New IT Firm Owner Struggling with Project Execution: How to Lead Without Tech Skills?

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site. Indeed, it's a great platform for HR management. Let me introduce myself: I'm Ishan Gupta, the owner of a registered IT firm. I started with registration. Then I began marketing my ideas. I have secured two projects (medium level - for a start-up).

The projects I'm referring to are entirely my ideas. However, truthfully, I am unsure about how to proceed with their execution. The projects require skills in software development. I have never learned any programming language in my life.

Queries About Project Management

Please help me address the following queries:

1. Can I delegate work to employees even though I lack knowledge about development?
2. How should I approach hiring people, considering my lack of expertise in software development?
3. Should employees know that I am not a developer, rather that their employer lacks insight into the project's technical details?
4. What about the security of codes?
5. Will my employees feel insecure or attempt to exploit the situation concerning deadlines?
6. Since I cannot manage it personally, who should be entrusted with the responsibility for project execution and the entire process?

I understand that being an owner in my position is rare, but I do not wish to lose these projects simply because I cannot develop them.

Please provide guidance.

Warm Regards,
Ishan

First and foremost, in a project-based company, you will always encounter projects that extend beyond your current knowledge base. However, that's not a limitation. I have worked in IT firms and have observed managers handling projects primarily based on the system, not solely due to their technical proficiency. Here are my suggestions for you:

1. Can I get work done from employees, even though I do not have any knowledge about development?

Please set up a dashboard for work allotment and completion. This can be easily designed from the SLA you have with your client. You need to refine it for every activity and set a time limit to it. You may consider using platforms like E-lance and Odesk.

2. How should I go about hiring people, myself being illiterate when it comes to software development?

Please review the delivery part mentioned in the resume of the developer you hire. They will often speak highly of the projects they have worked on and may include tasks delivered by other experts in their teams. However, when you delve into what they have done and how they were measured, let them discuss the scorecard; you will get a sense of their actual contributions. You may visit tech forums where talents with the skill sets you seek generally congregate. This will give you an idea of the buzz. Finally, speak to IT recruiters, especially those with 3-4 years of experience, as they are the best people to discuss how to identify discrepancies in a resume and determine when a candidate is being dishonest. A senior recruiter with 7-11 years of experience can provide a comprehensive view of the recruitment cycle, talent pool, what attracts developers most during the hiring process, and other critical areas in recruitment.

3. Should employees ever know that I am not a developer, rather their employer doesn’t know anything about the internal aspects of the project?

Most business owners are not developers, or they are 'once-upon-a-time developers.' There is nothing wrong with that. Employees may initially use technical jargon and provide explanations that business owners wouldn't understand. However, in the long run, they all align. You will easily recognize if they are using jargon without providing a solution. For instance, in a team meeting, if you ask them about a new project web design, primarily the infrastructure, they may start explaining codes and stop at a point so remote that even an expert would fail to understand. Just focus on the primary points, including the range for defects, and you will notice a difference in their communication.

4. What about the security of codes?

Ideally, every company requires employees to sign an NDA. Besides this, you may establish points in the project team where not every developer works on those codes.

5. Will my employees not feel insecure; on the other hand, will they not try to take advantage when it comes to setting deadlines?

If deadlines are set at the beginning with clear expectations for each developer, it should not create any hassle. Your concern about their fear is valid, but it will diminish when they see your efforts to support them.

6. Since it cannot be me, who should be given the responsibility of the project execution and complete process?

Hire a project manager. It's entirely your choice, but this will alleviate half of your operational worries.

I am requesting Nikhil Gurjar to respond to this post. He has worked in senior leadership positions with IT giants across continents and would have many more valuable insights for you.

Regards,
(Cite Contribution)

Congratulations on becoming an entrepreneur and welcome to the forum. Please find my answers below:

1. Can I get work done from employees, though I do not have any knowledge about development

Yes, you can get the work done from employees. Technically, I believe (Cite Contribution) has given good suggestions. If you know, most hospitals are also not run by doctors, but they get the work done from them. Similarly, hire someone who has good knowledge or take help from a friend who can assist you in this regard. Ultimately, if you want to run a successful business, you can acquire these skills.

2. How should I go about hiring people, myself being illiterate when it comes to software development

There are various sites that you can find through Google to help you gain some knowledge about programming, codes, and related topics. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to differentiate between a good programmer and a bad one; both will know how to do coding, but one can do coding in three lines, and another may do it in ten lines. To find out the difference, it would be better if you hire through some consultants and take them into confidence to hire good individuals for your company.

3. Should employees ever know that I am not a developer, rather their employer doesn’t know anything about the internal aspects of the project

Yes, eventually they will come to know if you don’t brush up on your skills. No, I’m not suggesting that you should also learn all this, but why not attain some knowledge so that it will help you in the long run? Also, as I mentioned above, hire a senior person first who can help you in hiring other programmers and developers so that the workflow becomes easier.

4. What about the security of codes

A security policy is required not just because it doesn’t trust you or your code. It’s also there to protect against well-intentioned code that’s been exploited by outsiders. Choose a security context for your server code that grants access only to the resources it needs to get its work done. If certain parts of your code require significantly higher privileges, consider factoring the code out and running just that code with the higher privileges. To safely separate code that runs with different operating system credentials, your best bet is to run this code in a separate process that runs in a more privileged security context.

5. Will my employees not feel insecure; on the other hand, will they not try to take advantage when it comes to setting deadlines

No, it won’t happen if you work in a team, do not boss around, and have trust in them, and they will also do the same. But it does not mean that you should trust them blindly initially. It will take some time; teething problems will also come, but then you need to show your entrepreneurial skills at some point, right?

6. Since it cannot be me, who should be given the responsibility of the project execution and the complete process

As I suggested in one of the queries, hire the senior person first, a project manager as (Cite Contribution) says, or a senior developer, and give him a percentage in profit sharing. One project, and you will get to know what problems you can face, and we can discuss them again here.

All the best for your projects. We have good IT people here in this forum. Let’s see what they have to say.

Regards,
Archna

Thanks to (Cite Contribution) and Archana for the excellent remarks.

As a startup, you need to first understand that you have a lot of risks, including failing to deliver client commitments. It is like any other business risk. Let's try to answer your questions one by one.

Dear Mr. Ishan,

What you possess inside you is an ENTREPRENEUR, and I am sure you will travel a long journey as you keep learning more about ENTREPRENEURSHIP and LEADERSHIP skills, which are most important for you to manage your organization. Congratulations for being SELF-EMPLOYED as you have decided to take THE BIGGEST RISK OF YOUR LIFE, where you'll definitely succeed in your mission provided you handle everything with utmost CARE besides being LOGICAL & PRACTICAL in all your moves. There is nothing impossible as such. You can get almost everything. GO STEP BY STEP.

I am glad to see your reply. Did you find a way out? How has it been so far? I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
(Cite Contribution)

Office Location Dilemma: Gwalior vs. Major Cities

I'm confused now. I have set up an office, a decent space, in a small city, Gwalior. However, after posting an opening for software professionals, I have learned that not many people prefer to work in small cities.

What can I do in such a circumstance? I have two options:

1. Let this office be and start development in Bangalore or Delhi in a plug-and-play kind of office for the time being.
2. Make use of the one that I've already constructed (in Gwalior) somehow by convincing developers in some way, probably by giving them some incentives for joining me in Gwalior.

The first one is an expensive option, and the second one doesn't seem to work out easily. Please suggest.

Regards,
Ishan

I can see your concerns. However, there is no "blanket" advice that can be given at this stage. You might want to reassess your business plan before it's too late.

Regards,
Nikhil