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by Leon Brown
Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers
Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers
Going IT Alone: The Handbook for Freelance and Contract Software Developers
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgements
About the Reviewer
Preface
What this book covers
Who this book is for
Conventions
Reader feedback
Piracy
1. Introducing Freelancing
The freelance lifestyle
Is freelancing for you?
Defining your motivations
Boosting employability
Learning new skills
Taking a break
Increasing financial security
Generating a side income
Case study: New Star Soccer
Freedom
Alternative to unemployment
Fun
Don't quit the day job
Legal entities
Sole trader
Partnership
Limited company
Home or away?
The home office
Advantages
Disadvantages
The real office
Advantages
Disadvantages
Renting desk space
Co-working spaces
Cafes
Summary
2. Positioning Yourself in the Market
Market segments
Pricing yourself appropriately
Market specific influences
The equilibrium price – segments and prices
Building quality for market segments
Meeting customer needs
Market research
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Cost to market
Cost of delivery
Calculate your profit margin
Time value
Summary
3. Defining Your Business Model
Types of business model for software
Software Development as a Service (SDaaS)
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion
Software as a Product (SaaP)
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion
Software Supporting a Service
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion
Business Model Canvas
Components
Value proposition
Key partnerships
Key resources
Key activities
Customer relationships
Customer segments
Distribution channels
Cost structure
Revenue streams
Canvas
Problem tools
Product life cycle
Development
Introduction
Growth
Maturity and saturation
Decline
Five Forces Analysis
Rivalry among existing suppliers
Threat of substitute products or services
Threat of new entrants
Bargaining power of suppliers
Bargaining power of buyers
Seven Domains Assessment framework
Market domain/macro level – market attractiveness
Market domain/micro level – market sector benefits and attractiveness
Industry domain/macro level – industry attractiveness
Industry domain/micro level – sustainable advantage
Team domain – mission, aspirations, and propensity for risk
Team domain – ability to execute on the critical success factors
Connectedness up and down the value chain
The McKinsey 7S framework
Goals and shared values
Strategy
Skills
Structure
Style
Systems
Staff
Fitting everything together
The business descriptions
IXL Learning
Nextpoint
Comparison: McKinsey 7S framework
Goals and shared values
Strategy
Skills
Structure
Style
Systems
Staff
Comparison – Business Model Canvas
IXL Learning
Nextpoint
Comparison: conclusion
IXL Learning
Nextpoint
Summary
4. Creating a Brand
A brief definition of what branding is and isn't
Know your audience
Identify perceptions required for objectives
Specializing – becoming a domain expert
Generalizing – targeting a wider audience
Case study
Kick starting perceptions
Doing a good job
Limited time offers
Competitions
Rewarding customer loyalty
Strategic partnerships
Certifications
Influencers
Reliability
Personality
Media exposure
Content marketing
Who do they think you are?
Summary
5. Networking, Marketing, and Sales
Understanding networking
Defining a networking strategy
Writing press releases
Know your audience
Be specific
Integrating your agenda
Make it easy to read
Tips for writing news stories
Enhancing the reach of your media coverage
Open project sources
Project sources
Being selective
Example 1
Example 2
The sales process
Stage 1: Establish the relationship
Stage 2: Recognizing the need
Stage 3: Proposing the Solution
Stage 4: Closing the sale
Stage 5: Delivery and evaluation
Summary
6. An Introduction to Client Types
The ethical client
Characteristics
Progression options
The difficult client
Characteristics
Progression options
The trusting client
Characteristics
Progression suggestions
The nasty client
Characteristics
Progression suggestions
The price-conscious client
Characteristics
Progression suggestions
Summary
7. Managing Clients
Points of contact
Performing risk assessment of the project
Measuring complexity
Key performance indicators
Defining client expectations
Analyzing implications
Defining an exit strategy
Analyzing the client
Commitment
Ethics and difficulty
Financial
Learning and execution
Consistency
Negotiation
Cash flow issues
Avoiding cash flow problems
Summary
8. Negotiation
The Winning Formula
Timeframe
Budget
Depth
Strategic Negotiation Phases
Stage 1: Evaluate Priorities & Characteristics
Stage 2: Depth Reduction
Stage 3: Define Time scales
Stage 4: Terms of Delivery and Engagement
Stage 5: Price Identification
Summary
9. Software Development Resources, Patterns and Strategies
Software problems: A recap
Portable code components
Pure HTML5 applications
Hybrid applications
Code translation
Rescued by object oriented programming
Maximising reusability, minimising duplication
Functional adaptability
Clarity of solution implementation
Strategic efficiency with MVC
MVC: Models
Adaptability strategy
Advantages
MVC: Views
Views in action
Advantages
MVC: Controllers
Controllers in action
Advantages
Strategic data management
User interface consistency with data binding
Database consistency
Relational database tools
NoSQL: Alternatives to relational databases
SQL and NoSQL: The best of both
RDMS with NoSQL
Offline databases vs online databases
API-oriented system architecture
Why create an API?
Delivering data
Developing a HTTP based API
API design
API security
Testing strategy
Security considerations
Version control
Concept glossary
Summary
10. Software Development Methodology
Social factors of software development
Features for preventing problems
Formality
Flexibility
Working hours
Code patterns
Specification management
Skills deployment
Prototyping
Planning and analysis
Time requirements
Knowledge requirements
Budget
Changing requirements
Problem definition
Culture analysis
Technology evaluation
Risk analysis
Viability analysis
Milestone identification
Timescales
Understanding characteristics and learning styles of the client and their employees
Setting expectations and performance metrics
Resolving conflict
Avoiding involvement in client politics
Documenting agreements
Communicating ideas, agreements and opinions
Methodologies of interest
Waterfall model
Conclusion
Incremental model
Conclusion
Spiral model
Conclusion
Agile development
SSM: Soft Systems Methodology
Conclusion
Designing your methodology
Formal structure
Team communications policy
Planning
Testing
Summary
11. Creating Quotes and Estimates
Maths to the rescue: The basics
Performance rating
Client rating
Example
Estimation
Example
Quotes
Example
Risk management
Counteracting risk
Calculating risk
Recovering unaccounted costs
Examples
Maintaining estimation accuracy
Average client ratings
Example
Selective client ratings
Example
Proportionate client ratings
Example
Summary
12. Project Management
Client perceptions
Methods of communication
Meetings
Telephone
Conference calls
E-mail
Social media
Post
Allocating the right people
Who is capable of performing the task?
Who is ideal for the task?
Who is available?
What are the limiting factors?
Written agreements
Feature creep
Risk assessment
Project nature
Team politics
Expectations
Legalities
Defining a specification
Creating a specification document
Definitions
Summary
Requirements
System overview
Design
Timescales
Cost plan
Feedback
Meetings
Survey tools
Prototyping
Email
Conference calls
Release cycles
How often?
Feature order
The parking list
Summary
A. Appendix
Interview 1
Interview 2
Interview 3
Interview 4
Interview 5
Interview 6
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