Latest Posts - Page 120 of 192

March 11, 2019March 1, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Developer Tools and Licenses as a Consultant (or Employee)

One of the common aspects of consulting that is missed is clarity about developer tools and licenses. In particular, this obstacle is natural to overlook when you are used to being an employee. The challenge is not just being able to access the tools; you also have to navigate what can be used for your customers. Even more, there are applications you can use for your projects, but they are not licensed for your customers. Get Legal Developer Tools and Licenses Step one is to make sure you are adequately covered. Every tool you use (i.e., install on your machines) should be appropriately licensed. If you do not, then you might find yourself on the wrong side of a software... Read more

March 8, 2019February 25, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Consulting Project Enhancements and Follow-Ups

The completion of a project is not necessarily the end of a customer relationship. To the contrary, consulting project enhancements are a common way to keep that relationship alive. When that fails, a follow-up project also has a higher likelihood of being won than a new one. Take advantage of these options to keep your business thriving. Consulting Project Enhancements The first path to review is pitching enhancements. These are almost a slam dunk if you take good notes during the project creation process. There will be items scoped out of the project early in the requirements gathering through to the last minute. Even as late as deployment due to resource constraints. Every one of these is an opportunity for an enhancement... Read more

March 6, 2019February 24, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Writing Proposals and Winning Projects

Once you find a prospect your next step is turning them into a customer. In the IT world (as well as most other lines of business) this is done through a proposal. Therefore, writing proposals is a significant facet of growing a business. There is no black magic involved in this process; we just need some common sense. A Process for Writing Proposals Our focus on every project should be solving a problem or a group of them. Thus, the first step in our process for writing proposals is to fully define the problem or problems at hand. We can go off and try to figure it out on our own, but the customer is the best source for this information. Work with your... Read more

March 4, 2019February 23, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Finding Consulting Projects Without Cold Calls

The challenge of finding consulting projects is not one you should overlook. However, the first is the hardest. Once you have a couple of projects under your belt, you will find it easier to win additional work. We will cover the ways to grow existing business in another episode. For now, let’s look at some ways to find prospects that are the easiest to convert into customers. Finding Consulting Projects on the Internet This problem is so common that a large number of sites have been created to solve it. That is not going to make your task a slam dunk. Although there are countless project sites out there, they are not all created equal. Start with the options that... Read more

March 1, 2019February 23, 2019 Lessons Learned From Consulting

Fixed or Hourly Project Pricing

One of the critical choices in accepting a project is whether you will bill based on a fixed or hourly basis. The bottom line is that one approach places more risk on you as a provider. The other puts it on the customer. At least, that is the typical thought. However, you can adjust a fixed bid or how the hourly rate is paid to shift risk around. Fixed or Hourly as a Project Approach I think that this is a decision that should be considered far more from the basis of how the project will go as opposed to finances. A fixed bid will make it far more likely that a customer will want to squeeze all they can... Read more

February 27, 2019 Tools We Use

DBVisualizer How To – Easy Database Administration and Usage

One of the tools in this series that I have used the most is DBVisualizer. It is a database tool for developers and those that need to browse their data. Although the uses are plentiful, we will keep this DBVisuualizer how-to focused on the standard features and usage. A tool like this is too much to cover in an introduction so your best approach will be to use it. A Free Version There are two versions available, free and paid. The rough differences are that the free version is a data browser while the paid version adds a lot of administration and manipulation tools. However, you can see for yourself on their comparison page. Note that the free version does allow... Read more