Why are coders so damn lazy?
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I always like to play Devil's Advocate whenever a group of coders gets in an uproar like in this thread. I was a PM in a former life, so yes, I recognize the importance of spelling out every last little fucking detail to a coder. I will also say how extremely fucking difficult it is to work with programmers sometimes. It's cool. I realize that there are a wide range of jobs available for you as a coder. You don't need my money, etc.
That being said, the coder also has a responsibility to set client expectations throughout the project. If you are working with someone who is obviously new or does not have technical expertise, it is your job to inform them what it is going to take to get the job done. Give a reasonable estimate on costs and time, and then follow up on that estimate throughout the project. There is something called contingency- you should bake into your estimate extra hours for dealing with the customer or adding new things. If the scope isn't clearly defined by the customer at the beginning, either don't accept the job, or help them define the scope. Or, tell them that any additional work outside of the scope will cost $X/hour. If the client can't deal with that, tell them to fuck off and don't accept the project.
I have been on the hiring side many times, and while I have thought before that I spelled out every possible detail on an SOW, I may have overlooked something once in a while. It happens. It's not because I'm a fucking retard and expect you to do this work for free.
Communication is key, and I find that it is something that a lot of developers simply don't do well.
#realtalk
The coders I have known in my life are good people for the most part, but there's something about work completion that brings out the worst in them. From what I've seen, every one of them suffers from one or several of these flaws: a poor work ethic, a tendency to make false promises, bad time management skills, boredom, god-awful communication skills, indifference/contempt towards the buyer and dishonesty about skills and ability. As a copywriter, I try to learn from them about what *not* to do as far as my own business practices because they have driven me so crazy.
Coders have been such a headache for me, I have adjusted my business plans to create sites that do not need custom code or coders. Last week I purchased two third party software packages that do the job, so I don't need you guys anymore. Thanks, and good-bye.
Which is why they work for google, fb, etc. They hire the cream of the crop.
Coders have been such a headache for me, I have adjusted my business plans to create sites that do not need custom code or coders. Last week I purchased two third party software packages that do the job, so I don't need you guys anymore. Thanks, and good-bye.
Which is why they work for google, fb, etc. They hire the cream of the crop.
Yes, communication is what I am driving at as well.
This is a two way issue, though.
Both parties need to communicate, and try to do it well.
And I agree that there are lazy, incompetent, non-communicative, stupid coders/clients.
I am a PM in my current life and even as a PM I get upset with clients sometimes.
We are just now putting a rolling news ticker into a website like it is 1995 - the client INSISTS on it.
Good thing the <blink> tag went out of commission.
::emp::
This is a two way issue, though.
Both parties need to communicate, and try to do it well.
And I agree that there are lazy, incompetent, non-communicative, stupid coders/clients.
I am a PM in my current life and even as a PM I get upset with clients sometimes.
We are just now putting a rolling news ticker into a website like it is 1995 - the client INSISTS on it.
Good thing the <blink> tag went out of commission.
::emp::
This is the sad reality. This is why people now buy templates on sites like Themeforest instead of hiring a web designer to design something custom. This is why Wordpress and other CMSes with ridiculous amounts of available plugins are so popular. This is why so many sites on the web are cookie-cutter bullshit sites.
True that.
I don't consider this a sad reality at all. Water finds it's level, even on the internet. The lazy, incompetent, non-communicative clients will wind up working primarily with lazy, incompetent, non-communicative coders (because all the pros are busy working with one another), generating cookie-cutter crappy content and profiting in small margins.
Those of us (coders and clients) who are able to work quickly and efficiently, doing everything that needs to be done, communicating whenever communication is necessary, etc, etc, etc, well, we'll be the ones working together making the innovative sites, the cool new ideas, and the big money. Good luck bros.
Communication is the hardest part without a doubt. That's why there are people who are project managers, systems analysts, software designers and programmers.
More often than not, clients know what they think they want but can't explain it in detail. You have to be really thorough in knowing what to ask to get what you need but that in itself is an entire skill set. Then you've got to get more information and find out what the client should actually be asking for because they almost always ask for the wrong thing. Then you've got to argue your case and demonstrate that you're right and they're wrong.
Yes, it's all a major pain, but that's why different people focus on different roles. The actual writing of code is by far the least expensive work that goes into a decent software project and for good reason.
More often than not, clients know what they think they want but can't explain it in detail. You have to be really thorough in knowing what to ask to get what you need but that in itself is an entire skill set. Then you've got to get more information and find out what the client should actually be asking for because they almost always ask for the wrong thing. Then you've got to argue your case and demonstrate that you're right and they're wrong.
Yes, it's all a major pain, but that's why different people focus on different roles. The actual writing of code is by far the least expensive work that goes into a decent software project and for good reason.