This article explains the risks and reasons why micro, start-ups, small and medium businesses should not work with Elixir Freelancers for developing their applications and products. The first thing a Business does to build its minimum viable product (MVP) is to search for a freelancer. This works well for other technologies but not for Elixir or Erlang. Developing an MVP always comes with a scope, time, costs, and quality constraints. All these are critical factors that decide App’s success after launch.

On the other hand, Elixir is a relatively new technology. Although many freelancers in the market claim to have expertise in Elixir, it is not the case.

There are two types of projects in the MVP Development phase:

  • Greenfield projects – Projects are done from scratch with end-to-end deliveries.
  • Rescue projects – Projects that are half-cooked by freelancers taken over by another company or freelancer, completed, and delivered.
  • Elixir is a relatively new technology. Freelancers typically learn technologies independently and try to implement them in projects. In this process, there are many possibilities to oversee the best practices and methodologies as their objective will be to deliver the functions to satisfy the Client’s need.
  • Elixir Development Company does not depend on a single elixir developer but brings in the expertise from a group of Senior Elixir Developers. Best practices are monitored and reviewed by peers, and the chances of deviating are curtailed.
  • The technology stack is not chosen by an individual but decided based on the brainstorming sessions. This considers various aspects of the application like industry, type of application, performance, concurrency, and scaling up in the future. Technology decisions are not made based on the leading technologies in the world but decided to match the apps’ needs. In short, there is no over-engineering done.
  • Elixir Development companies apply the Team vs. one approach. Unlike the freelancer scenario where dependency is on a single person, in the Team approach, the scaling up and scaling down happens at the appropriate phases of the project. For example, an Elixir Architect and Business Analyst will be involved, then comes in the designer, developer, tester, and the DevOps team. A client pays for one full-time equivalent (FTE) but gets a mix of all roles for this spend. In short, end-to-end, scaling up and scaling down is taken care of by the Elixir Development Company.
  • Elixir Development Company will know the do and don’t based on the vast experience in various projects and industry verticals. Any deviations are constantly monitored, reviewed, and approved by peers.
  • Client references whom you can talk to get an idea of the development team, quality, working model, and commitments.
  • The Elixir development company always manages backup resources. In the event of attrition or long-term illness, the backup Team will take over the application and ensure the deliverables.
  • Last but not least, there is a management’s commitment to all the deliverables and concerns raised during the project.