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How to find a good developer in India
I am always on the look out for good developers who can program quality software for our clients. Not only that, the developer should be also reliable (on time – keeps promises) and should have basic communication skills (I have found out that both: Very good programming skills and excellent communication skills do not go together well). So the big question is about how to find such a good developer in India. This article takes a look into the question, of what a good developer is, in which places these can be looked for and also different ways to find them.
The following questions came to my mind, when I thought about the question on how to find a good developer.
Where are the places I have to look for these?
Whom do I have to ask?
Where do I get highly skilled developers?
How can I know beforehand that this is a good developer?
How long do I have to look for this special someone?
Can I afford those developers?
I am sure there are some more questions. And I welcome everyone to write these in the comment section below.
This article deals with the above questions and what I think could be a good answer to those. Overall the question which has to be answered is „How to find a good developer in India“. For this, some good places to look for software experts and also ways to find these are mentioned.
What is a good developer?
Before we delve deeper into the question of „how to find a good developer“ we will have to define what „a good developer“ is. The following points are essential for an expert programmer.
Keeps deadlines
Of what use is a good developer if never keeps the project deadlines? Exactly. Not much. Time is for the most clients of IT projects more precious than having all features and functions implemented. Sometimes its better to deliver a product with only 30 percent of the most important features on the deadline, than delivering 100 percent of the functions at a delayed point of time.
A good developer understands this and acts accordingly.
Is responsive
A good developer knows that it does not make sense to keep programming, when the client raises a question per Email or through another channel. The bad programmer just keeps on programming ignoring the requirements by the client.
The expert programmer will give a quick reply (as soon as he or she sees the message) and will try to bring solutions or answer for this raised question.
Can communicate well
Software experts usually do not communicate as clearly as for example a marketing executive, that is definitely understood. An expert programmer would still try to communicate more and gives a good try at understanding the situation.
Takes up requirements properly
A software expert knows that the program is written for the client and not for himself. Therefore he will take utmost care in understanding of what the clients exact requirements are. He will analyse the given specification papers and will re-check whether he has understood it correctly.
Asks questions
Asking questions (the best are open ended questions: e.g. What kind of layout should the software front end have?) is the only way to understand a given task or problem. It is one of the most important criteria of a good developer. Because he shows through asking questions that he is not looking at things out of his own viewpoint, but from that of the client.
Gives input and suggestions
A software expert does not just take the requirements from the client and executes according to them. He knows that he is the expert on this, and not the client, and thus will give valuable input and suggestions on how to improve the project.
Speaks in a confident and definite way
A software expert does not usually use the words „maybe“, „I think it could be“, „possibly“, „might be“, etc. An expert will use words such as „I am sure“, „I know“, „I will finish it till…“, „I will“, „I can“. etc.
Some good and bad communication examples:
Bad communication: I think I could maybe finish this project project in the next time.
Good communication: I will deliver the finished solution till 12th December 2013 at 09:00 am.
Bad communication: Would it be possible to give me some more time.
Good communication: I just found a problem in the code, I will need more time for this. I can (instead of „could“) deliver the solution in time if we cut down on the current requirements.
Bad communication: May be we can try it this way.
Good communication: I will implement the solution with x, y, z specification. Questions: Is this ok with you? What is your opinion on this?
Keeps integrity and is honest
An expert programmer is honest with his client. He does not lie, state false facts, gives estimates which are too high. He keeps his integrity because he knows that is the way to success.
Satisfied clients who have been consulted the right way, had been given the right input will definitely come back for more.
Where to begin?
There are so many things which could be considered or written about when it comes to this topic of finding a suitable programmer in India. In the following passages I will focus on two things: 1) Which places these good developers can be looked for and 2) Different ways to find them.
– Places or Online Platforms to find good developers –
Stackoverflow
Stackoverflow is a website where developers can exchange questions and answers regarding software programming. Chances are good that it will be possible to find the very good programmers here. It would also be good to check for what type of answers they have given, to find out more about their expertise.
Specialized IT Forums
There are specialized forums for all of the programming languages (Java, PHP, .NET etc.). It will be necessary to engage, with some posts and input there, to find out more about the participants. Still it is a good way to find good developers because experts come there to exchange their thoughts, learn and help others.
oDesk, Twago, eLance
oDesk,Twago and eLance are platforms where IT project givers and potential freelancers and IT companies can meet and come into an agreement. There is an integrated review management system where it can be seen how the work was rated which they (the freelancers and the IT companies) delivered.
In my opinion it is quite hard to find the right developer from this pool of IT freelancers and companies as there are so many of them in those platform. When you place an ad for a IT project within a few hours many dozen people will reply to that request. But how are you going to find out which one can also deliver on their promises?
– Ways to find good developers –
From referrals of other good developers
Usually one very good developer knows other very good developers. I do not know whether that is true. But I certainly know, in my field of expertise, who the experts are. Therefore one can be pretty sure that these good developers can point out and refer other developers who keep high ethics and are expert programmers.
Through referrals of other friends and acquaintances who made good experiences with a certain developer
Sometimes a friend of yours might know of a good developer. This would be, of course only possible, if you had friends who outsourced to India before. They most probably refer you only to people who they are sure that they can fulfill the given task, because his own (your friends) reputation as a trusted adviser will be on the line.
Blogs – Good developers often write expert blogs
Check whether the developers, you are talking to about your projects, run a blog which deals with their area of expertise/ programming language. This is a good indicator whether the developer is really committed to this software language and is having his own thoughts about this.
Through specialized HR agencies
I would recommend HR agencies only if they are specialized in recruiting certain programming languages. A HR agency which has its „focus“ on the whole IT sector might not be able to ascertain the right programmer for you.
Through short test cases which can be sent to the developer in advance
Instead of hiring the developer immediately you could sent him a short test case in advance and find out about the quality of the work. If it is a larger task which is used as test case, then you could also pay for that engagement.
Its definitely worth the money, as you will get a first glimpse of whether this the quality and the response time you need. This method will be of course only feasible if you have enough time before starting the actual project.
Through interviews
Interviews are a good way to find a good developer. The questions should be regarding the programming skills as well as ethics and personality. When it is a developer from India, questions regarding cultural differences and cultural fit should be included.
Through interview code tests
Similar to the test case, the code test can help to find the right programmer. This is only feasible, if there is someone on your side, like a project manager or technical expert, who can also validate the results.
Through the right questions
This can be also a part of the interview. Asking the right questions will show you what kind of developer you have in front of you. How important are deadlines to the developer? What kind of work ethic has the developer? Why is he using this software language for programming? (Just out of coincidence or is he/ she really passionate about this language?).
Through referrals of companies which are known for high quality programming and processes
Sometimes its not possible to find a good developer itself. But most of the times its possible to find IT companies which provide high quality programming and have the right processes. These companies tend to have a larger proportion of able programmers.
How long do I have to look for this special someone 🙂 ?
Finding a good developer or a good software development company is definitely not an easy task. This is becoming even more difficult when looking in other countries, especially in India. It might take a while till you find the special someone. And honestly: After you have found the first few good developers, that does not mean that you will find these in the future easily. You will always keep a constant effort to find the right programmer.
Interesting links on how to find great developers:
What are your experiences with programmers from India?
The author: Sascha Thattil is supporting companies worldwide to find the right developer for their software projects. He works at YUHIRO, a German-Indian company which focuses on implementing eCommerce solutions, CMS, mobile apps and software.
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