When your team has decided to take the plunge into the world of intranet services, you may be overwhelmed by all of the choices and features available to you, or simply not know what all you’re able to do. Your intranet site will likely become one of your company’s greatest assets, and you want to make sure it fills all of the roles your company needs it to. Hiring the right developers can help you create operational efficiencies within your company that add to your bottom line.
Whether that be serving as a central hub for company information, providing an external facing portal for clients, or simply acting as a receptacle for your company’s important documents, you want to make sure your intranet is done right. This is why we encourage people interested in an intranet solution to hire a developer that is familiar with requirement gathering and has previous experience and knowledge to help steer your company in the right direction. In addition, we recommend you have a plan in place for long term support after your project is completed.
Why your project needs a dedicated intranet developer
Many companies hoping to create an intranet site try to develop the site themselves, either using in-house IT administrators, or following along with tutorials available online. Though this may appear to be a cost-saving alternative, gathering and implementing the wrong requirements will not create the operational efficiencies a company may have hoped for, which can leave employees frustrated and disempowered. Dedicated intranet developers not only have the experience needed to ensure a smooth transition to an intranet site, but also have access to and familiarity with special development tools, which can increase the security and capabilities of your site exponentially.
Additionally, because of the expertise and background required to become a professional intranet developer, the developer your team hires will be able to provide your team with custom features and add-ins for your intranet site, guaranteeing that your site meets and surpasses the needs of your specific company.
What to look for in an intranet developer
Now that you’ve decided to go ahead and hire an intranet developer, it is important that you find the one that will work best with your organization. Though many intranet developers are highly qualified, there is no official grading system for developer performance, so it takes a bit of inquisition to find the best developer for your project.
Company and project needs vary, but the following list describes what we think are the most important factors to take into consideration when hiring an intranet developer:
- What are the developers’ core values? It is important to hire a developer with the same value set, as it will hold both sides accountable and ensure a highly-communicative and smooth development process. For example, Code A Site’s core values include client-developer transparency, high product quality assurance, and lifetime support for your project.
- Does your developer understand Return On Investment? Developers should look for areas in your project where improvement is measurable, and the outcome provides a direct and tangible return on the client’s investment.
- Does your developer understand how your business makes money? Developers with a knowledge of your area of business can help find areas to increase your team’s operational efficiency – important for providing a return on your investment.
- Does the developer have a proven process for executing projects? The best developers can provide your team with mockups, full-scale requirements analysis, and can show their documented project completion process. This is important for ensuring your developer can communicate which stage of the process they are in and estimated time remaining – a clear project process improves transparency.
- How does the developer price their projects? Developers tend to price either on a project basis, or an hourly basis. This is an important consideration, especially when budgeting for a project. Hourly based pricing can cause problems, as not knowing how much it will cost to implement specific features could leave you surprised and over budget on requirements you thought were easy. Using a project based pricing schedule ensures you pay what you expect to, and the product is entirely to your satisfaction.
- Does the developer ask about requirements upfront? A developer shows they are invested in your project when they request clarifying requirements at the outset. These should include all necessary features, a project budget and timeline, and any special project considerations (such as special add-ins, or automation features).
Though this is by no means an exhaustive list, these are the primary factors your team should consider and look for when hiring your intranet developer to ensure you have a successful, problem-free project.
Are you looking for an intranet developer that meets all of these needs? Code A Site can help! With over a decade’s worth of experience in intranet development and numerous successful projects, Code A Site ensures you’ll be completely satisfied with your intranet service.
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