How we work together
I work with smaller businesses and on international projects. You talk to me, and I write the code. Whether we're starting something new or changing an existing system, I want to understand what you need and make sure you know what I'm doing and where I need your help.
Start with the task in your own words
Tell me what you need to achieve and who will use the result. For an existing website, a link and a concrete example help: what happens now, what should happen, and how I can reproduce the problem. For a new project, describe the work the website or application should support.
You don't need to turn that into a technical specification. I ask about the details, your deadlines, the tools you use, and what already works well. If I need access to investigate, I explain what I need and why.
If something is broken, I ask what changed before it started and try to reproduce the problem before changing settings or adding tools. If you've taken over a website, my website handover checklist can help us work out who manages the hosting, domain settings, code, and external accounts.
Agree the first piece of work
I write down what I will do, what isn't part of the task, what I need from you, and how we'll check the result. I give you an estimate before I start. You can find my rates and examples of small tasks on the contact page.
Sometimes I need to look inside a system before I can estimate a fix. I explain what I need to investigate so we can agree that first. If I find something that changes the task or my estimate, I talk it through with you before doing more work.
I build, test, and show you the result
I keep track of code changes with version control and test the parts the work touches. If I change a booking form, for example, I also check what happens to the information after someone presses send: is it checked, saved, and included in the confirmation email?
When the task calls for it, I use a separate test version so you can try the changes before they go live. I tell you what I've checked, what still needs attention, and what I'd like you to look at. You know the daily work better than I do, so your feedback matters.
Before changing the live website, I check what access I need, the relevant backups, and how to restore things if something goes wrong. We agree when to put the work live. Afterwards, I check the affected functions and leave notes you need to use and maintain them. We agree any further support separately. If the hosting needs to move, I plan that as a website migration.
Remote collaboration
Good collaboration doesn't require the same office
I've worked with clients and colleagues across countries and time zones for years. It works well when tasks, decisions and next steps are written down, so progress doesn't depend on us both being online at the same time.
That doesn't mean we never talk. Some things are much easier to solve in a short call. But meetings should have a purpose, rather than being necessary for the work to move forward.
I prefer to concentrate on the task, implement the work, test the result, and then explain clearly what I've done and what I still need from you.
Where the work happens matters less than whether it has been properly defined, implemented, tested and explained.