BLOG ENTRY: Clients of TopCoder’s competition-based outsourcing model would mainly be concerned with the quality and availability of the platform’s community of programmers, as this is the main value of the company. TopCoder aims to overcome this issue by attracting developers with algorithm challenges, online advertising, and “member development days.” Additionally, community norms were instated to promote a high standard of integrity, transparency, and quality. To retain qualified programmers, TopCoder offered consistent work streams, prize money, select networking opportunities, occasions to learn and improve in a supportive community, flexible work hours, and ratings that established status and prestige. To ensure the ideal number of submissions and participants, TopCoder adjusted prize amounts, the duration and timing of the contest, and the number of contests running at once. Although the company had accrued a massive community base, the number of active members was a small percentage of the entire population due mainly to a small chance of winning to obtain high ratings and prize money. Thus, TopCoder must both effectively target quality programmers from developing nations and increase the amount of overall winners to ensure participation. Furthermore, the company might implement classes to give novice developers the opportunity to learn and expound upon their abilities, supplying superior members for an increased number of competitions.
Another major area of concern for TopCoder’s clients is effectively determining their type of problem and providing the appropriate amount of detail for the TopCoder community to ensure active programmer participation and quality solutions. Clients found that contest participation decreased if the issue was unclear, too complex, or too vast in scope. Additionally, clients realized that members lost interest if a contest lasted over two weeks. TopCoder allows members to comment on client’s initial problems and ideas to determine its value to a company. Furthermore, a community-based peer system was implemented to grade and comment on contest submissions, ultimately selecting a winner. TopCoder must provide large incentives to ensure that expert and experienced members not only compete in contests, but also efficiently provide quality reviews and winner selections for clients. In addition, clients worried about intellectual property and security. To address this, TopCoder produced a white paper detailing confidentiality policies, intellectual property assignment rules. The company also allowed clients to keep their company names anonymous during competitions and permitted clients to require competitors to sign a standard Competition Confidentiality Agreement. The peer review process and option to run testing competitors also ensured code security and quality.
Lastly, TopCoder clients will likely be nervous about the effect utilizing the platform will have on internal employees, as job security will be threatened. Furthermore, even if TopCoder assisted a client with internal development, the company still had to have adequate staff to integrate the solution into its existing system, review codes for security issues, and make adjustments over time as necessary. TopCoder implemented its internal platform managers to work alongside the client inducing community participation, gathering feedback, and providing support, service, and project status updates. TopCoder could offer additional service tools by providing an online blog or forum in which clients could, at any time, voice a concern or obtain a progress update. The company could select and reward experienced community members to offer assistance during and after a solution has been implemented. Moreover, to ensure professional interactions between clients and community members, TopCoder could rate and reward developers to be posted on community profiles.
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