There are so many freelancers out there, and there are people who get jobs and outsource them, claiming the credit of the designers they hire. These people are known as project managers, or depending on how they conduct business, they might even be considered con artists.
Being a project manager is okay. For myself, I do my own projects, but I am sure for traditional project managers finding a good freelancer is tough – especially one that is not with a team of people handling the project you really only want only 1 or 2 people to even have their hands on the project.
The problem is a lot of project managers are popping up with websites. While I could easily point out a few people, I will not. I will though give advice for people who are project managers or are contemplating on becoming one.
Advice to Web Design Project Managers:
- Be transparent about your business. If you are outsourcing, make sure your client is aware of it. Putting on your website that YOU are the one designing is a untrue. For some clients, it could be very alarming, especially if they want to keep their project under a Non-disclosure policy. Be truthful with your designer and developers as well.
- Be prepared to negotiate with a web developer or designer if you are claiming their hard work. While you paid for it, if the details of licensing is involved, you might face some legal issues. (Some project managers may put their link up on the client’s finished site, but allow the designer to put the work as a “joint project” in their portfolio.)
- If you are wanting to provide web design work that is affordable to clients, you might not be able to afford a web designer, especially a talented one. Some of the freelancers out there may have a minimum set on projects. Make sure if you get paid, they get paid decently.
As for anyone who has had their site done by a freelancer, it is important that you know how your site is being done and when it is yours, what you can do. If the project manager is not able to explain, then it is more than likely they did not design the website.
For some people, this might not be important, but for those who want to keep their projects private, a project manager who outsources is not always the best choice. For some web designers and developers, project managers can be nice to have, but truthfully after personal experience with several, the honest ones are just about “a dime in a dozen.”
What is your advice to outsourcing project managers? What is your advice on how a client can find out in the most polite way how their project is being handled?
It's all about integrity, really. It's a pretty big word that doesn't get tossed around enough. As an employee, the most you could do is make sure you know all the ins and outs of a project, and speak up when something happens.
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The problem with designers outsourcing to other design teams or freelancers is that the message goes through too many stations and may end up different, delaying the project due to miscommunications.
This is so very true. I really get frustrated as my projects have less miscommunications and issues when talking directly with the client than speaking through a middleman (project manager.)
Outsourcing…. Hmmmmm?
I am a freelance web developer and I understand the importance of outsourcing, its really an amazing post.
Many thanks,
Mohamed B. http://www.mohamedbelgaila.com
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I am a graphic designer and I myself worked myself for project managers. I would really want to be a project manager myself but I am really shy talking to clients. I find it hard to sell myself.. well anyway, thanks for your post. I will definitely strive to improve myself. 🙂
Being a project manager for a website development is an excellent idea. I see no problem with it, just as long as you are up front with the client. It is no different than being a general contractor or a wedding planner. Thanks for the post.
Being a project manager is Great idea and would try to be it from next time.Always i prefer others as Project manager of my Projects,