The following is a guest post by James Adams.

Globalization may be yesterday’s news, but it never ceased to be an important concept when looking for tools for enhancing your web development. Outsourcing your web development projects to international expertise enables you to utilize creative talent on accelerated timetables at potentially lower costs than you can find locally. If you need good code on the cheap, here are some tips for outsourcing your projects.

1. Know what you want

You will save yourself hours of strife by making sure you can cleanly and unambiguously state your request. Have a short list of important points, and clearly identify areas where you expect the developers to take creative license. Make sure that you spell out what you want, when you want it, and what kind of additional support you want along with it.

2. Find the best candidates with small projects

Your options are enormous, so don’t be afraid to send small jobs to a few different agents to test your options. See who produces the best product, who has the best turnaround times, who offers the best rates, who offers the best client communication, and so on. The more contacts you make, the better your range of options will be.

3. Seek partners, not disposable contractors

Following the last tip, remember that each of the developers you contact is a prospective long-term partner. Your first job with them may be the last, or it may be a gateway to a highly productive partnership. Evaluate each group for their best strengths to determine who should be used for which projects. Ask for portfolio samples to see what other work each developer has done, and seriously compare the end results of each developer against what terms they offer.

4. Price is what you pay, value is what you get

This bit of Warren Buffet’s wisdom applies just as much to choosing developers as it does to investing. You won’t get “the same results” from every quote you’re offered. If your demands are very simple or low priority, then the budget option is perfectly acceptable. Otherwise, remember that you are entrusting these developers with your public-facing content, and that any lazy or sloppy component of the final product reflects poorly on you, not them. Don’t be afraid to pay more for good work.

5. Tie objectives to payments

Since you already know what you want and when you want it, you can set clear objectives for your web developers. Establish pricing at the beginning, and identify when you will provide payment per component of what you want. This establishes your ability to pay, and their ability to deliver on time. This helps you get what you need in a regular, timely fashion, and creates a model for working with your developer.

6. Establish ownership, and back it up with paperwork

You pay, and they code. Who owns the end result? That’s up for negotiation. Bring this up at the beginning of your contract so that you don’t run into legal complications farther up the road. You might be able to get a discount if you permit them to reuse their work, and you may have no special reason to claim ownership of the resultant code. Whatever you decide is best for your project, be sure that you include it in your written contract.

7. Document everything

All arrangements listed above should be in writing. Spending the money to have a properly drafted contract, preferably a reusable one, will save you endless headaches.

All of these guidelines apply to almost any business situation, but are just as keenly important to building your relationship with web developers. Just remember that they are people, and build your relationship with that in mind. Speak clearly, hide nothing, and be a good partner, and you’ll get just what you need every time.

During his time as a staff writer at an online ink cartridges store, James has covered everything from the release of the HP 901XL to the latest developments in design.