Things to do and questions to ask when starting a new contract

Before starting a contract, consider the following:

• Is a BPSS check necessary?
• Is a DBS check necessary?
• Is the start date dependent on the client providing a laptop and completing setup?

Red Flags and Lessons Learned

• Be cautious when:
  • Code reviews are done by someone not actively working with you or partially working with you.
  • Organizations use ServiceNow for project requests instead of support/change tickets.
  • There are no operational tasks done in a squad/team.
  • The lead engineer is not working on your project.
• Best practices:
  • Get to know all ongoing projects before focusing on one.
  • Create a onboarding Jira ticket if possible.
  • Conduct 1-to-1 meetings with all team members.
  • Focus on making a positive impact and building workplace relationships rather than just performance.

Questions to Ask the Client

• Is the lead engineer working on AWS or Azure, etc.?
• Is ServiceNow used, and is it used for project delivery?
• Are there any operational tasks done by the team once the user story is delivered into the Production environment?
• Is there a code review process, and is the review done by another member of the same team who will be working with me on the same project?
• Are there daily standups?