Buying Web Services: The Survival Guide to Outsourcing [Paperback]

J. P. Frenza (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471312894 | ISBN-13: 978-0471312895 | Publication Date: November 20, 1998 | Edition: 1

Your complete guide to outsourcing Web development services

The first and only complete guide to outsourcing Web services, this book helps your company get the best possible Web site for its money, while helping you to minimize the risks involved with working with outside Web developers. Expert J. P. Frenza provides a gold mine of practical information for companies of all sizes on how to:
* Decide whether or not you need an outside developer
* Find reliable Web developers
* Evaluate proposals and budgets
* Select the best developer for the job
* Develop contracts and letters of agreement
* Plan and develop site specifications
* Work with developers to design the right look and feel for your site
* Coordinate development efforts- company wide
* Manage and troubleshoot the development process
* Work with multiple subcontractors
* Cover all the critical legal bases
* Market your Web site

The companion Web site provides you with:
* Templates for vendor contracts and letters of agreement
* Links to vendors and resources
* Task checklists
* Transcripts of roundtable discussions with industry experts

Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/

Visit the companion Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/frenza

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A small Web site might be a do-it-yourself project. A complex business site, however, usually requires outside help. Frenza has gathered a team with expertise in all facets of Web-site development to show you how to work with contractors to build the Web presence that's right for your business.

First, the guide helps you determine whether or not to use an outside developer. Frenza explains that the choice has as much to do with your management style as with your technical needs. Following chapters discuss such topics as determining goals; evaluating proposals and budgets; and designing, hosting, and marketing your site. The book also covers legal issues, project management, how to avoid disaster, how to work with multiple contractors, and how to develop the second-generation site after the first is completed.

Each chapter is authored by an expert on that particular topic and then edited to maintain a warm and often amusing style. While none of these chapters can make you an expert on any subject, they do provide the insights needed to communicate with your hired help, understand what they're doing, and assure that you get the results you want. --Elizabeth Lewis

From the Publisher

The first and only complete guide to outsourcing Web services, this book helps your company get the best possible Web site for its money, while helping you to minimize the risks involved with working with outside Web developers. Expert J. P. Frenza provides a gold mine of practical information for companies of all sizes on how to:
* Decide whether or not you need an outside developer
* Find reliable Web developers
* Evaluate proposals and budgets
* Select the best developer for the job
* Develop contracts and letters of agreement
* Plan and develop site specifications
* Work with developers to design the right look and feel for your site
* Coordinate development efforts3/4company-wide
* Manage and troubleshoot the development process
* Work with multiple subcontractors
* Cover all the critical legal bases
* Market your Web site

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471312894
• ISBN-13: 978-0471312895
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,473,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must have, which ever side of the business you are on, September 29, 1999

By 

Christopher A. Andre "chrian" (Placerville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buying Web Services: The Survival Guide to Outsourcing (Paperback)

Whether you are a web developer or a company considering outsourcing, this book is a small investment you need to make. Many of the chapters focus on areas that will not change much over many years. Project disipline, forming a consensus, ensuring you have high-level support will always be needed. I am a web developer, and I would (with the singular exception of one chapter, which I felt the contributer was way, way too jaded...)highly recommend to my clients. I find knowledgable clients much easier to work with then newbies. They are far more realistic about the time, effort, and potential for reward. And the costs. The book is not the end-and-be-all, but it doesn't try to be; bottom line, it is a sober, necessary resource to turn to.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading, March 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buying Web Services: The Survival Guide to Outsourcing (Paperback)

We have recommended this book to Fortune 500 companies, internal staff who are responsible for some areas of web work, and businesses of all sizes.

The education gathered from this book allows a business to learn enough to ask questions and make informed decisions.

As a web development company, we want our customers to know what they are buying and to be able to tell the difference between our company and our competitors.

I highly recommend this book and hope you enjoy it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Count The Cost Before Undertaking Any Website Design Job!, March 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Buying Web Services: The Survival Guide to Outsourcing (Paperback)

J. P. Frenza has written Buying Web Services to provide plenty of necessary information for any company or organization to get the best Website design job possible for their money while at the same time minimizing the risks involved in bringing in outside people to perform the work for them.

This book offers concise guidelines for planning such as evaluating proposals and budgets, develop contracts, coordinating development efforts, Website ownership and copyright issues, prioritizing, working with individual and multiple contractors, selecting Web development technologies (such as Web browser and platform compatibility), and programming issues. It is important to realize that a lot of work goes into putting together a successful Website and keeping it up-to-date. These and other factors are very important considerations anyone planning to setup an online presence must take into account.

The author provides a number of helpful resources for additional reference purposes. A helpful chapter that lists Websites, books, magazines, e-zines, trade shows, and user groups offers plenty of additional assistance. Input from professionals in the field adds dynamic impact to the effectiveness this book can have to enhance a company's online presence as well.

There are a number of people and companies around today to outsource work to. This book will help readers to develop a serious plan of action that includes finding the right people and resources and putting them to productive use. This book will help readers to count the cost before undertaking any Website design job. Highly recommended!