Discuss With Your Developer

7 Important Things to Discuss With Your Developer Before Getting Started

Developers seem living in their own world, which has its own value and set of rules. This does not mean that they do not approve the traditional marketing tactics. They also want to work in sync but also have their own opinions and reason for it.

It is so because every company has its own idea of what the Developers’ contribution will be which can encircle anything from a product, outbound marketing, talent acquisition, engineering and so on.

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So, it is important to discuss with your developer before making a start.

What Is the Role of a Developer?

The developers, programmers, engineers, digital marketers are now the most sought-after professionals as a shift from the traditional stores to cloud service aid has taken place in the last several years.

But developers stand out among the herd because they are the captain of the ship. Suppose you are designing a new website or an online store, your first move will be to hire a developer. Again, if you want to make some changes or make some add-ons or even want to make some tweaks, developers are the people whom you need to approach.

So, it is very important to discuss stuff with them as there are reasons which can cause tiff and the project can fall apart.

The general issues that can affect your project due to developers are lack of communication which includes slow or no communication, missed deadlines, developers’ false claims that can be over- promises, under delivers, the scope being defined loosely, and also it can be that the developer disappears.

These affect the project and the irony is that you cannot avoid them.

So, what you do? The intelligent thing is to discuss with your developer before making a start. But again, the dilemma is how and what to discuss. It is an entire metaphysical aspect to have the estimate of the future issues and start working on it right now.

Here are the things you need to discuss and let’s begin with.

1. What Will Be the Mode of Communication

There are plenty of ways to communicate- texts, emails, chat, calls and PM software.

Well, this is the first pointer because it has a lot of relevance. There are plenty of ways to communicate- texts, emails, chat, calls, PM software and so on. But with so many options, it creates confusion about where and how to communicate.

Again, it is important to have a roundup which can be weekly, fortnightly, monthly and even daily to discuss the progress and details about the project. It is so because you cannot work on expectations. You might be expecting the results and the development might get delayed due to some glitch. This is common and it really tarnishes the faith and trust.

Communication is the key and you need to stay connected with the developer on the preferred and mentioned way or method.

How Does It Help?

Well, it builds a good rapport and relation with your developer. Slowly it becomes a regime to have complete communication before/ after commencing any kind of work in the projects. The number of communication errors is reduced or eliminated completely.

It strikes a balance between checking in too much or too little.

2. How Will the Developer Manage the Project?

This is not intrusive or meddling at all. You need to discuss with the developer on how will they manage the project and on what platforms. The software, spreadsheets, Google Docs, and other stuff has to be discussed and if required shared before making the start.

This will give you access to the hub of everything and anything related to the project.

How Does It Help?

It saves time if the files, docs, sheets are all shares. All you need is to cast a glance and make the next move and decision. You save time, and effort by not asking for details every time. It also helps you to figure out the progress of the project and make small notes.

3. Who Will Be the Final Decision Maker?

Anything which is on the cloud needs a team.

Anything which is on the cloud needs a team. No one can be the ruling body, but yes you need someone to call the shots. It can be you, the UI or UX team. Again, even if the final decision is taken, you might need someone else’s input to make the final call. All these are important and you need to know and inform the developer about it.

They should know that only approval of you or any other person of the team is not sufficient, in short, they need to be confirmed about the hierarchy of the office. Unless they receive approval from the right person, they should not take the next move.

How Does It Help?

This is very helpful because this is the age of quick and fast communication. It has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. If the developer is conscious of the final decision maker, then the chances of communication gap get eliminated.

4. What Will Be the Timeline?

Well, the timeline is a big thing. You might need to flag off the project as soon as possible whereas the developer needs their own time to finish the work. This needs to be settled in the very initial phase.

However, if you have a hard deadline then make the developer aware of it.

Waiting for a developer to give the date to finish the project can be frustrating but it saves from a lot of contradictions in the future. All you can do is to ask him the reason for the time it will take to finish the project and have an estimate of it.

How Does It Help?

There are deadlines which can be both hard and soft. If these are discussed and elaborated in the beginning, then chances of missing it reduces. Even the developer knows if they require to make a compromise for the quality of work over deadline, then they can inform you if the deadline is discussed with them.

5. Who and How Will the Developer Handle Expectations and Small Decisions?

Who and How Will the Developer Handle Expectations and Small Decisions?

The process of handling a small decision is actually the freedom which the designer has while interpreting the design. It can be from setting the pixel size which has to be perfect or it can be adjusted accordingly.

Again, if the site is responsive, then do they design for all breakpoints or can they leave some points if required. This will enable the developer free to make decision or suggestions.

How Does It Help?

It is quite often that the designers do not find creative satisfaction when the website does not closely match the design. So, they might take more time and so compromise on the project’s timeline. However, it again depends on your requirement of the intended level of detail. It can be both ways; You might want to launch the project on time or else you might want to delay it to get quality work.

6. The Fees and Charges of the Project?

Any project has the hidden expenses which do surface up mostly during mid-way or at the end. It is very crucial because the developer might inform you of the primary expenses but they can be hidden expenses which he might consider that you are already aware of it.

It all begins with the estimation if you are hiring the developer on hourly or at a fixed rate. Next comes the detail of how the payment will go out? The payment schedule and mode as well is all included in the contract.

How Does It Help?

Well, it eliminates all the discrepancy of getting the project ducked at the last moment due to such issues. End of the day the developer is a human and they need the payment for their work. In fact, monetary issues can raise serious problems for the project.

7. What Should the Contract Include?

The contract is a written agreement.

The contract is the written agreement which is built with consent from you as well as from the developer. It provides the information that you both have agreed on it and all the terms and conditions which is related to the topic.

How Does It Help?

There are instances when the projects get delayed or get stuck due to disagreements and conflicts. You need to understand that it is an official bond between you and the developer. It happens that with time the demand of the project increases and then you have to make scope creep.

This can be offensive for the developer and they might feel overburdened. Again, you might sign a developer for certain work but with time the professional can lose interest and do not work dedicatedly on it. So, the contract will be beneficial for both of you as it is the written document between you and the developer.


Well, no one can actually suggest a conversation between any two human beings. But here the communication is between professionals who have a common goal- to finish a project. With these pointers, any kind of issues and conflict can be avoided. So, you do not end your project on an abrupt note.

About the Author: Derek Luise

Derek Luise is working as a Jr. content writer and blogger with Ethane Technologies. He can be seen blogging about digital marketing, SEO, SMO, PPC, etc.

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