How to Deal with Inherited Code
As experienced programmers we would have undertaken several web development projects. It might be on any domain –WordPress, PHP Development or even mobile app development. Most times clients approach and hire developers for new projects. Developers and coders would have to sit with the client and discuss about the exact requirements and then proceed with the development. However, sometimes clients may also hire programmers to carry on with a prior project – be it for improvement or expansion. It could also be that the client may have been at odds with previous developers and wanted to reach out to a new developer. In such a scenario, programmers are handed a completed project – perfect or not perfect – and asked to continue with development for the aforementioned reasons. Having been used to executing web development projects from scratch, this sure might prove to be a serious nightmare for programmers. This is because of the fact that each coder has a unique style of coding and will most certainly differ from yours. One wrong deviation and the entire website could become buggy, to say the least.
We at HireIndianProgrammers, consist of teams of dedicated programmers and developers. Having gained significant experience from handling an array of web development services for more than a decade, we seek to give you insights on how to deal with inherited code from a prior project, through this blogpost.
Documentation is key
While being handed over a website or any mobile app project, programmers would do well to request for the documentation for the same. A programming expert would more than make do with just documentation.
Patience is a virtue
It is true and trust us, it will reward you hugely in the near future. There are no shortcuts. Clients hiring new developers would surely expect better results than earlier. So, programmers will have to commit time and efforts in going through the entire documentation, understand the code – including structures, naming conventions, CMS, syntax and so on, add/ modify your own documentation. This stage of reading (not glancing) and understanding is crucial as it will help you in understanding the website (or mobile app), thereby allowing you to accurately carry out updates. Programmers can also familiarise themselves with all the webpages in the website.
Look out for anomalies and fix them
The very task of going through the documentation will enable coders to spot anomalies such as unused Javascript libraries, complex API etc; Clients hiring fresh programmers will, in all probability, give the entire story of the software development cycle including the possible issues with earlier versions or developers. Also, whenever programmers are fixing unknown functionalities, it is simply a good practice to add comments on it. This would greatly aid the next developer.
Adapt and be consistent
While tackling inherited code, the main objective of programmers must be to deliver a readable project having longevity. The best way to accomplish this is for programmers to adapt themselves to the system and tweak their coding habits a bit. Adding your own methods will only complicate matters for the next web development team.
Dig deeper into the system
Clients hiring dedicated programmers trust that their new website would perform better than earlier on a sustainable basis. To deliver optimal results, programmers would have to dig deeper and get their hands on more relevant data such as the kind of devices end users are using. These kind of data will help developers anticipate possible failure scenarios in testing stage of software development.Coders can make use of any speed test and design responsiveness tools to check for performance issues.
Finally, apart from these, there are always other challenges associated with inherited code. It might be tighter deadlines or scope creep. Whatever it may be, programmers would do well to focus on the work at hand, make room for improvement, display a positive attitude rather than indulging in a futile blame game.
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How to Sell your Web Development services
While the advent of different website builders like Wix means that it is easier to design websites, it most certainly doesn’t mean you are equipped enough to design a full functional website for your business. A working business website has a lot more complexities that often requires the expertise and services of a dedicated web and mobile app development company.
In this blogpost, seasoned web programmers at HireIndianProgrammers give you insights on approaching and converting reluctant prospects. Clients can be of every kind and we programmers as part of a leading web and mobile app development company, have come across our share of different clients. It is a challenge in itself to get in fruitful conversation with them.
- Let’s start with the basics – The norms of communication between the client and salesperson mandate courtesy on the latter’s part at all situations and circumstances. The client is more likely to hire a programmer if he is a courteous person.
- When clients start off with an air of reluctance and impatience, rather than treating it as a difficult situation, your task becomes cut out. Be fully prepared with a concise explanation on what you plan to achieve with them – deliberate on the benefits rather than features.
- Having been in the programming field for a long time, you must obviously know the merits of developing and maintaining an in-house website over social media. Now you just have to convey in a language that can be understood by clients who might construe it differently. Focus on specifics of what the website can possibly do for their business
- Do your research before embarking on a conversation with the client – if at all the client already has a working website, identify real flaws with it that might affect the online business and work on feasible solutions to improve the same.
- If the client is hesitant to hire your services, engage in some sort of confidence building actions – for instance – demonstrating your workflow can result in winning immediate brownie points for you and further remove any remaining doubts in the client’s mind.
- As stated earlier, doing your research and trying to understand the client’s business is important. Since it must likely be your niche, go one step further and gather some similar projects that you successfully completed as a programmer and show it to the client.
- Now comes the pricing part. Here three possible cases can arise. If the client doesn’t have the required budget at the time, thank them and make sure to do a follow up at a later point of time. If the client still doesn’t see the value in your services, it is better to move on rather than arguing or worse, dropping your price. If you see the client to show signs of bargaining, it is crucial not to lose ground and reduce price but leave them be.
- Never make false promises for the sake of closing deals, instead make promises that you can actually deliver on.
- Devote time to prepare precise contracts and make the client agree to and sign the same. This projects professionalism.
Hope you found this post to be helpful. HireIndianProgrammers has been in the industry for more than a decade and our programmers have delivered several web and mobile app development projects successfully. Our clients, mostly from the US and also the UK, have continually hired the services of our programmers in a variety of projects, some of them lasting for years.
Contact us here to get in conversation with our programmers.