Things to Ask Your Consultant

Here's a checklist of things to ask before hiring a programmer or consultant to build your application.

1. Can you give me some references?

An experienced consultant should have a ready list of current & former clients willing to speak to you about his/her skills, quality and professionalism.

It's also helpful to see a portfolio of previous projects, or some open source code that demonstrates expertise.

2. What do you use for version control?

Version control software manages all the changes that happen to a project over its lifetime. It's been said that your code simply does not exist if it is not under version control.

There are many excellent (and free!) tools for managing source code; there's no excuse not to use one.

3. Do you practice unit testing?

Unit testing by itself is not a guarantee of quality, but it goes a long way toward reducing bugs and documenting software expectations. Different projects require different techniques (TDD is not always appropriate.)

Ask your consultant about uses unit tests, and what is his/her general philosophy on testing. If you get a blank stare, consider hiring someone else.

4. Can you deliver reproducible, 1-step builds?

Consultants come and go; when yours is gone you should be able to continue to build the software you paid for.

Your consultant should provide clear instructions on how to configure and build your application, preferably in a single step using Maven, Ant or similar tools.

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