Dammit, you don't have to wait for a project

[sarettah]

Nowadays, a much more viable way to get "out to the street" quickly is to piece a project in. Whether it be a system, a database or a web site.

You can put pieces in place as they are needed. This allows the perception of progress and the perception of progress will keep your client from going bonkers.

So, as soon as you buy a domain put up a "coming soon" page that is keyworded for the SEs. If you are doing a free membership site, put up an email box allowing early registration. An old marketing truism is that if you provide a blank, someone will fill it in.

Let's say you are doing an inventory system. Get a base input screen that will allow the adding of items to the invenotry database and get it up on the desktops. The users get a feel for the system they will be using and they feel like they are participating, (and user buy in is perhaps the most imporant aspect of a successful system) and the client sees proress which keeps them offyour ass and gives you time to actually write the system.