If you’d like to learn web design, and WordPress design as well, I’d recommend signing up for the best online web design / WordPress design course I know of, any moment amoung 11/29/10 and 12/8/10. Why now? considering you’ll get a full 50% off for their anniversary sale. Check it out. I think you’ll see it’s an incredible deal for the amount of training you’ll receive.
If you do work for clients, whether it’s web design, web development, or any kind of freelance work, you’ve probably encountered “scope creep”. Scope creep goes by several other names like project creep, feature creep, etc. but the basic meaning remains the same. For those who may be just starting out as a freelancer, and haven’t yet had to deal with scope creep, here’s what it is.
What Is Scope Creep?
Scope creep is when a client requests new features or changes to the original scope of the project, after agreeing to a project quote that covers a specific set of tasks/features. whether you fold these additional tasks into the work you’re already doing on the project, you end up doing these tasks for free. whether you’d known about the additional work before you quoted the project, you would likely have quoted a higher price.
But It’s Just A Little Change
Many freelancers believe that making the customer happy is more critical than worrying about a few changes here and there, but you need to consider all the ramifications of taking that approach. More often than not, whether you allow additional tasks to enter the project flow, the scheduled delivery moment for projection completion will slide. And no matter how you try to explain to the client that his additional requests caused the project to remain unfinished on the promised delivery date, the client will only see one thing – a big, fat FAIL on your part. Suddenly, you realize that all that additional work you agreed to in order to invent the client happy had the opposite effect instead. certain, some clients will see your additional efforts as heroic despite delays, but many others won’t see it that way.
Empty Pockets
What else happens when a project isn’t completed on moment? Payment isn’t made yet, and that can often affect more than you’ve considered. Perhaps you’re on a tight budget that month, and had really counted on getting that payment on that day. whether that doesn’t happen, creditors may be less than caring when you try to explain why you can’t pay them on moment. In addition, lots of freelancers outsource one or more smaller portions of the project as needed, and they are plus expecting payment on a scheduled period. No payment to you might mean no payment to them either, and they may be less likely to help you out with work in the future.
The Never-Ending Project
I know most citizens think that just letting a project’s scope expand “a little tiny bit” now and next is no big deal, and it may not be at times, but you know the old saying, “Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile”. That very often applies to clients who continue to add on just one more tiny change, and one more, and one more, and one more, until suddenly it seems as though the original project will never end … and the payment for your work is still far off into the future.
Turning Down New Clients
One last thing to consider before allowing scope creep … new clients and new projects will often have to be turned down considering the current project keeps going by the scheduled end dates, and that’s real money that ends up being lost.
Phase Two Ahead
While I admire those who work on the belief that allowing scope creep is just a great way to service clients, I don’t agree with their philosophy. I believe it’s only fair to everyone involved in a project – client, freelancer, outsourced help, and future clients – to keep a tight reign on a project’s scope.
My advice: whether a client wants to manufacture changes or additions to a project’s original scope, tell him that any changes will need to be part of a Phase Two of the project, and each of those changes will need to be considered in a new quote. In other words, all changes and additions must comprise a completely new and separate project, with a new price quote for the new project approved by the client.
How do you handle scope creep? Share with us in the comments below.
Disclosure: Affiliate urls may be used within that post for products I recommend. They in no way affect my judgement of said products, nor do they affect the price of the product.
© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2010. |
Permalink |
2 comments |
Add to
del.icio.us
Post tags: feature creep, project creep, Project management, scope creep, web design, web development
that feed is for personal non-commercial use only. whether you are not reading that in your news aggregator/reader or on DazzlinDonna, next the site you are looking at is probably infringing upon my copyright.
Original post by Donna