I am thrilled to hear that you find oDesk productive and helpful.

I want to comment about #3 (You get to “see” progress). You say that you don’t use this much and I would like to share my experience with that.

I find that seeing screenshots of my providers’ work is super helpful particularly when they are just starting their first assignment with me. It gives me an opportunity to see how they are progressing and in return I can then provider feedback on the work as they go. For example, if you hire a web designer to develop your homepage and see that they are using a certain color you don’t like, you can ask them to change it on the spot. If I wait until a later point to change colors, it will be much harder to do so, take more time and cost much more.
Once I created the understanding and channels of communication with the provider, I find that I use the screenshots in the work diary less just because both of us already know what to expect and how to best communicate. No one really likes to micromanage, so establishing the trust and understanding in the beginning makes the relationship productive.

Another reason why I find the work diary helpful is when I get my weekly bill. If there is any item I am not clear about, I click on it and immediately see the work diary and screenshots that pertain to it.

I also like the work diary and screenshot to track how much time is spent on each task. Providers have the opportunity to fill in memos (a reminder pops up once in a while) and I ask them to fill in the task they are working on. Then, I can quickly see how much time (and $$$) each task took so I can better manage it the next time. In fact, I’ve seen quite a few consultants that use it as a basis of billing their clients, and they can provide a bill with a nifty breakdown per task or activity.

Thanks again for sharing your experience. It’s community members like you that make oDesk so valuable.

Orie from oDesk