No software is bug free (NASA is the closest) and all programmers try to not have bugs so remove that stuff. I think your question is perhaps more "How do I manage a project without a Project Manager" My answer to that is: - Break stuff down into small tasks that you are very confident about estimating time for. This is key - Focus on minimal functionality first - login, logout, visit home page, etc. before the real features. - Use an [Agile][1] methodology. - Talk to your client daily - Use software that you, the client and programmer can share for tracking everything (features, bugs and Chores). - **Make sure** you have a contract. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development