Uncle Bob Martin said, "At the heart of the Agile movement there is a central theme: 'Never Be Blocked.'" One reason that Rails is so productive is that it removes many potentials for blockage in the development process, allowing a moving project to keep on moving. But what about projects that aren't moving yet? How do you keep them from getting blocked before they get started? To answer that question, we'll talk over practical tips, tricks, and rules of thumb for working with clients (internal or external) to qualify and close potential projects.

The "MVC" of project acquisition:

Motivate
The first thing you have to do is get the ball rolling, and that means finding the right clients, getting them to talk project specifics with you, and then convincing them that you and Rails are right for the job.

Vet
The goal with vetting is to make sure the proposed project will meet the client's needs, and to figure that out as quickly and efficiently as possible. We'll cover estimation, budgets, specs, reviewing existing code, and communicating with the client throughout the process.

Close
Everything can go perfect, and then...nothing. Striking the right balance between patient and pushy can be tricky, so we'll go over deal structuring and pricing, ways to keep communications open, figuring out what's blocking a close, and when it's time to just walk away.

The end goal? To find a win-win for yourself and the client, and to do it with a minimum of fuss.