How to Outsource
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
HowtoOutsource
Contents
HowtoOutsource........................................................................................................................................1
Contents.......................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
WhattoOutsource.......................................................................................................................................4
WhoToOutsourceTo................................................................................................................................10
HowToFindThem.....................................................................................................................................16
MechanicalTurk:ClickWorking.................................................................................................................17
DesignCompetitions..................................................................................................................................27
UpWork:HiringRealPeople.......................................................................................................................31
Otheroptions.............................................................................................................................................37
DarkMagic:Puttingitalltogether.............................................................................................................37
IntroductionThisbookistheresultofrepeatedinteractionswithvariouspeopleIcoachandadvisewhowantedtoknowhowtooutsourceworkusingtheinternet.Theyhadworkandneededtofindpeopletodoitasquicklyandcheaplyaspossible.ThisissomethingI’vedonealot,spendinghundredsofthousandsofdollarsonoutsourcing.
Theideaofoutsourcingisveryeasy–findpeopletodoworkforusbecausewecan’tdoitorwedon’thavethetime.Therealityismuchmorecomplicated…
Areyouscaredofoutsourcing?Youshouldbe.It’seasytowastetimeandmoney,butwithsomehelpyoucanavoidthecommonmistakesandgetgoingquickly.
First,weshouldknowwhattooutsource.Atfirstglancethisshouldbeeasybutreally,weneedtoknowwhatwe’regoodatsoweknowwhatotherscandobetterthanus.Mostofusthinkwe’regoodateverything,orwe’dliketothinkso.Weneedtobehonestandrealizewearen’tgoodatallthingsallthetime,figureoutwhatwearegoodatandoutsourcetheotherthings.
Second,weneedtofigureoutwhotooutsourceto.Whattypeofpersoncanhelpwiththisthing?Whatskillsdotheyneed?Whendoesitneedtobedone?Thisisn’talwayseasysinceifwearen’tgoodatsomethingthenhowdowejudgeifsomeoneelseisgoingtohelp?
Third,howdowefindthem?Thereareavarietyofwaystofindpeoplefordifferenttasks.Theycanbenearorfar,workforaprojectgoalortime,workwithorcompetewithothers.
Thislittlebookisabouthowtofigureoutthosethreethingsandgetyouonyourway.
Justsowe’reallclear,thisisn’tatechnicalbook.Ifyouneedtechnicalhelpgetintouchorfindsomeonenearyou(oroutsourcethem!)
Letmeknowwhatyouthink,I’[email protected]
WhattoOutsourceIfyoualreadyhaveasimple,well-definedproblemtooutsourceyoucanofcourseskipthissection.Ifyoudon’t,readon…
Whatareyougoodat?Themostwonderfuljobtohaveissomething;
a) you’regoodat,b) youenjoyandc) payswell.
It’seasiertohavetwooroneoutofthethree.Ifyouknowwhatyou’regoodatthenitbecomesmucheasiertofigureoutwhatyou’renotgoodat.
So,grabapieceofpaperandwritedownwhatyouthinkyou’regoodat.Mostofushaveneverdonethis,it’sworththetime.
Ashumans,we’refullofblindspotsandwedon’talwaysknowourselvesverywell.Becauseofthisitcanbeeasiertoaskotherpeoplewhatwe’regoodat.Askfivepeoplewhattheythinkyou’regoodatandwritethatdowntoo.
Trytoasktheminawaythatdoesn’tbiastheanswer.Ifyouaskpeople“whatdoyouthinkI’mgoodat?”Thenthey’lltrytotellyouwhatyouwanttohear.They’llaskyouwhatyoumean,orwhatareayou’reinterestedin.Becauseofthis,firstframethequestion.
Tellthemthereisnorightanswer,andyou’retryingtofigureoutwhattoworkon.Makesuretoaskmanydifferentpeople,andtrytousepeoplethataren’tbiasedlikeyourimmediatefamily.Peoplethatknowyouwelllikelong-timecoworkersareagreatexampleofsomeonetoask.
Thelistofthingsyouhearbackmaysurpriseyou,andmaybeoutsideofwhatyou’rethinking.
Forexample,youmightbetoldthatyou’reagoodlistenerbutyourjobisinrobotics.Doyouagreeordisagreewithwhatyou’rehearing?
Theideahereisnottostartarguingwiththeliststraightawaybuttobuildalistandfindoutwhatyouhearmultipletimesfromdifferentpeople.
Great–nowwehavealistofthingswe’regoodat!
Thisisoneofthosethingswhereyoushoulddothework.Ifyoudon’thaveareallistofthingsthengogetthem,thisdoesn’tworkwellasatheoreticalexercise!
Whatdoyouenjoy?Takeallthething’syou’regoodat.Whetheryouagreeordisagreewiththem,circletheonesthatyouenjoy.
Whatmakesmoney?Takethesamelist,andhighlighttheonesthatmakemoney.Ifyoudon’thaveahighlighter,thenunderlinethemordosomethingelsetomarkthem.
AnalyzingtheresultsLookatthelist.Ifyouhaveafewthingsthatyou’regoodat,youenjoyandmakemoneythenwonderful.
Ifyou’rehappywiththelist,youcanthenmoveonandskipthis.
Ifnot,haveathinkabouteachitem.Here’ssomeexamplestohelpyou:
Item Example Thinking IdeaGoodatit Listening Isthereawayyoucan
enjoyitandmakemoney?
Becomeatherapist
Enjoyit MountainBiking Canyougetgoodatitandmakemoney?
Workatabikeshop
Goodatitandenjoyit HorseRiding Howcanyoumakemoney?
Writeablogabouttopicsyoucomeacross,advertiseonitandfindclientsusingit
Goodatitandmakemoneydoingit
KnittingSweaters(formanypeopleifthey’repaidandgoodatitbutdon’tenjoyit,it’stheirdayjob)
Howcanyouenjoyit? Hireotherpeopletoknitthesweaterssoyoucanfocusonthepartsyouenjoy.Inotherwords–outsourcethis.
Enjoyitandmakemoneydoingit
Thiscategoryusuallydoesn’texistsinceifpeoplearepayingyou,thenyou’regoodatit.
Howcanyougetgoodatit?
Doyouhaveimposterssyndrome?
Makemoneydoingit Thingsyouusedtodobutbecameboredof.
Howcanyouenjoyitandbegoodatit?
Sinceyouknowhowtodoit,hiringpeopletodothisisusuallyeasy
Noticeyouusuallyhaveachoiceforeachitem.Youcaneitherchangeyourself(findawaytoenjoyit,forexample)orfindsomeoneelsetodoit,oryoucandoboth.
Forthingsnotonthelistatall,findsomeoneelsetodoit.Ifcleaningtoiletsisn’tonyourlist,findsomeoneelsetodoit.
Forthingsyouenjoy,aregoodatandmakemoney,dolotsofthat.
Foreverythingelse,findsomeoneelsetodoit.
TheflipsideIfyouenjoysomething,thenyoucanruinitbyturningitintowork.Figureskatingontheweekendisunlikelytogetmoreenjoyableifyoustartsellingskatesallday.
Inthesameway,notcaringaboutwhatyouworkoncanbeveryuseful.Bankloanofficersarelookingforpeoplewhowanttomakemoney,notpeoplepursuingapassion.
Notcaringaboutrunningcarwashesorrunningapaintingcompanyisdifferentfromnotcaringaboutthequalityofthework.Tomakemoney,itshouldbethebestcarwashorpaintshopintown.
Whatareyouspendingyourtimeon?Youcaneasilybespendingyourtimeonthewrongthings.
Theclassicexampleisyourbookkeepingandaccounts.You’regreatatsellingsnowboards,butspendadayeachmonthbookkeeping.Thatdayisbetterspentsellingsnowboards,orgoingtoasalestrainingeventtogetbetter,orpracticallydoinganythingotherthanbookkeeping.
Writedownhowyouspentyourtimelastweek.Nowthisweek,trackit.Useapenandpaperifyoumust.Usually,howyouthinkyouspentyourtimeandhowyoudoaredifferent.
Whenyoulookatallthewaysyouspentyourtime,howmanyareonyouroriginallistofthingsyouenjoy,aregoodatormakemoney?
Circleallthethingsyoudon’tenjoy,don’tmakemoneyon,oraren’tgoodatthatyoudidlastweek.Thesearethingstooutsource.
TheSecretThebigsecretisthatpeopleenjoydoingthethingsyoudon’tenjoy.
Accountingmaybeincrediblyboringtoyou–allthosenumbers!Buttherearepeopleouttherewholovethatstuff.Wearestuckinourownheadsalldaysowetendtothinkifwedon’tenjoysomethingthenotherpeopledon’t.Wealsosurroundourselveswithpeoplelikeourselves,sowedon’toftenmeetthoseotherpeople.
Butthereisproof.Justgolookontheinternet.Therearepeoplewholovealmostanythingyoucanimagine,includingcleaningsewers.Orkitesurfing.Orcolonoscopies.Ormakingtheirowntoasters.
Here’sthedoublesecret:Becausetheyloveittheywilldoitbetter,cheaper,andquickerthanyoucan.
It’sincredible,buttrue.Youshouldtrytofocusonwhatyoumakemoneyat,whichisusuallywhatyou’regoodat.Foreverythingelse,it’sbetter,cheaperandquickertohiresomeoneelse.
Thisiswhereprosperitycomesfrom.Ineconomics,wecallthisspecializationoflabor.Youdowhatyou’regoodat,andhireotherpeopletodowhatthey’regoodat.
Therearetwootherbigreasonsyouwanttohiresomeone.
First,theyknowthingsyoudon’tknow.Here’sanexample:It’sverycommonforengineerstothinkalegaldocumentislikeinstructions,arecipe,orsoftware.Thereasonyoupayalawyeristhatit’stheopposite,andalawyerknowsthis.Salespeopleknowhowtosell,lawyersknowthelaw,andsoon.
Second,theyknowpeopleyoudon’tknow.YouhirePRpeoplebecausetheyhaveanetworkofjournalistsandeditorstheyknow,notbecausethey’regoodatPR(thoughthat’sgreattoo).
Whileyoucanlearnwhatyoudon’tknow,andyoucanmeetpeopleyoudon’tknow,itwilltakeyoualongtime,costyoumoneyandyoumightnotenjoyit.Usuallyit’sbetter,cheaperandquickertofindsomeoneelsewhoalreadyknowsthethingsorthepeople.
ThinkingaboutpeoplewithotherskillsWhenyouthinkaboutpeoplewithotherskills,understandtheyprobablythinkdifferentlytoyouaboutthings.
I’veseenitmanytimesatsoftwarecompanies.Theengineersthinkthesalespeoplearesomewherebetweenpointlessanduseless.ThesalespeoplethinktheengineersshouldbeoutsourcedtoTimbuktu.
Thisisbecausetheirskillsetsarealmostexactlymutuallyexclusive.Engineersdealinlogicalldaylong.Salespeopledealinemotionsalldaylong.Sotheydon’thaveagreatunderstandingofeachothersjobs.Wedon’twanttofixthathere.
Whatwedowant,isforyoutounderstandbothsides.
Thekeyistounderstandthatdifferentpeoplethinkdifferently.Lettheengineersbetrappedinengineering,theyenjoyit.Letthesalespeoplebetrappedinsales,theyenjoythat.Ourjobistostepupalevelbecauseifwedon’twewilltrytohiresalespeopleintoengineeringandengineersintosales.
Bothengineeringandsalesarefun,finevocations.There’snothingnegativeabouteither.Butforyoutohirepeopleyoushouldunderstandthatdifferentrolesrequiredifferentthinkingandhavedifferentcultures.Thatdoesn’tmakeonebetterthantheother.
Trytounderstandtheroleyou’rehiringfor.Whatmakesthemtick?Whatconferencesdotheygoto?
You’renotheretoagreewiththem.Youmayhatesalesconferences.Yourroleistogivethemwhattheywant,whichmayincludegoingtosalesconferences.Youwon’tknowwhattheywantwithoutaskingthem,understandingtheroleandsoon.Anexcellentwaytodothiswouldbetoreadsomesalesbooks,forexample.
Sowhenyouthinkabouttherolesyou’rehiringfor,thinkaboutthekindofpersonthatdoesit.Thinkaboutwhattheywant,howtheydressandhowtheyinteract.Readafewbooksaroundtheirprofession.Itwillhelpyouunderstandthem,andthey’llappreciateitnoend.
TheProblemsHere’swhatyou’regoingtosay:
• Idon’thavethemoneytohiresomeone• Idon’thavethetimetohiresomeone• Idon’tknowhowtohiresomeone
Thesearereasonableandgoodconcerns.
Ifyou’reliterallybootstrappingwith$0thenthisisliterallytrue.Theadvantageforyouwith$0isyouhavenothingtolose.Youalsohaveeverythingtogain.Bylearninghowtodothingsyourselfwith$0yougetaneducationnouniversitycangiveyou.Foreveryoneelse,readon:
Idon’thavethemoneyYes,youdo!
Thekeyistochangehowyouthinkaboutmoney.Mostofusthinkwe’resavingmoneybydoingourownbookkeeping.Wethinkaboutitintermsofplaincash–dowehavethemoneyordoessomeoneelse?
Weneedtochangethisblack&whiteideabyrememberingtheothertwothingsfromourlistearlier.Yes,wearesavingmoneybut:Doweenjoyit,andarewegoodatit?Formostpeopletheanswerisnoandno.
Thisisoneofthosethingswheretheprimaryeffectiseasytosee–wesavemoneybydoingourownaccounting!Yay!
Whatwedon’tseeiswhatmoneywewouldmakedoingsomethingelse.Wecouldpayabookkeeper$50/hourtodoourbookkeepingbutbeearning$100/hoursellingsnowboards.
Evenifweearnthesameorlessper-hourthanourbookkeeper,it’susuallybettertopaythemtodoit.Why?Becausewe’renotusuallygoodatitandwedon’tenjoyit.
Ifwe’renotgoodatit,wewillmakemistakes.Ifyoumakeamistakeinbookkeepingitwillcostyourealmoney,it’sjustamatteroftime.
Ifwedon‘tenjoyit,wearepayingeverywhereelse.We’relesshappy,wehavelessenergy.Youneedthosethingsmuchmorethanthe$50,believeme.It’sverydrainingtoworkonthethingswedon’tenjoy,andthecostsarehiddenallovertheplace.
Here’stheotherthing:Hiringcanbeway,waycheaperthanyouexpect.Youmaypay$50/hourtoaccountantswhereyoulive,butyouraccountantdoesn’thavetobewhereyoulive.Theycanbealotcheaperinotherplaces,andthankstotheinternetyoucanhirethemthereinstead.
Idon’thavethetimeNothavingtimeisoneofthebestreasonstohiresomeone:Byhiringthem,yougetmoretime!
Nothavingtimeisawonderfulplacetobein.Mostpeopledon’thavemoney.Ifyouneedtohaveaproblem,nothavingtimeisthebestonetohave.
Weneedtothinkaboutmargins.
Imagineadesignerwho’spaid$1000todoaprojectandittakes9hourstocompleteitand1hourfortheclientphonecall.Thispersonisverybusyandhasnotime.They’repaid$100/hour($1,000dividedby10hoursworktotal).
Imagineanotherdesignerwho’salsopaid$1000foraprojectbuttheypay$500tosomeoneelsetodotheworkinstead.Nowtheyonlywork1hourwiththeclient.They’repaid$500forthatonehourcall.Sothey’repaid$500/hourand9freehours.Yes,they’repaid50%less.Buttheydiditfor90%lesstime!
Theycoulddotwoprojectslikethisandspend2hours,stillmake$1000,andhave8hoursfreetoworkorplay.
Whichwouldyoupick?10hoursfor$1,000or2hoursfor$1,000?
Youmayquibblethattheyneedtospendsometimewiththeiroutsourceddesigner,andthat’sfair,butitdoesn’tdestroythemainpointI’mmaking.
Youmayalsothinkyoudon’twanttooutsourcewhatyoudo.Butconsiderthis–ifyoudosomethingwellthenyou’regoingtobegreatathiringforit.Ifyou’readesigner,youknowwhatgreatdesignlookslike.You’llbegoodathiringdesigners.Ifyou’retryingtohireanuclearphysicistitcouldbealotmoredifficultforyoutomakesureyou’regettingthebestcost/qualityyou’relookingfor.
Whichbringsusneatlytothelastobjection:
Idon’tknowhowtohireLuckily,you’rereadingthisbook.Let’scontinue…
WhoToOutsourceToNowweknowwhatwewantoutsourcedweshouldfigureoutwhocandothatwork.
NobodyTheabsolutebestpersontooutsourceworktoisnobodyatall.
Ifyoulookatthethingyouwanttooutsource,canitbeavoidedentirely?Here’sanexample:Yourunarestaurantandyouneedsomeonetocleanthetablecloths.Canyougetawaywithnotableclothsatall?Howaboutpaperdisposabletablecloths?
Manythingsarelikethis.Let’ssayyou’redoingalotofonlinemarketing.Areyougettinganycustomersthatwayoraretheyallwalkinginthedoor?Theanswermaybetojuststoponlinemarketingratherthanhiringsomeonetodoit.
Anotherexampleissomeonewhoalwaysgivesyouthesameanswerinmostcases.Canyouonlydothework,orgotothem,incertaincasesandavoidalltheothertimewhenyouknowwhatthey’llsay?
Theabsoluteclassicismiddlemen.Here’sanexample:You’rethepointofcontactforacompanywithasupplierandeveryoneatthecompanygoesthroughyou.Thishappensallthetime.Dotheyreallyneedtogothroughyou?Couldpeoplegetquickeranswerstalkingtothemdirectlyandccyou?
Haveareal,deep,thinkaboutthework.Canyoujustavoiditinthefirstplace?
SomeoneElseThesecond-bestpersontooutsourceworktoissomeonewho’salreadyemployed.
Doyouhaveaco-workerorfriendwhocandoit?Youmaybesurprisedatwhatpeopleenjoydoing.Maybeyouhaveanemployeewhoenjoysbookkeepingandhassomesparetimetohelpyou.Neverforcepeopleintothingslikethis.You’llgetmuchmoreoutofthemiftheysincerelywanttodoit.
Onarelatednote,volunteerscanbewonderful.Thereareallkindsofpeopleouttherewhoenjoyvolunteeringtohelp.Maybesomeoneispassionateaboutwhatyou’redoingandishelpingoutforfree.Trygivingthemmorework.Theworstthatcanhappenistheysayno.
SpreadsheetitAveryclosethirdpersonyouwanttohireisacomputer.Ifyoucanreplacesomeonewithaspreadsheetyoucansavealotoftimeandmoney.
Canyouautomateit?Therearetwomainclassesofthingsyoucanautomate.
First,thingsyoucanautomateyourself.SendingyourcustomersreminderemailsisthekindofthingthatyoucaneasilydomanuallyeveryMondayorsomething.But,there’slotsoftoolsouttheretodothesekindsofthingsautomatically.Thesearetypicallythingsanyonecando.
Maybeyouhavealittleexperiencewithspreadsheets,orsalestools.Withalittlework,youcantypicallyautomatealotofthings.
Whatifyoupersonallycan’tautomateit?
Thisisthesecondclassofthings:Canyouhiresomeonetoautomateit?Thisrequiresalargeroutline.
Here’sthetrickything–youdon’tknowwhatyoucanandcan’tautomate.Becauseifyoudidknow,thenyou’dalreadyautomateitorwouldbedoingso.
Whenyoulookattheworkyouhaveinfrontofyou,youmaythinkitisn’tautomatable.Butsomeoneinsoftwaremaythinkit’seasytoautomateandyoudon’tknowthat.
Or,youmaythinkyouneedtogotoalawyereachtimeforapieceofwork.Butifyoutalktothemyoumayfindthatin80%ofcasesyoudon’tneedthem,unlessit’sthe20%thatdo.Youdon’tknowwithoutasking.Maybeyoucanthenautomatethat80%case.
Or,turnitaround.Howmanytimeshavepeopletoldyouthattheycouldn’tdowhatyoudo?Mostofusthink‘ohit’seasyIjustreadthesebooksandpractice’.Thekeyhere,isthat’smostpeopletoo.Everyonefromaccountantstozoologistsprettymuchjustreadbooksandpracticed.Wejustneedtogofindthemtohelpus.
So,wedon’tdirectlyknowwhatwecouldautomateinourwork.
Therefore,wemayneedtoaskanintermediary.Eitherhiresomeone,orotherwise,showsomeonewhoknowssoftwareallthethingsyou’redoingandseeifacomputercandoitautomatically.Itmaybesurprisingwhatacomputercando,inthisneweraofmachinelearning.
Yes,itwillcostmoneyupfront.Buttheadvantageisthatfromthenon,itwillbemuchcheapertodo.
Ittookalotoftimeandmoneytoinventmodernfarmingmachinery,veryfewpeoplewanttogobacktohand-pickingcorn.Inthesameway,youmaybeabletoautomatemanythingsyou’redoingandneverwanttogoback.
HireSomeoneOk!We’vefiguredoutweneedtohireanactualphysicalhumanbeingtodosomething.
Orhavewe?
There’saveryhighchanceyouinsteadwanttohireanintermediary.Forexample,youmaythinkyouneedtohireawebsitedesignerforyourflowershop.
Butyou’reanexpertinflowers,notwebsites.Thisiswhysomanypeoplehaveterriblewebsitesandbadrelationshipswiththeirwebsitesuppliers.Youmaynothavetheskillstojudgedesigntalent,costorwhattheunderlyingtechnologyis.
Hereyouhavetwochoicestoinsulateyourselffromthewebsitedesigner.
Inthefirstinstance,youcangotoawebsitecompanyratherthananindividual.Acompanywillhavepeoplewithmultipleskills,reliabilityandsoon.
Second,youcanfindaprojectorproductmanager.Thistypeofpersonmaynothaveexpertisearoundwebsitesorflowersbuttheyareveryusedtomanagingthesekindsofrelationships.Theywillcollect
requirementsfromyou(whatdoyouwant?)andcommitmentsfromyourdesigner(whenwilltheydoit?)Then,everydayoreveryweek,they’llmakesureeveryoneisonthesamepage.
Eitherway,itcostsalittlemoremoneytohavetheseintermediariesbetweenyouandthewebdeveloper/designer.Butitcansaveyoualotmoremoneyandpaindowntheroad.
So–doyouneedanintermediarytohelpyou?Ifyou’rehiringforaskilloutsideofwhatyoudo,it’sagreatideatogetsomehelpfromanintermediary,atleastatfirst.Ifyou’vehired10salespeoplebefore,youprobablydon’tneedhelphiringnumber11.
Ifyoudoneedanintermediary,aprojectorproductmanagercanbemorethanfine.Youdon’tnecessarilyneedanexpertinthefieldtohelpmanagetheperson.Thiscancutcostsdownoverthelongterm.
Theotherthingtheycandoishireforyou.Youcanhireaprojectmanagerandaskthemtohireagreatwebdesignerusingthecriteriayousetout.Thisagainmayseemtocostmoretimeandmoney,butinmanycases,willsaveyoualotofhassle.Doyouwanttolookthrough30resumesorcanaprojectmanagerdothatcheaperandquickerthanyoucan?
HireSomeone:Part2Okay,Okay,therubberisnowmeetingtheroad.Peopleinthemarketforyourworkhaveseveralattributestothem:
• Experience• Cost• Location• Culture• Language• Reliability• Timing• …
Thesetendtotradeoffagainsteachother.Reliable,experiencedpeoplelocatednearyouwillcostmorethanunreliablenewbiesontheothersideoftheplanet.Therefore,costcangotogetherwithotherfactors.
Whichfactorsareimportanttoyou?
Arbitrageisbuyingsomethingcheapbecauseofsomereasonandsellingitmoreexpensivelywherethatreasondoesn’tapply.Thatreasoncouldbetime,location,experience,acombinationorsomethingelse.
Forexample,watermaybecheapwhereyouarebutnextweek(achangeintime)whenthere’satornadowhichdestroyseverything,itcouldbemuchmoreexpensive.OritcouldbemoreexpensiveinthemiddleoftheSaharaDesert(achangeinlocation).
Ifyou’rewillingtonegotiateonthesedifferentfactors,youtypicallygetacheapercost.Therefore,youshoulddecidewhichonesareimportanttoyou.
Normallyoutsourcingisconcernedwithlocation.Hiringsomeonefarawayisoftencheaper.Butitpaystothinkabouthowelseitcouldbecheaper.Themostinterestingistime.Ifyou’rewillingtowaitafewweeksforsomework,youcanoftengetitdonemorecheaply.
Ifitdoesn’thavetobethebestwork,youcanbeflexibleonquality.
Thesethingsareallentangled.Ifsomeonedoesn’thavealotofexperiencetheywilltendtochargelessbutontheotherhandtakemoretimetodoit.Theywillalsotendtomakemistakeswhichcostmoreofyourtime.
Lastly,let’stalkabouttrust.
Don’tdeludeyourself.Trustcomesfromtime.Youcannotandshouldnottrustpeoplestraightawayunlessthey’reinaprofessionwhichheavilypenalizesmistakes.Youcanusuallytrustadoctororapoliceofficerbecausethey’vebeenheavilyfiltereddowntothetrustworthyones,andiftheyscrewthatupthentheygotoprisonorhaveothermajorlifeproblems.
Thus,whenyou’rehiringontheinternet,doyouneedtotrustthem?
Ifsomeoneismakingalogoforyoutheanswerisprobablyno.Ifthey’redoingyouraccountingtheanswerisprobablyyes.Therearethreewaystogettrustworkinghere.
First,beinthesamecountry.Ifyourbookkeeperoraccountantisatleastinthesamecountryasyou,thenyoucangoafterthemiftheydosomethingverynaughtysinceyou’reunderthesamelegalumbrella.Becarefulthough,peoplecommitsmallfraudallthetimeandgetawaywithitbecauseit’susuallymoreexpensivetogoafterthemthantomoveon.
Second,usesecretsharing.ToolslikeQuickBooksOnlineallowanaccountanttologinanddoaccountantthingswithouthavingfullaccesstoyourbankaccount.Besuspiciousiftheywantmoreinformationthanyouthinktheyneed.
Third,usereputation.Ifsomeonehasbeendoingthisalongtimewithmanyclients,they’remorelikelytobetrustworthythanthenewguy.
Somethingsjustaren’tworthit.Ifyou’regoingtolosesleepoverit,usesomeonenearyouwitharealofficeyoucanvisitandsaveoutsourcingforthingswheretrustisn’tanissue.
Whatdoyouneedfromthem?Whenyou’rehiringsomeoneyoutypicallywanttheirtime,aproduct,orboth.Beclearaboutit.
Ifyouhaveaquestionforalawyeryoumayneed10minutesonthephone.Ifyouwantalogo,youjustwantalogoasafinalproduct.
Ifyou’reiteratingonsomething,likealegaldocument,youwantboth.Sometimetotalkaboutit,thentheproduct,thentimetotalkaboutrevisions.
Whichyouneedisimportantsincetherearedifferentplacestogetit.
Theothermajorthingyouneed,typically,istheintellectualproperty(IP)suchascopyrights,trademarks,databaserightsandanythingelsewecanthinkof.Youmaythinkthatsinceyou’repayingsomeonetomakesomethingthatyougettheIP.No.Itdoesn’tworklikethat.
Therearemanyfieldswheresomeonemayhaveabrilliantideaoutsideofworkhoursthattheylateruse.Doesthat“belong”tothemoryou?Youneedtohaveclarityoverwhatyouwanttoown.Usuallythisis“everything”buttheremaybeexceptions.
Thereare“open”licenseswhichmanyphotographers,writers,softwareengineersandothersuse.Theseallowotherpeopletousetheworksolongastheyadheretosomesimpleconditions.ThebiggestexampleisWikipediabuttherearemanyothers.
Here’sanexample:Youhiresomeonetoautomateaprocessforyouwithsomesoftware.Youcouldkeepthatsoftwaretoyourself,butmaybeitisn’tcriticaltoyouatall.Ifitisopensource(otherpeoplecanusethesoftwarecodefreely),youmayfindmoredeveloperswillingtoworkonit.Therearewebsiteswheredevelopersshareopenthingslikethis.
Similarly,developersorartistsmayuseopencontentandbuildonit.Let’ssayyouhiresomeonetomakesomegreatslidesforyou.Theycouldbuyartoruseopenphotos.Theopenphotosmaybejustasgoodandalltheyrequireisyouhavetosaythey’reopenontheslide.
Therefore,ifyoucanbeflexiblewithsomeoftheseownershipquestionsyoucansavetimeandmoney.Youshouldtalkthisthroughwiththoseyouhire(andalawyertobeextrasure).Ofcourse,ifit’scriticaltoyouthenkeepingeverythingtoyourselfmaywellbethebetteroption.
CreativityandUnderstandingSometasksrequirecreativity,likemakingabeautifullogo.Somerequirerepetition,likecalling100clients.
Whichdoyouneed?
Itmayseemclear,atfirstglance.Butsadly,itisn’t.Theremaybethingsthatareperfectlyobvioustoyouthataren’ttootherpeople.
Forexample,youmayexpectsomeonetointroducethemselvesandsmilewhilemakingaphonecallbecauseyou’vebeendoingitforever.Youcan’texpectthisofanewoutsourcedhire.Theymaynotsharethoseskills,cultureorotherthings.
Similarlyyoumayasksomeonetorepeatsomething100timesinacreativeway.ForexampleyoumakealeafletforLondonandyouasksomeonetomake99moreleafletsfordifferentcities.Thereareplentyofpeopleouttherewhowouldn’tknowwheretostartwithatasklikethat.Justpickingcitiesmaybeaproblem.They’llpick99inEuropebutyouwantedthemworldwide.Thingslikethat.
Theexamplesmayseemsilly,butthisexactkindofthinghappensallthetime.Therefore,inthebeginning,beincrediblyoverlyclearontasksandcheckinfrequentlytostayonthesamepageuntiltrustisbuilt.Overtimeyoucanbackoff,butnotyet.
TheMostImportantFactorHereitis.Whenhiringforsomething:Makesurethey’vedoneitbefore.
Don’thirealawyertobuildyouajetengine.Don’thireawebdesignertodoyourmarketingcopy.
Alwayshiresomeonewho’sdoneitbefore.Ifyouwantapainting,hireapainter.
Simple?Notquite.Youmayhaveagreatlawyerforcontractswho’sneverdonearentalagreement.Gofindadifferentlawyer.Oryourwebdesignerhasneverdonesysadminwork.Gofindasysadmin.
Skillsmaylookclosebuttheyaren’t.Ifthey’venotdoneitbefore,you’rejustpayingforthemtolearn.Insmallcornercases,thismaybeperfectlyfine.Itmayevenbecheaper.Butyou’repayingbecauseyoudon’tknowhowtodoit,andiftheydon’tknoweitherthenit’stheblindleadingtheblind.Soalwaysfindsomeonewho’sdoneitbefore.
HowToFindThemOkay,we’vefiguredoutwhatwewantoutsourced,andwhowewant.Nowhowdowefindthem?
You’redealingwithhumanbeingsRemember.Theymightbeontheinternet,butthey’restillhuman.Theymightbechargingpenniesonthedollar,butthey’restillhuman.Theymightscrewup,butthey’restillhuman.
Yourstartingpointinallthisisthatyouneedahumanbeingtohelpyou.Notacomputerorarobot.It’seasytolosetrackofthis,sokeepitinmind.Theyhavetheirownhopesanddreamstoo.
It’seasytoproject.Forexample:A$30k/yearsalarywhereyoulivebuysatrailerparkhome.Butthatsamesalaryforyouroutsourcedworkercouldeasilygetthematop-floordowntownapartmentwheretheyare.Don’tassumepriceisthesamethingasstatus,intelligence,oranythingelse.
FrictionNotlongagohiringpeoplewasexpensiveandtime-consuming.Thenpartingwayswasevenmoreexpensiveandtime-consuming.ItstillisformostpeopleonplanetEarth.
Theinternethaschangedthis.It’squickerandcheaperthanevertohireandfirepeople.Allthatfrictionhasgoneawaybutweactlikeithasn’t.WhatImeanis,westilltreatoutsourcinginmanywayslike“real”employees.
Inmanycountries,itmaytakemonthstofiresomeoneforlegalorculturalforexample.Eventhoughthatdoesn’tapplyonline,wemaystilltakealongtimetomoveon.So,getusedtothetoolsbeingmorepowerfulthanyoumaywantthemtobe.It’slikedrivingaracecarwhenyouneedaminivan.
Hiringonlinemeanscommunicationandaccountabilitycanbealotsharperthanbefore.Mostofthetime,forexample,thereisnoofficepoliticsintheway.Thisisn’talwaysagoodthing,manyofuswouldprefertohidebehindofficepoliticsthandoanyactualwork.
DifferenttypesofworkWe’regoingtogoin-depthonthreebasictypesofoutsourcing.
1. ClickWorking.HowandwhentouseMechanicalTurk.2. DesignWork.Competitionforyouraffectionwith99DesignsandCrowdSpring.3. RealWork.LeveragingUpWorktohirerealpeople.
Let’sgo!
MechanicalTurk:ClickWorking
Ifyourworkcanbebrokendownintomindlesstasks,thenclickworkingisforyou.
Thesearethekindsofthingswhereonepersondoingitwouldnotusuallybefeasible.Forexample,youwanttoknowtheopeninghoursof1,000restaurants.
Ifyouaskonepersontodoitthenthey’llgetbored.Notonlythat,itmaynotbepossibleinareasonableamountoftime.Italsowon’tbeeasytocheckiftheymakeamistake.
Ontheotherhand,whatifyoucouldhire1,000peopletofindonerestauranteach?Or100tocall10each?Theresultisthesame.Traditionallyyoucouldn’thire1,000peopleasthecostswouldbetoohigh.Todayit’seasy.
EnterMechanicalTurkathttp://mturk.com/
Figure1:MechanicalTurk'shomepage
MechanicalTurkallowsyoutotakelargenumbersofrepetitivetasksandfarmthemouttopeopleallovertheinternetforpenniesatatime.Here’sanexample:Youhave1,000photosandyoudon’tknowwhichcontaincatsandwhichcontaindogs.WithMechanicalTurkyoucanpay1pennyperphoto(asanexample)andgettheanswersbackinaspreadsheet.
Clickworkingisthemostcomplexofthethreeoptionsofoutsourcingbecausetypicallyyouneedsomecomputerskillstomakeitwork.Forsomesimpletasksspreadsheetknowledgeisenoughtogetstarterdbutforotherthings,HTMLandothertechnologiesareneeded.
Thisisn’tatechnicalbook,andtherearemanyguidesontheinternetforhowtouseMechanicalTurk.So,ifyouaretechnically-inclinedthengreat,andifnot,it’sbesttohiresomeonetohelpyouhere.
Whatwewilltalkaboutishowtoframeandusetheservice.
Thebiggestadvantageofclickworkingisrepeatability.Youcanask1,000peopleforwhetheraphotoisacatoradogandgetyourresultsforsomethingintherangeof$10.Butthenyoucandoitagain,too!Bydoingthismultipletimesyoucangetsomecertaintyovertheresults.Ifyouaskedonepersontodoit,itwouldtakelonger,costmore,andhavemoreerrors.
MechanicalTurkisverymuchabatchsystem.Thinkofitashavingalargespreadsheetwithamissingrow.Youhaveaspreadsheetof1,000restaurantsandaddressesbutdon’thavetheirphonenumbers.YousendthespreadsheetofftoMechanicalTurk,anditcomesbackwiththecolumnfilledinforyou.
Theproblemisambiguity.Youmayaskforaphonenumberbuttherestauranthastwophonenumbers.Ortherestaurantisclosed.Theproblemhereismaybetheworkershavenowaytotellyouthis,ifyoujustaskedforaphonenumber.
Youcan’tpredictwhattheproblemswithyourtasksaregoingtobe.They’llalwayssurpriseyou.Thatwhyyoustartsmall.
Thecommonmistakeistosendall1,000thingsofwhateveryou’reworkingonofftoMechanicalTurkandthencomebackacoupleofdayslater.Thismeansyou’llcomebacktoalotofbadresults.It’smuchbettertosendout10andpayahighpricepertaskinthebeginning.Ifwetrywithsmallsamplesfirst,wecanworkoutthebugsweencounterearly.
Ifyoupayahighpricepertask(say50centsinsteadof1penny)thenyou’llgetresultsmorequickly.Typically,youwanttobequicksoyoucaniterate.Justexpectyourfirstfewtriestohaveseriousproblemsinhowyouaskthequestionandwhatresultsyougetback.
Thenwhenyouseetheproblemsyoucanquicklycancelthebatch,goback,andfixthings.Youmayneedtodothis2-3times.Butonceit’sdone,thenyoucansendyourfulldatasetstoMechanicalTurkwithalotmoreconfidence.
Youcanaskworkerstodopracticallyanythingfrommakingaphonecalltowritingablogpost.Feelfreetotrylowpricestobeginwithandthenraisethemifyoudon’tgetresultsofthequalityorspeedyouneed.Theideaistoexperimentalittle.
Consideranotherexample.Let’ssayyouhavehundredsofitemsonyouramazonwishlist.You’dliketoknowwhichoftheseareavailableatyourlibrary.
Ontheonehand,youcouldmanuallygothroughyourselfandtypethemintoyourlibrarywebsite.Maybeyouhavetwowindowsopenonyourcomputertomakeitfaster.
Ontheotherhand,youcouldwritesoftwaretodothis.Butevenifyouhavetheskillstodoso,Amazondoesn’tmaketheselistsavailableveryeasilysoit’smorecomplicatedthanitlooks.
Clickworkingoccupiesamiddleground.Ideallyacomputercoulddothistask,butforvariousreasonsthatispainful.It’sperhapsevenmorepainfultodomanually.
WithMechanicalTurk,youcansendoutarequestforthelistofbooks.Thequestionmightlooksomethinglike“WhatisthetitleandauthorofitemnumberXonthislist<clickablelistURL>”.Thisbuildsyourlistofbooksandauthors.
Thenexttask,usingthatdata,is“Isthisbook<title>,by<author>availableatthislibrary?<libraryURL>”.Thenyou’dgetoutasecondspreadsheetofalltheitems.Andremember,thelibrarycansaveyouafewthousanddollarsinbuyingbookssomaybeit’snotabadexample!
Also,remember,therecanbemanyanswers.Maybethebookisavailablebutcheckedout,forexample.It’sbesttotryinsmallbatchesfirsttodiscovertheselittlethings.
Andbatchesitis.Itwouldbewonderfulifyoucouldmakeinformationflowthroughmechanicalturkdirectlyfromonequestiontothenext.Youcouldask“isarestaurantstillopen”andthenifitis,“whatisthemainphonenumber”andsoon.Thesetoolsdon’texistliketheyshouldtoday,sothinkinbatchesofinformation,likefilters.
So,takeyourspreadsheetof100,000thingsandfilteritdown,thendownagain.Startwiththebiggestfilterfirst;theonethatcutsoutthemostitems.Ifyoudothat,thensubsequentfiltersorquestionswillbequickersincetherewillbefeweritemstoworkon.
AnasideMechanicalTurkisoftencalledMTurkandwasstartedbackin2005.Thenamereferstoamachinefromafewhundredyearsagowhichcouldplaychess,butinrealityahumanwashiddeninsideit.
MechanicalTurkisgreatforthingscomputercan’tquitedoyetbutwillsoon.Itwasn’tsolongagothatyou’duseMTurktolookforthingsinphotosthatcomputerscandonowforfree.
WalkthroughofasimpletaskGetonhttp://mturk.com/andlogin,whichmayrequirecreatinganaccount.Oncethat’sdoneyou’llfindyoucanloginasarequesterorworker.Youwantrequester–someonewhoisgoingtopayforwork.Thisiswhattherequestersitelookslike:
Hit“Create”tofindthecreationsite:
Fromhereit’sveryself-explanatoryandthesitewillwalkyouthroughhowtocreateatask.Choosetheprojectontheleftthatisclosesttowhatyou’retryingtodo.Thenhit“CreateProject”.Thiswillbringupthe“EditProject”screen.Theimportantpartsare“SettingupyourHIT”and“Workerrequirements”.
A“HIT”isoneofyourrowsinyourspreadsheet–atasktobedone.Herewespecifyhowmuchwewanttopaypertask(apenny,forexample)asthe“reward”.Thesecondnumberisslightlymoreconfusing.Itmeanshowmanytimesdoyouwantthetaskrepeated,bydefault20times.Soifyouhaveabiglistofpicturesyoucanhave20peoplelookateachpicture.Maybeall20sayit’sacat,maybe2thinkit’sadog.
Wedothistogetmoreopinions.
Thenextthreenumbersgothroughtiming.Thefirst,thetimeallotted,ishowlongyougivesomeonetodothework.Maybelookingatacattakes5secondsbutanhourisfine,maybetheworkergetsdistractedwithaphonecallthencancomeback.
Wegive7daysbeforeeverythingexpiresandthenthelastonesayswhenweconfirmthings.Ifyoudonothing,theworkergetspaidafter3days.Ifyouwanttogothroughandlookforbadworkthenyoucan,anddenythework.Butyoumustdothiswithinthat3days(orwhateveryouset).
Ifyou’repayingapennypertaskthenthisisnotveryuseful,butifyou’repayingrealmoneythenit’sworthcheckingtheworkisdonebeforepaying.
Nextaretheworkerrequirements:
It’sunlikelyyouneed“Masters”untilyouhavecomplicatedorveryspecializedtaskstodo.Essentiallythesearepre-testedworkers.Theimportantthingherearetheworkerqualifications,andthatusuallycomesdowntolocation.Theothersthatpopupmaybeinterestingorusefultoyoudependingonthetask.Forexampleyoumaywanttorunasurveyofpeopleinaspecificincomebracket.
Locationisimportantformanytasksandusuallycomesdowntofindingpeopleinyourcountry.Ifyou’reinFrance,youprobablywantFrenchpeopletophoneuprestaurantsandaskfortheirphonenumber.
Thesethingscanallbechanged,sohavealookaroundandmoveon.Ifitbreaks,youcancomebackandre-runthewholethingwithdifferentsettings.
Nextisthe“DesignLayout”.Thisiswhattheworkerwillsee.
Thedefaultisquitetelling–it’salinktoasurvey.So,theworkerlooksatthispage,thengoesofftoanotherpage(the“example.com”linkabove)tocompletetheactualsurvey.Thatotherpagegivesthemacodetousewhencomplete,thentheyenterthecodebackonMechanicalTurk.
Inthissetupyouhavetheadvantageofusinganyrandomsiteortoolyoulike,andMechanicalTurkiseffectivelyjustthebillingplatformforfindingpeople.
Asforthecode,youcouldjustusethesameoneeverytime.Formanytasks,settingupacodesystemtocheckwhoiswhoandsoonistoopainful.Justgivetheworkerarandomcodeorgiveeveryonethesamecodeandit’llprobablyworkjustaswell.Ifyou’repayingrealmoney,thenthismightnotworksowell.
Essentiallythesesystemsaretopreventfraud.Someonecouldnotfilloutthesurveyandstillclaimtheydid.Usuallynobodyhasthetimeorenergytodothiskindofthing,iftheamountofmoneythey’dgainissmall.
Inthedesigneditoryoucandoanythingyouwant,putinfieldsandquestionsanddatafromaspreadsheet.FeelfreetogobackandtryotherexampletemplatesthatAmazonprovidestoseehowallthisworks.
Whenyou’redone,youpreview,finishandpay.Thenyoucansetthetask“live”andwatchresultscomebackin.Remember,themoremoneyyoupay,thequickertheresultswillbe.
Theoutputisabigspreadsheetwithyourresults.Theresultswillalsoincludeothercolumnslikewhattimethetaskwascompleted.Yourtasknowistolookthroughandseeifyougotwhatyouexpected,andifnot,reworkthetasktoaccountforanyissues.
Asbefore,themainissueisnotaccountingforsomethingtheworkerfinds.Forexampleyouaskforaphonenumberbuttherestaurantisclosed.Onewaytocatchthisistohaveafieldfornotesorproblemsinyourtask,ratherthanjustafieldforthephonenumber.
AfullinvestigationofallthesethingsandhowtowritetheHTMListootechnicalforthisbookandwouldresultindozensofscreenshots,buthiresomeonetechnicalordropmeanemailforhelp.
DesignCompetitionsCrowdSpringand99Designsaretwoofthemostwell-knownwebsitesforrunningcompetitionsforwork,mostlydesignwork.
Let’ssayyouwantalogodesigned.Youcouldhireonepersonbutmaybetheydon’tcomeupwithsomethingyoulike.Withthesecrowdsourcingsites,yougetideasfrommanypeopleandthenpicktheoneyoulikethebest.
They’veexpandedfarbeyondjustlogostowebsites,bookcovers,packagingandfullbranditentitypackages.
Beforeyouthinkabouttheseyouhavetoknowabitmoreaboutwhatyouwant.Ifyou’renotadesigner(it’dbepuzzlingwhyyou’dusetheseifyouare)thenyouneedtoknowhowtocommunicatewhatyouwant.Wecallthisadesignbrief.
Adesignbriefisjustalistofquestionsaboutwhatyouwant.Designersareaskedallthetimefor“acoollogo”butthatisn’tmuchtogoon.So,thequestionsrevolvearoundthefollowingtypesofquestions,whichwe’llanswerwithexamplesasifwewantedalogoforanorganicfarm:
• Whatmustthedesigncommunicate?o Greenfieldsorfarmingo Honestyo Thefarm’sname
• Whatmustn’tthedesigncommunicate?o Bigcorporationso Toxicindustrialfood
• Whatthoughts/feelingsshoulditcommunicate?o Warmtho Honesty
• Whatthoughts/feelingsshoulditnotcommunicate?o Coldnesso Ugly
• Whoisittargetedato Busymoms
• …andsoon
YoucanfindexamplesofdesignbriefsonthewebandbothCrowdSpringand99Designshavetheirownversionsthey’llguideyouthrough.
Foradesigner,typicallymoreinformationisgoodsogivelotsofthoughts.
Onceyou’vedescribedyourprojectyou’llbeinvitedtopaymoremoneyformoreexposuretoyourproject.Typicallythisisn’tworthmuchandcanbeskipped.Themoremoneyyoupaythefinaldesigner,thebetter.
Youcanalsowaiveyourrighttoarbitrationwhichmeansthatsomeonewillgetpaidevenifyouhaveaproblem.Iwoulddothis.Itwillattractmoredesignerssincetheycanbeconfidentthey’llgetpaidif
selected.Don’tbecheaponyourlogoorotherdesignwork,itwillcommunicateallthewrongthingsforwhateveryou’redoing.
Youcanusuallygowiththedefaultsonmostofthesettingswhencreatingacompetition(howlongthecompetitionshouldbe,allthosekindsofthings).
Asthecompetitionstartsyou’llstarttogetentries,andthisiswhentheworkbegins.Tostartwiththedesignsareusuallypoor,usuallybyrelativelynewpeople.Thetaskforyouistoprovidehonestfeedbackquickly.
Whenyouprovidefeedback,theotherdesignerscanseeit.Typicallyyouneedtogivea1-5starratingforeachentryandcanwriteacomment.It’simportanttobehonestsothatpeoplecanstarttogiveyoumoreofwhatyouwanttosee.
Thequickeryouaregivingfeedback,thequickertheycandothis.Ifyouwait,peoplewillassumeyou’renotinterestedinthework.Thisisverybad.Atleastonceaday,gothroughalltheentriesandproviderealfeedbackuntilthecompetitionisdone.
It’simportanttoknowwherethelogowillendup.Designforabusinesscardcanbedifferentthanforthefrontofabuilding.Usuallylogosthesedaysgoonwebsites,sobeclearwhereitwillbeusedsothedesignershaveaframeofreference.
Here’satypicalexampleofalogoprojectwithentriesfrommanydesigners:
Noticethatsomedesignersprovidephoto-realisticmock-upsonbusinesscardswhileothersareusingthelogoimageitself.Theyalsoprovidesomecolororformatoptionsintheentryimageitself.
Yourjobistolookthroughyourentriesandscorethem,withasmuchfeedbackaspossible,asoftenaspossible.Don’tbeafraidofbeinghonest.
Ifyou’renewtodesign,therearesomethingsthatcanhelpyou.
• Readabookondesign.Theprinciplesaren’tthathard,andtherearemanyinterestingbooksoutthere.
• Lookforsimplicity.Simplerisbetterinanydesign.• Lookatitfromadistance.Lookatthelogoonyourscreen,niceandlargebyzoominginwith
yourbrowser.Nowwalk10or20pacesawayandlookbackatthescreen.Canyoustillreadthetext?Canyouunderstandthedesign?
• Squint.Ifyousquint,it’slikelookingatthelogothroughfogorrain,orifyouonlygetasecondtolookatit.Howdoesitlookwhenyousquintatit?Remember–somepeoplewillonlyseeyourlogobriefly.
• Askstrangerstolookandseeiftheycanfigureoutwhatitis.Ifalogoclearlysays“LosGatos”forthem,that’sgreat.Butisitarestaurantorthelocalvet?Itshouldbothsaywhatitisandcommunicatewhattypeofthingitis.
Entriestypicallypickuptowardstheendoftheproject.Towardtheend,adesignercancomeandseewhateveryoneelsedidandusethattofigureoutwhatthey’ddo.Itmeansthequalityoftheentriesgoesup.
Aftermultipleroundsoffeedbackyou’llbeaskedtopickawinner,andifyou’regenerousarunner-uportwo.You’llapprovethefinalimagesandgettheminvariouscolorsandformatsthatyoumightwant.
Dependingonyourskillsyoucantakethesefilesandeitheryourselforwiththerightpeopleintegratethemintoyourwebsite,businesscardsandotherthings.
$199orsoforalogoisgreatvalue(adesignercaneasilycosttentimesthat)soconsiderpayingmore.Rememberthatthesepeoplearehumanbeingssubmittinglogoideastoprojectsallovertheplacewithlittlechanceofwinninganyofindividualcompetition,sobekind.
UpWork:HiringRealPeopleMechanicalTurkanddesigncompetitionsarebothanonymouscrowdsofpeopleyoucanleverageatgreatvalue.WithUpWorkwe’llgetpersonal.
UpWorkisamarketplaceforhiringremoteworkersforalmostanythingyoucanthinkof.Yougoonthewebsite,tellthemyouwanttohireanelectronicsengineerandtheyhandleallthepaymentsandsoon.
Thetrickypartsareallovertheplacesowe’lltakethisstep-by-step,becauseit’seasytowastealotoftimeandmoneyonUpWorkwhichdoesn’thelpanyone.
First–we’regoingtohirearealactualpersonthatwehavetoworkwith.MechanicalTurkandthedesigncompetitionsiteshidealotofthatcomplexityfromus.Sowehavetoknowwhatkindofpersonwewanttohire.
UpWorkisaglobalmarketplacesoeveryonepossibleisgoingtobethere.Askyourselfsomebasicquestionsbeforewegetstarted:
• Doyoucarewhatcountrythey’rein?o Farawaycountriesaretypicallycheapero Somecountrieshaveacultureofcreativityo Somecountrieshaveacultureofengineeringdisciplineo Somecountrieshavepoorinternetconnectivityo Becareful,becausetherearemanyex-patsonUpWorkineverycountrysodon’trestrict
yourselfunnecessarily• Doyoucarewhatlanguagetheyspeak?
o Notjustwithyou,butperhapswithotherteammemberso Remembermanycountrieshavemultiplelanguages,likeFrenchandEnglish-speaking
Canadaforexample• Doyoucarewhattimezonetheyarein?
o Countriesontheothersideoftheplanetworkwhenyou’reasleep.Yourmorningistheirevening
o Countriesnorthandsouthofyoushareyourworktimes,perhapsapproximately• Doyoucarehowyoucommunicatetogether?
o Email,IM,skype,bugtracking,projectmanagement…
Trytogetageneralfeelinyourmindforwhatyou’reflexibleonhereandwhatyou’renot.
Beforewegoanyfurtherlet’smakeclear–youneedtoexperiment.Youwon’thiretheperfectpersononthefirsttry,oratleastit’sunlikely.It’soktotrysomeoneforaweekandthenletthemgoandtryagain.Don’tbediscouragedifitdoesn’tworkoutimmediately.
CountriesEverycountryhasthin,fat,smart,stupidandanyothertypeofperson.Whatshapesthemistheeducationandotherexperiencetheyreceive.Sorememberthatstereotypesarejustthat,stereotypes.
Ifyoulimityourworkersbycountryyou’realsomissingoutonEx-pats.ThereareBritishpeopleinChinaandChinesepeopleinBritain.
TherearesomeeducationalandculturalthingsI’vefoundinmanyyearsofusingUpWork(anditspredecessorselanceandoDesk):
• Somecountriesencourageconformityandrotelearning.Thesecanbegreatforrepetitivetasksorprocessesthatarealreadyclear
• Somecountrieshavestrongengineeringcultures• Somecountrieshavestrongforeignlanguageskillsdespitelowwages• Somecountriesmakeitillegaltoworkforforeigncompanies.Thismeanstherisktakersfrom
thoseplacesareonUpWork
Thesethings–education,cultureandlanguagearetheresultsofhistoricalaccidents.They’reoftencounter-intuitive.Ithelpstorememberthatthepersonyouhiremaycomefromadifferentcultureandeducationalbackgroundandthiscanbeagreatthing,asitcanopennewwaysofdoingthings.
LanguagesTheobviousfirstissueiswhetheryousharealanguage,andwhatleveloffluencyyouneedfromaworker.
Butthereisawrinkle–manypeoplearemorefluentwritingthanspeaking.Therefore,IMcanoftenworkgreat.IMcanbebetterforotherreasonstoo-speakingonskypecanalsousemorebandwidthwhichmaybeatapremiumattheirend.Theyalsomaybeworkinglate,7amyourtimemaybemidnighttheirtimeandthey’reworkinginthedark.IMinthiscasecanbefareasierthantryingtotalktosomeoneintheirpajamasinthedarkinRussian.
TimezonesIfyouhaveclearwrittenspecificationsorforsomeotherreasondon’tneedtocommunicatealot,thentimezonewon’tbemuchofanissue.
Thebigthingtothinkaboutiswastingtime.Ifadeveloper,say,doessomeworkandeithergoesinthewrongdirectionorgetsstuck,howmuchtimetotheywaste?
Theycanwasteitintwoways.Thefirstistokeepworkingonsomethingtheyshouldn’tbeforeyoucatchit.Thesecondiswaitingforsomethingtohappen,likeyoutoexplainsomethingorabugtobefixed.
Becauseoftimezones,thesetimescangetinflated.Let’ssayyoucatchsomethingonaThursday.YouwriteisupasanissueandtheygetitlateFriday,workonitMondayandhaveafixforyouTuesday.Orintheothercase,theycouldbeworkingonthewrongthingfor2-3daysbeforeyoucatchit.
Beinginasimilartimezonecanhelpinthesecases.NorthAmericahasSouthAmericaandEuropehasEasternEuropeandmuchofAfricainsimilartimezones.Justbecareful,itcangettiringhavingearlyorlatemeetingsallthetimetokeeptrackofpeople.Evena2hourzonedifferencecanmeanregularcallsat9pmifyourworkerhasanotherdayjobandyoucan’ttalkduringdinner.
CommunicationMostoutsourcingcommunicationisprettyterribleandyourworkerswillverymuchappreciateifyouareclearonhowandwhentocommunicate.
Youneedasharedunderstandingofwheretheprojectisatandwhereit’sgoingforanythingotherthantrivialcases.Onetoolyoucanuseistrello,whichisasharedboardwithcardswhichcanbeindifferentcolumns:
Therearemanyotheroptions.Forsoftwareprojects,githubandgitlabaregoodchoicestostorethecodeandcreatebugs.Youcreateabugortasksuchas“loginbroken”anddescribetheissue.Yourdevelopercancommentonthisandclosethebugasneeded.
Yourresponsibilityistodouble-checkthingsaredoneasstated.Perhapsaskyourdevelopertomarkabugasfixed,andthenyouformallycloseitwhenyou’resatisfied.
Aswellastheprojectstatus,youneedothertools.
SkypeistheusualtooltobeusedhereforIM,videoorvoice.Almostallcontractorswillhaveskype.Remembertoturnitofformuteyourphoneatnight,asit’snormalforworkerstoIMyouat3amandthenyourespondwhenyou’reavailable.
Forfiles,you’llwanttouseDropboxmostlikely.Thereasonforthisisitswidespreaduseandthefactitworksoneveryoperatingsystem(likeSkypedoesalso).IfyouuseOneDriveoriCloudDrive,asexamples,youmaymakeitdifficultforpeopleusingLinuxorWindowsintheseexamples.Remember–
themoreflexibleyouare,theeasieritistofindandhirepeople.Ifyoustrictlyneedpeopletorunaspecificoperatingsystemortoolyou’recuttingdownthenumberofworkersyoucanpotentiallyhire.
Ifyouhavemorethanonepersononthegothengrouptoolswillbeimportant.GroupSkypechatsonlygosofar.Forthis,theleaderisSlack.It’sagroupchatroomthatworksonpracticallyanycomputerorphone.Thoughnowtherearemanyclonesoutthere.
UpWorkitselfhassomebasiccommunicationtoolswhichyou’llhavetouseduringthehiringprocess.They’refineforstartingwithandanythingshort-termbutyou’llwantbettertoolsasyougoon.
HiringOkbacktohiringsomeone.
It’scounter-intuitivebutwhoeveryouhire,considerhiringaprojectmanagerfirst.Theycaninsulateyoufromalotoftheday-to-daycomplexitiesandupsanddowns.Agoodprojectmanagerisagoodmiddleman,sittinginbetweenyouandthecontractor.Itcostsalittlemoremoney,butcansaveyoualotoftime.
Ifyou’vehiredforarolebefore,orknowtheroleinside-out(sayyou’readesignerhiringadesigner)thengostraightahead.
Ifnotthenaprojectmanagercanadvertise,interviewandhirepeopleforyou.Theycankeepthemontrackandcommunicatewithyouwhenandhowyouwantto.They’lldealwiththerandom3amquestions.Thiscansaveyoualotofpain.Andyoucanlearnfromthemhowtheydoit,too.
TheProcessHiringonUpWorklookssimpleinthebeginning.Let’sassumeyou’vegonetoupwork.comandhavecreatedanaccountandwanttopostajob,thenwe’llwalkthroughthehiringscreen.Atfirst,simplychoosethecategoryofworkyouneedandnamethejob:
Afunnameisentirelyok,like“EngineeringNinja”.Next,weneedtoaddadescription:
Thisiswhereitimmediatelygetscomplicated.Ifyou’rehavingtroublewritingsomethingagoodstartistolookaroundatotherpeoplepostingjobs.Beasdescriptiveaspossible.
Here’smybigtipwhichwillsaveyoualotoftime:Afewsentencesintoyourdescriptionsaythis:“Pleasementiontheword‘hippopotamus’inyourapplication”.Here’swhy–halfofmoreofthepeoplewhoapplyforyourjobwon’treadtheapplication.They’retryingtofindworkandapplyingforeverythingpossible.Youdon’twantthosepeople.
Later,whenyoureadtheirapplication,justtrashanyonewhodidn’tmention‘hippopotamus’.Thisalonewillsaveyouhoursoftime.Also,pickadifferentwork.I’vetried‘banana’andthatworkswelltoo.
Iteration
FiringSo,itdidn’tworkout.
Don’thangaroundwaitingtomoveon.Firingsomeoneisn’tpleasantofcourse.Butit’sbestforeveryonetomoveforwardifsomethingisn’tworkingout.Nobodyeversaid“ohIwishI’dkeptthatpersonaroundanothermonthbeforefiringthem”.Instead,mostpeoplearerelievedandwishthey’ddoneitearlier.
UpWorkmakeshiringandfiringaseasyasclickingonbuttonsandthat’sgreat.Reducingcomplexityandincreasingspeedisusefulalmostalways.Butitcanalsoallowyoutomakecolddecisionssobeforeyouclick“fire”checkyou’vemadeaneffort:
• Wereyouclearinthebeginningonexpectations?• Didyoucommunicateclearlythatperformancewasn’twhatyouneeded?• Didyouoffertheworkerachancetofixthings?• Isthisworkerbettersuitedtoanotherroleyouhave?
Remember–they’restillahumanbeingwithhopesanddreamsjustlikeyou.
Otheroptions• Googlesurveys• Wordpressthememarketplaces•
DarkMagic:Puttingitalltogether*outsourcingyourworksilently
*usingclickworkerstovoteonyourdesignwork
Related Documents
