Method / 01
Define the one-role decision first
The same supplier can fit a long embedded role and lose a short, isolated task.
ROUTE-8 starts after the buyer has decided that one primary developer is the unit of purchase. The brief must name the platform edition, work, duration, operating environment, management owner, and acceptance process. Without those fields, a route comparison rewards marketing breadth instead of fit.
The method can compare a specialist agency, talent network, open marketplace, direct-employment channel, or agency-search directory. It does not assume that these routes sell the same service. Instead, it shows what each route can establish publicly and what work remains with the buyer.
Inside the method
One primary role
A named developer joins an existing buyer team or becomes a permanent internal employee under a defined brief.
Outside the method
Provider-owned delivery
A multi-role squad, outcome-owned project, rescue engagement, or advisory assignment needs a different procurement frame.
Method / 02
Apply the eight gates in order
Each gate produces a written fact, an evidence state, or a buyer question. It does not produce points.
- 01
Role boundary
One role, deliverables, platform edition, and duration.
- 02
Operating environment
Repository, release process, integrations, and risk.
- 03
Matching work evidence
Named route evidence, not a generic stack list.
- 04
Named-person acceptance
CV, interview, work sample, and current credentials.
- 05
Supervision and accountability
Who directs work and accepts changes.
- 06
Allocation and working window
Named location, daily overlap, and holidays.
- 07
Continuity and replacement
Notice, substitution, handover, and knowledge.
- 08
IP, access, and exit
Ownership, least privilege, offboarding, and termination.
Method / 03
Label the evidence instead of converting it into a score
The five states show where an answer came from and what must happen next.
Official route page
Current public model
The supplier or platform describes the service, process, or channel. Keep the statement attributed.
Named case
Matching work pattern
A public case names the engagement, work, systems, or reported result. Keep every outcome attached to that case.
Dated third-party signal
Observed external fact
A third-party page shows a value on a stated date. Treat it as volatile.
Buyer verification required
Current-deal answer
The candidate, proposal, interview, agreement, or buyer control must establish the fact.
Not public
Open question
No suitable public answer was found. Do not infer a capability, failure, or negative result.
The editorial policy defines how these labels apply to provider statements, named cases, person-specific facts, and corrections.
Method / 04
Create one comparable record for every route
Use the same fields even when the sourcing channels work differently.
- Route type and best fitState what the channel sells and the buyer condition where it makes practical sense.
- Buyer ownsRecord who writes the brief, searches, interviews, supervises, accepts changes, manages access, and owns handover.
- Public route evidenceLink the current official page that explains the route. Do not copy volatile marketing totals as permanent facts.
- Matching Magento evidenceLook for a named case or candidate work that matches the platform edition, task, architecture, and integrations.
- Named-person proofRecord the candidate, interview, controlled work sample where suitable, references, and any current credential claim.
- Still verifyList allocation, location, hours, start condition, price, IP, data access, replacement, notice, and exit gaps.
- Fit boundaryName the condition where another route becomes the better choice or where no automatic choice is possible.
Method / 05
Move from public route to named person and contract
Later evidence replaces assumptions. It does not simply add confidence to them.
- Write the one-role brief before opening a marketplace, requesting a shortlist, or contacting an agency.
- Use public route evidence to choose where to search, not to approve a person.
- Interview the named candidate against the actual repository, module, integration, test, or release problem.
- Record allocation, location, daily clock times, holidays, supervision, code acceptance, and production-access limits.
- Put substitution approval, knowledge transfer, IP, confidentiality, offboarding, credential return, and termination in the agreement.
- Stop and redefine the purchase if one person cannot cover the required product, architecture, development, QA, DevOps, and delivery ownership.
Method / 06
The output is a conditional route and an open-question list
It is not a compliance result, supplier approval, candidate guarantee, or forecast.
A completed ROUTE-8 record should show the buyer condition, the suitable sourcing route, the public basis for that fit, the named-person checks still required, the buyer's management duties, and the agreement terms that remain open.
A route may be suitable even when some details are not public, provided those gaps are visible and can be answered before approval. If a missing fact is a hard requirement and cannot be verified, the method names no automatic winner.
Next record
Write the input before comparing sourcing channels
Define the platform context, work, duration, acceptance, supervision, working hours, access, and handover in one brief.