Consultant FAQ
What is the Professional Web Alliance?
The Professional Web Alliance is a network of top independent consultants who have a body of public work, who know each other through following each other’s public work, and collaborate from time to time on client projects. It’s an otherwise decentralized, unincorporated organization. Each consultant is their own entity, billing on their own (or as a sub-contractor).
In short, the alliance is an organization of respected peers — for networking, for handling requests for project help, and as a pool of talent for other members to draw upon.
Consultant FAQ
What structure does the Professional Web Alliance provide for its members?
The two major formalisms are:
- Handling new project requests. As new leads come directly to proweballiance, they are funneled to a single list, visible to all members. We informally round-robin the opportunity to respond to them. For projects that could use a mix of expertise or are bigger than one person, the point person uses their discretion in pulling other people in.
- Adding/dropping people from the network. When we recruit and nominate a new member, they must be approved by the existing members. Potential members are considered primarily based on a review of their public profile and their visible portfolio of work. 2/3 of all existing members must vote in favor to approve a candidate.
From time to time, some members will no longer be a fit for the network. A motion to remove and a 2/3 vote will revoke membership.
The goal is a minimal amount of formalization, and a maximum amount of transparency.
How does the Professional Web Alliance deliver value?
The benefits to the client are:
- A central place to find a whole network of great people who are capable of calling on each other and joining forces on larger projects.
- Access the kind of top talent that does a lot of highly visible, independent work (open source projects, maintains visible web presence, etc.) but is often hard to find and hire.
The benefits to the members are:
- A pipeline of potential business
- A network of like-minded people for professional development and socializing
- The ability to take on projects which are bigger than yourself, by involving other people from the network
- Reassurance to your customers that, along with the great service an independent professional can provide, you also have a network of talented people that you can bring onto the project in a pinch.
Is this just a clearing house for independent work (i.e. “who’s got time?”) or are we going to do stuff like cover each other on vacation, share server resources, team development, etc?
Networking is the center of it. The other details are at members discretion as they pull other people in to their projects.
If I join, do I have to pass my project leads to the Professional Web Alliance?
No. Only new leads that come directly to proweballiance are distributed among the members. Your existing customers and new leads which come directly to you are yours to handle as you like. However, you may choose to tap the network for other talent.
If we’re working together how do you propose dividing up funds?
The organization does not handle funds or specify shares of a project. Coordination and billing by the members working on that project.