The Ethics Of Outsourcing Web Development
So you have decided to hop aboard the freelance web developer’s train and ride it to your millions. You read all of the prerequisites like SitePoint and the new must-reads like Freelance Switch. You scoured the job boards around the net and have finally connected with your first client only to run into a major roadblock; one part of the project requires you to build something that you don’t know how to do. It doesn’t matter if it is as pointless as Flash or as crucial as an application written in a particular language. As developers, we can’t possibly specialize in every known technology, yet as a freelancer, you will often find yourself in the position of not having the full set of skills necessary to complete the job.
Outsourcing To The Rescue
Like in all sectors of the modern economy, outsourcing is becoming a major force to be reckoned with. And while I won’t go into detail about why I think the United States and Europe should stop freaking out about this phenomenon, it is clear that this could give the average freelancer a huge edge. Suddenly, you can cost effectively hire yourself a team when need be, but maintain your freelance status. It is like having temporary employees working for you, but only when you need them. The savings potential is massive and meanwhile you can pass yourself off as the most versatile freelancer out there.
But here is the dilemma: Should you tell your client that you outsourced a component of their project?
The Ethical Dilemma
You could easily not tell your client that you had to outsource a part of their project. Meanwhile, things go off without a hitch and everyone is happy. Unless of course something goes wrong with that piece and you don’t know how to service it. Then again, you could always outsource the fixing of the issue. The point is, this could continue and your client would never know the difference and you still look like the whiz kid.
Just like in any other economic sector, everyone will be reaping the benefits of this outsourcing. You will look like a true professional, your client will be happy about your relatively low prices (compared, to say, a boutique designer), and the end user will get that well designed, well functioning website that they came looking for. You aren’t necessarily obligated to tell anyone how your development process went.
Potential Pitfalls In Outsourcing
This is not to say that you won’t run into problems. The real issue will be finding a company to outsource to that is reliable and produces excellent results. There are tons of these services out there, located everywhere from India (where else) to Illinois and choosing the right one is no small task. In his ebook, Outsourcing Web Projects: 6 Steps to a Smarter Business, Dave Hecker puts it well:
“Remember that there are no barriers to entering the web development business. Any person from anywhere in the world can simply say “I’m a web developer” and start bidding on jobs. As a result, there are large numbers of inexperienced and unqualified vendors in the web design industry, and most of them lack the experience to execute your project properly”
Overall, outsourcing can be an invaluable tool for a web developer and is an option that should not be shrugged off. At the same time, you cannot ignore the potential problems and should always do some research about the company you are interested in. Either way, you can end up looking like a true professional. How do you feel about outsourcing your work?
This article was written by J David Macor.
I recently did this for the first time. I had a deadline coming up, I couldn’t figure out this stupid PHP script, and I was stressing. I started looking around for somebody, and I did find somebody.
He charged what I believed a very reasonable price, responded quickly, and delivered. I even botched it up and had to go back to him (note to self: don’t mess with it unless it’s broke).
I did end up telling my client about the outsourcing. I thought it might diminish my reputation, but then I realized that it wasn’t about that as much as it was about conveying to the client that I know when I need help, I seek after it, and I accomplish the task. I don’t know if he took it that way, but he never reacted negatively to it.
Good thoughts.
By Chris Poteet on September 19, 2007 5:35 pm
I’ve done this a number of times. Although I own a small company with two employees we certainly can’t do everything and I find that outsourcing is definitely the way to go.
The easiest solution to the ethical dilemma is to put a small clause in your contract that allows you to do this without compunction. Mine reads:
10. Assignment of Project. 12Strong WebSolutions reserves the right to assign subcontractors to this
project to insure the right fit for the job as well as on-time completion.
As long as you are providing exactly what they asked for and choose your subcontractors wisely there should be no issue.
By Gabrielle on September 20, 2007 10:00 am
I think that outsourcing is not a mere trouble for the customer and for this reason i don’t think i have to warn about my decision to use outsourced resources, due to the fact that for it/him/her the satisfaction is directly connected to the evidence that the product i’m selling respects all their requirements and it’s fully functional.
The decision to externalize some part of the production so it’s at least a problem for me, i’ll have to pay lot of attention on people i want to work with, and the risk is directly connected to me or my society at first, and then to the project itself, but if something goes work i’ll have to pay the consequences of my decision.
By gh3 on September 25, 2007 6:01 pm
I’m working with AOV outsourcing service a webmaster staffing company based in the Philippines. So far, I can see that we are doing great though some of our clients are really skeptical at first we prove that we are worth what they are paying for.
Sorry for the first comment… kindly delete that one.. i hit the enter key. :)
By Angel on October 2, 2007 3:13 am
My experiences with outsourcing have been wholly positive. I’m primarily a graphic designer, and while I can usually figure out how how to get the functionality I need on on the web, I serve my clients better by focusing on design.
From a client relationship perspective, I haven’t found this to be problematic at all. I am earnest in explaining to my clients what I can provide for them, how much it will cost and when I can deliver. I complete the work on time, within budget, end of story. When they hire me they know that I will use all the resources available to me to get the job done. They may not be aware that I am outsourcing pieces of it, but I don’t think it matters. As an aside, I do include the sub-contractor clause in my contracts, but I’ve never once been asked about it.
Where I have questions are really around my relationship with my sub-contractors. I pay them $15 per hour for web dev work, and they do an excellent job. But then (in the spirit of capitalism) I charge the client $50 for the time spent on those tasks (still a good price in NYC) and still come in much cheaper than other people they use. My sub-contractors are pleased as punch with the situation because where they live, the average monthly wage is $20. They are getting paid HUGE compared to most other people in their country. But still- It doesn’t feel quite right to me. I could pay them more, but then that’s less for me, and doesn’t that contradict one of the main points of being in business?
By Jason on December 23, 2007 10:03 am
Most of the time, clients will not be questioning as long as the delivered product/service meet to their satisfactory.
For instance, Company A wants a web site, and hires a group of ppl to build it. But that grp runs into some trouble, and they outsource it to another web design services provider. As long as the terms and privacy are cleared listed, there should not be any problem, coz it’s not like we are outsourcing to an idiot or anything, we are outsourcing to a PRO.
That’s the way I see it, a PRO getting help from another PRO should not cause any problem.
By Takuya on March 6, 2008 5:45 am
I think it all boils down to getting the work done.
By Floyd Buenavente on March 18, 2008 4:47 pm