[thelist] how do you manage/respond?

Martin Burns martin at easyweb.co.uk
Sat May 30 03:18:05 CDT 2009


On 29 May 2009, at 23:32, Bob Meetin wrote:

> * Every time the customer comes up with a new requirement, you simply
> work out what it would cost to implement (in terms of cost *and*
> schedule (and risk to anything else you're doing)), and check that
> they're happy to proceed with it. *
>
> ==>>
>
> This sounds good in concept and is reasonably doable if you coded the
> application but when you're implementing an open source application  
> and
> have to dig/research through unfamiliar code the simplest changes may
> take many hours if they are even doable.

Actually, it's no different. Of course, investigating the change takes  
time - equally true for 3rd party and custom written software. And  
that's chargeable time.

But the benefit of using OSS is that you *can* dig through the code,  
and as most requirements are surprisingly common at their heart,  
there's a fair chance that someone else has already implemented what  
the customer wants and released it.

Hell, even if you have to subcontract the changes, you're still making  
money on them...

> If as in this particular case you are assigned to work with someone
> whose job is to populate the cart (not the financially responsible
> party) who does not care nor understand the requirement process, all
> that you will hear is, "Why can't you do this? This program is
> inadequate, is dumb, you baffoon!"


Well, ignoring the inflammatory language, if the SW won't do what the  
customer wants as it currently is, then that's a sales opportunity  
floating in front of your nose.

Cheers
Martin

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