In my area we have a lot of government contractors. They are good to work for because they have a solid flow of income from working the contracts. I joined a project at one such company. However I worked for a separate subcontractor. My boss at the client site was Neil Mollard.
Neil had a hands off policy with the software development we performed. He let team leaders work the technical issues and the software process. Neil only required status updates from his team leaders.
Most of the staff under Neil were direct employees of the company. A few of us were subcontractors. But our tasks were well defined and our contract lengths were limited. Neil only had one consultant working with us. But this consultant billed minimal hours.
Neil was shrewd in negotiating subcontract agreements under which he could hire the subcontracting employees if need be. He did this with at least one subcontractor while I was there. And even though I assumed a technical leadership role on his project, when my subcontract was over I had to go.
While there, Neil and company had a very successful software launch. Nobody worked overtime. The process was disciplined. The goals were clear and achievable. Subcontractors were managed well. I almost wish I was able to also join the company as a permanent employee. Perhaps some day I will get the chance. I left with an example of how to successfully manage software development. Cheers Neil.
