How to Replace your Upwork Freelancer now that it has Suspended Software Developers from Russia and Ukraine?

As of May 1, 2022, Upwork, the world's largest freelancer platform, officially suspended operations in Russia and Belarus. This announcement has hit hard the thousands of companies already engaged in contracts with Russian and Belarusian software engineers and designers.

If you are one such company relying on software developers from these countries then you are undoubtedly in damage limitation mode and trying to figure out what your options are.

Well, the good news is that there are lots of other options available that will allow you to onboard a replacement software developer so that you can get back to normal operations and get on with building your new project. However, some are better than others.?

Before we get into your options, it seems like a good idea to cover the fundamental steps that you need to undertake when replacing a developer mid-project. Let's jump in.

Steps to replacing a developer mid-project:

1. Find an experienced replacement software developer

Ok, so this might sound obvious but it is actually something that comes with a few requirements that company owners or project managers often overlook.

The first thing to note is that experience is paramount to a successful outcome. By experience, I am referring to the developer’s past experience in picking up projects mid-stream. A developer who has this experience will be able to quickly jump in and get up to speed including integrating quickly into your development team and processes.

From my years of experience as a CEO of a software development company, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need for companies who need to replace a developer mid-project to set their sights higher. You should aim for an expert-level developer to ensure that you avoid the many pitfalls that come with getting a new developer up to speed mid-project.

At the very least, you need to make sure that your new developer has past experience in replacing an existing developer mid-project to minimize the chance of the above-mentioned problems that nearly always lead to time and cost overruns.

Top tip: Hire an expert-level developer or one with past experience in mid-project developer replacement.

2. Obtain all the required documentation and codebase from your outgoing developer

This is another hugely important step. While any experienced software development company or project manager will make it a matter of due process to ensure that they have all the documentation and code backed up to a repository like GitHub, you would actually be very surprised at how many don't.

If you don’t have the latest documentation and code, get it asap.?

Also, this part of this process involves you making sure that you are fully up to speed on what the developer has been doing and where their coding stopped. Since different developers code differently, it is always valuable to arrange a meeting with the past developer (with their replacement if possible) to establish exactly where they were when they stopped working.?

Top tip: A great idea is to get your new developer to go through everything so that they can be clear where the project stands. Record the meeting so that your developer can refer to it at a later date.?

3. End your existing contract and set up a new one with your replacement developer

It is vital that you don't overlook your contractual obligations. While it is likely that Upwork has already ended your existing contract, be sure to read the fine print so that you don't end up liable for anything relating to your existing developer.?

Meanwhile, set up your contract with your new developer. It should specifically cover their obligations and liability for the code that they write.

How to replace your Upwork developer?

There are several main options when it comes to replacing your existing Upwork Developer. These are as follows:

Hire a new Freelancer on Upwork

Ok, so while I have to agree that, on the face of it, hiring a replacement freelancer is the most appealing option to save money, in the case of replacing a developer mid-project, this option can only be described as reckless.

The reason? Well, it is simple. Firstly, freelancers could be just about anyone. Many of our clients who have brought their failing software projects to us can attest to the dangers of working with freelancers.

A few years ago we rescued a project that was in a horrific state. It was full of bugs and many of the functionalities were completely inoperable. The report we handed to the client was full of terms that no project manager wants to hear, “Code does not compile”, “Brittle”, “Mangled”, “Hackish”, and so on, and so on.

The source of 99% of the issues was clear, their freelance software engineers were no good at their job. Fortunately, our developers were able to undertake a complete code audit and identify all the areas where the code had to be rewritten and things got back on track pretty quickly.

I won’t badmouth freelancers any further only to say that if you wish to learn more then simply Google “freelancer nightmare stories”, and go from there.?

If you must hire an unmanaged freelancer to replace your Upwork developer then make sure that you are completely covered for the work (or lack of in some cases) that they do. Too many companies end up paying freelancers for subpar work.?

Finally, since you will be completely in charge of the onboarding and managerial side of things, do not try to skip corners to save time, it may well end up costing you much more in the long run.?

Top Tip: Ensure that you conduct a thorough interview and onboard process including training courses to bring your freelancer up to speed on your development processes and codes of conduct, etc.??

Hire a Developer from a Software Development Outsourcing Platform?

OK, so you can probably tell that after years and years of picking up the pieces from freelancers, I have a slight thing against using them. The next option is far better for companies that need to onboard a developer mid-project.?

When the freelancer boom began, several platforms recognized the huge potential for specializing in certain industry segments. Companies such as Toptal, Gigster, YouTeam.io, and many more adopted a business model that made them, essentially, vetted software development freelancer platforms.?

Please keep in mind that the term “vetted” can be applied very loosely in some cases. Companies like Toptal claim that they take up to 5 weeks to vet a freelancer, however, with 1,000’s on their platform, and 10,000’s of applicants applying, you only need to do some simple mathematics to arrive at a fairly stern guess at how comprehensive this process really is.?

That said, these dedicated software development freelancer platforms are a viable option, especially when compared to the freelancer platforms. To start with, the vetting process I mentioned above really does count for something. Developers on these platforms will know how to code and should have industry experience. This makes them a much safer option so it is certainly worth considering them.?

I would say, however, that there are a few important considerations when using these platforms to pick up the pieces from your former Upwork developer.?

To start with, it is important to remember that you are still working with freelancers. As you have already experienced in the case of this Upwork issue, freelancers are often unreliable.?

There are a number of key reasons for this but the central one is that they are balancing multiple projects at one time in order to ensure a steady income stream. If it has happened before, it can happen again that a developer leaves you mid-project or ends up distracted by other projects and so delivers poorer quality code for you.?

Another central issue is that these developers often come unmanaged and so you have to pick up all the slack with a new person that you don’t know. Issues relating to background, work ethics, time zone differences, etc., can become nightmares for any project manager, even more so mid-way through a project development cycle.?

Top tip: Ensure that you fully review the platform’s developer contract (including coverage for theft of intellectual ideas) and clearly define all expectations and development processes before hiring the developer.?

Try to ensure that they have experience in the tech stack and communication tools you plan to use also. Finally, it might be worth covering all penalties for issues such as late work submission, poor quality code, refusal to fix their code, leaving the project unexpectedly, etc., with the platform and with the developer themselves before you hire them.?

Hire a Developer from a Hybrid Software Development Platform

Let me start by declaring my bias. I run a hybrid software development company. But here is the thing, the reason why I chose this business model after years of working in the software development industry is that it is clearly the best model to ensure the best possible end product.?

Over the years, I have worked in just about every development methodology, team size, industry type, and tech stack going. This is not intended as a boast but only to convey to you just how well I know this industry.?

The hybrid development platform allows for a professional software development company structure but with all the flexibility that companies wishing to onboard a remote developer need. It can literally do anything, which is something no other model can.?

In the case of my platform, since all of our vetted developers work full time for us, we not only benefit from knowing all about them including their past projects and abilities, etc., but we are also able to invest in their personal development through internal training courses.?

That is why, for example, all of our top developers are able to jump straight into Scrum, Agile, or Waterfall teams at a second’s notice without any disruption to the project manager. We have invested in training for them to be able to do so.

In order to relate their skills and experience in an optimum fashion, we assign a manager to each of our developers, this way, not only can this manager take the load off the client project manager but they can help optimize their performance. Added to this, all of our managers are developers themselves so they are able to back up the project manager and help with any aspect of the project development at a moment's notice.?

We ensure all of our developers sign an NDA and they are contractually bound to follow our unique development process that ensures such things as they transfer their code daily to the client's code repository, etc. Clients are reassured as we don’t greenlight payment to their developer or dev team until they are 100% happy.?

As I have previously said, we are often called upon to rescue failing projects and so have tones of experience doing so. This means that we have both the managerial experience as well the developers with experience of having had to jump in and pick up where the previous developer has left off. They have literally been there and done this before on many occasions.?

Finally, our huge pool of software developers and designers act as one unit. In the past, we have called on developers not attached to a project to give advice or jump onboard to instantaneously scale a team to meet a client’s new request. This means that hybrid development companies offer immense flexibility as well as scalability.?

Best Hybrid Software Development Companies

To put it bluntly, hybrid development companies are the way to go when trying to replace a developer mid-project.?

Since you might condemn this statement as being biased, in favor of balance, I will list my top hybrid development companies (how many CEOs are so confident in their company that they are willing to recommend a rival service?) from which you should consider sourcing your replacement Upwork developer.?

1. DevTeam.Space

Naturally, I will start with my company. However, I think I have said enough about us, so will only say if you wish to hire the best developers then simply fill out a project specification form via this link and we will be in touch.?

2. AppShark Software?

This company has been around for about 15 years or so now and has a good reputation. They have built quite a few products for several key industry verticals. You will have to check into whether they have the skills you need as their website is quite vague on what precisely they offer.?

3. Halcyon Digital

I like these guys. They are a medium-sized software development company that really is going places. Based in New York, they offer a wide range of skill sets and experience in terms of software developers. They have done a bit of design work as well as IoT development. Most of their work has been focused on mobile app development which I have heard good things about.?

As with DevTeam.Space, they have gotten strong customer feedback on major review sites like Clutch.

4. Itransition

In terms of the software development industry, this company is a dinosaur, but one that is up and running around and still doing great things. They were founded way back in 1998 and offer a huge range of services. I have to confess that I am not sure how many developers they have and what exact skill sets their developers offer, but they are well regarded in the industry.?

5. Binariks

These guys are also based in California. They do a bunch of custom software development but also some mobile app development and cloud consulting. This means that they have a broad range of skills and industry experience.?

So there you go. Bet that is the first time you have heard a CEO recommending their competitors! Well, that is because while I know these guys are good, DevTeam.Space is the best.?

Have you just lost your Upwork developer? Let us know your story in the comments below. Please also let me know if you think I have missed anything. And don’t forget to get in touch with DevTeam.Space if you have lost your Upwork developer and need a reliable replacement.?