface" between the client firms and the firms workforce is pretty complicated and probably won't ever ben comfortable for you. Imagine how much they will hate seeing you guys come through the front door :-) You are coming to audit their work and leaving now room for them to control its outcome. What are your processes exactly? I'd love to hear more. |
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