Are you looking to start a Magento project or have just appointed a developer or agency to undertake the work? Below I've compiled a short list of things you can do as the client to make life easier during the project and also to ensure that you maintain a good relationship with your developer.
I’ve been training Magento store owners, ecommerce managers and admin staff for over 4 years now on. In that time I have heard a lot of stories about how the relationship with the developer has broken down. Sometimes this is the fault of the developer, sometimes it is the fault of the client but in most cases it is avoidable.
At the end of the day it is in nobody’s interest to have a fraught relationship so below I have listed some points that can help you become a good client and keep your project on track as well as have a long term and meaningful association with your chosen developer.
This article is client facing so should be read from the perspective of the customer who is purchasing services from an agency/ developer.
1. Be clear on what is important
At the outset of your project only you know what main things you want to achieve are. It may seem obvious but make sure you write these down and tell your developer as part of your initial meetings and communicate them in a clear format in a document. Have the developer feedback to you what you are asking so you can be sure they understand and if there is a project specification document ensure these things are covered. Don’t assume anything.
2. Agree a schedule of works and set realistic time scales
So when is the project going to be delivered. If you have a short time scale then be prepared to make compromises. If you have high expectations then be prepared for a project that will take time. But have a set of goals in your mind, communicate these with your developer and between the two parties set milestones.
3. Have some perspective
If your online store represents a good revenue stream then don’t try and do the project on a shoestring budget. Good quality work costs money but should also reap results. Bad quality poorly thought through work is likely to not help you achieve your goals, leave you demoralised and disillusioned with the whole project.
4. Provide the information required in a timely manner
This is a personal pet hate from when I was involved in projects and one of the most time consuming wastes of time for a developer. If it is your responsibility to provide information to help move the project forward then be mindful of this. Just because you are paying should not mean you can pick and choose when you meet deadlines and when you let them whoosh past. Your developer has better things to do with their time than chase and wait for images, branding, spreadsheets that you are tasked to provide. If you have agreed to do it then do it in a reasonable time. Rant over!
5. Be realistic and assume nothing
How much are you paying? Do you have some assumptions of what you are expecting to be delivered? Don’t assume anything, have it agreed, costed and in writing. If it is not included in the project specification then why would you expect it to be included in the final build? If you have a meeting and new work or amends are agreed then make sure you get it in writing and that all parties are in agreement.
6. Not everything is important
What’s the important functionality, design, integrations and what can sit a bit further down the priority list? Let your developer know what you would like to be seeing first and don’t badger them about lesser functions until they have progressed through the more important stuff. If the important stuff is dependent on other activities your developer should let you know. While we are on this...
7. ...Not everything can be urgent (Don’t be the boy that cried wolf)
When every job is high priorty they end up having the same proirty. Don’t expect every request you make to be carried out straight away. Ensure it is logged and then let you developer do what they do and get around to it. If it is important let them know, but my advice is make this the exception that way when a task is important it will be dealt with appropriatly. Don’t be the boy that cried wolf! One day something will be really important and if you always class jobs as important it will be given the same priority as everything else.
8. I’ve seen an extension
You been having a look around for that special something that can help you with your website. You find an extension on Magento connect and see its free! So you pick up the phone or fire off an email to say please install and its free btw.
It’s not that simple and I would expect a good developer to try and reign you in. There are many considerations to be taken into account when installing a Magento extension and there is a certain amount of due diligence required by your web developer before this can happen. Maintain a perspective that not everything is necessarily straight forward. This is not to say that you can not have the extension but it will require some real time set aside to do it.
9. "But it’s just a button"
“I’ve had an idea, on the home page can you put a link that…..”, this is often referred to in the trade as the “it’s just a button” request and it refers to client requests where they do not understand the complexity of what is involved with the perception that it is easy. The expectation is it can just be done with little effort. Are you being flippant about the ease of tasks you are requesting from your developer? If the request is complicated they should be able to explain why and what the implications on time and money are.
10. Educate yourself
Don’t just rely on you provider to now the ins and outs of a project. Learn about Magento - trust me, your conversations will become more informed and you will get results quicker plus you will realise that a lot of what you are asking an be done yourself quicker, cheaper and to your exacting requirements.
11. Developers need to make money too
Projects are only worthwhile for a developer if there is a profit in it. If you constantly change your mind and keep asking for free of charge work then it will soon be a project that runs at a loss. Would you be happy to work for a loss?Would you give special treatment to a client that costs you more money than you make? Your developer might not say it but trust me you will be slipping down their lists of priorities as a fast rate.
12. Avoid the brain fart email
Collect your thoughts and bullet point them for a meeting/ call with your account or project manager. Don’t brain fart an email. That is don’t just fire off an email as soon as you think of something. Make a note, give it consideration and then consolidate this with other ideas.
13. One main point of contact in your organisation
Assign someone in your organisation as the main person to communicate with the agency. Avoid multiple contacts and rely everything through this person before they talk to the developer.
14. Treat the agency as a partner not just a supplier
Yes you are paying for a service but many of the most successful ecommerce stores appreciate the importance of a partner agency. The project does not have to stop when your store goes live, in fact you shouldn’t want it too as your store becomes more successful you will probably want a more sophisticated website.
15. You know your business best
Remember that you are the expert in your industry. Your developer may not understand why you want things done a certain way, so explain this to them and why it is important.
16. Sometimes ‘just because'
Hopefully you trust your developer and sometimes you will just have to accept that they do things in a certain way because they know best. To explain this would require you to understand the intricacies of the field they work in and after all didn’t you hire them because of thier expertise. Know when you should just trust your developers judgement.
