Helpful hints for selecting a Concrete CMS developer

1. Review the developer's portfolio and projects

• When reviewing a portfolio, check specifically for projects created with Concrete CMS.
• Do the projects demonstrate the skills you require for your project, such as:
  • experience with a specific technology
  • knowledge of a particular industry and standards
  • ecommerce
  • responsive design
  • designing for performance and with performance budgets in mind
  • security best practices
  • theme development
  • custom blocks
  • custom add-ons
  • integration of a third party library or service
  • experience with a specific version of concrete (5.6, 5.7, 8)
• Look for:
  • live projects, avoid portfolios that consist of screenshots only
  • real projects done for real businesses
  • project case studies that explain how a project was planned, what it needed to accomplish, and how it was executed.

2. Avoid copy and paste job post replies

• Be cautious of replies that are generic, repetitive, and ignore the requirements posted in the job description.
• Does the developer post the same response to each job post?

3. Check the developer's profile for community involvement

• Reviewing community involvement can be an effective way to gauge a developer's knowledge and skill with concrete.
• Check how long the developer has been registered on concretecms.org.
• Is the developer active in the concrete Slack team channels or IRC channel?
• Is the developer active in the forums?
  • Does the developer demonstrate their knowledge by assisting others and answering questions?
  • Sample messages that the developer has posted:
    • Does the developer conduct themselves in a professional manner?
    • Does the developer only post to the forums to reply to job listings?
• Look for concrete certifications:
  • They help to establish that the developer has knowledge in a particular area.
  • Check for certifications that cover topics that will be required in your project.
• Is the developer a concrete certified agency partner?
• Does the developer have add-ons or themes in the concrete marketplace?
  • Check if the add-on or theme is PRB (Peer Review Board) approved.
    • PRB approval requirements of an add-on/theme:
      • passes automated and PRB member testing
      • has basic documentation
      • installs/uninstalls correctly
      • does not interfere with other marketplace items or the dashboard
      • does not cause errors or breaks a site if mistakes are made in its use
      • has a minimum of usability
  • Review the support page for the add-on or theme:
    • Does the developer respond quickly to support tickets?
    • Are support tickets resolved in a timely manner?
• Does the developer have a GitHub (github.com) account showing code contribution to concrete?
• Has the developer written tutorials or documentation on documentation.concretecms.org?

4. Request customer testimonials

• Ask for contact information of satisfied clients.
• Make sure to follow up with these clients to discuss their experiences working with the developer.

5. Language proficiency

• Consider language proficiency when a developer does not speak the same native language.
• Look for limited working proficiency and full professional proficiency.

6. Long term projects

• If you are hiring for a long term project, arrange an in person meeting or video interview to determine if this is someone you can see yourself working with.
• You can get a much better idea of personality, temperment, and attitude through voice and video than email exchanges.

7. Project scope

• A successful project will have clear requirements and goals that you and the developer can agree on.
• Projects with changing goals and requirements will be hard to price, schedule, and execute.
• Will the project require ongoing support and maintenance?
  • If so, how long will ongoing services be required?

8. Project budget and developer rates

• Be cautious of developers working for far less than the market rate for their region of the world.
• Consider the phrase "you get what you pay for" when setting your budget and evaluating developer rates.
• Avoid the temptation to hire a developer based soley on them being the cheapest.

9. Project timeline

• Communicate the desired start date and when you need the project finished.
• Once a budget and scope have been determined, it can be helpful to set development milestones for when certain project tasks should be done.

10. Project communication

• There should be regular updates with the developer.
  • Agree on the update frequency (daily, bi-weekly, weekly, etc.).
  • Agree on the method of update (Skype, Google Hangouts, telephone, e-mail, etc.).

11. Payment terms

• Will the payment be based on an hourly rate or a fixed price?
• What will the payment schedule be?
• How will payment be made (PayPal, check, wire transfer, etc.)

12. Work that requires a design

• Who is responsible for the design?
  • Will you provide a design for the developer?
  • Will the developer do the design work?
  • Will a third party create a design?

This guide does not cover contracts or dealing with offshore development agencies. Both are important topics and require specific legal advice from a lawyer. Consulting a lawyer adds to the cost of a project, but should be considered a required part of doing business, especially when dealing with medium to large projects.