control over development

[xob]

Through many growing pains, I have learned that it's almost impossible to get usable documentation from them in the event of a problem, and also impossible to continue to use it beyond the first hickup. Since I a have been on shared server space till now, I have not been able to resolve it. I am considering the following ideas and need some suggestions on how to implement them on a single VPS $19.99 with OpenPanel.

1. Someone on my in house development team needs to be able to review all file manipulations on the server. Each change, what file, and what within that file has changed, within the pre-specified file structures?

2. Allow an outsourcer to press a button which will create a Joomla clone existing on the server only, on a per-project basis, for development, without giving any write access to the real one.

3. Allow an outsourcer to press a button which will create a Wordpress clone existing on the server only, on a per-project basis, for development, without giving any write access to the real one.

The plan is then to force the documentation issue by telling the outsourcer that in order to be paid, he/she must provide implementation instructions for our in-house team who must be able to successfully implement their changes before payment can be made. We then pick-up the documentation ball at that stage.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated.