[thelist] Payment Processing (con't)

[Maximillian Schwanekamp]

alan herrell - the head lemur wrote:
>> Maximillian Schwanekamp wrote:
>> As web developers I don't think it's for us to explain
>> the inner workings of payment processing
> 
> If, as a web developer, you are not in tune with what your client does
> to make money, to hire a web developer, your career will not be long or
> profitable.

I certainly agree.

> This includes but not limited to how the client makes money from
> supplier to customer including all of those little details such as
> offline marketing, physical plant, computer literacy, types of payments,
> warrantees, return policies, service after the sale, business group,
> memberships, community involvement, charities, work environment,
> employee satifaction, benefits, bookeeping, payment scheduling, credit
> worthiness, and so on.

Being aware of these things when making development decisions, and
explaining them in detail to your client are two very different things.
 Having a grasp of the "overall picture" is essential, but it is
unrealistic to expect a web developer to have a complete understanding
of every aspect of a client's business, much less be responsible for
explaining the business to the client -- unless of course, it's an
aspect that is relevant to the dev's project/duties. Would a client
expect or even want to hear about the intricacies of payroll scheduling
from the accountant?  Generally, no.  Does a client need to be told
about how financial institutions transmit and verify data from web-based
payments in gory detail?  Unless they specifically ask for it, they're
likely to glaze over at the 10th word, and may well miss some relevant
info that you have buried in the details.  How would that serve anyone
better?

-- 
Maximillian Von Schwanekamp
http://www.neptunewebworks.com/