What is Scope Creep? Scope creep is also known as feature creep. That’s when a client may ask you to do more work than expected. Sometimes it happens because the client wants more features while you are working on a project. This will happen in many cases and has happened to me on many projects.
Strategies to prevent scope creep.
Clearly understand their needs for the project but also their pain point if it doesn’t get done. Find out the why behind the project as well as the details they will give you for the project.
Work with them on the solution. Involve them in the solution that you are suggesting for the project. Make sure they are aware of the steps that you want to take to complete their creative project.
Clearly define the entire scope of the project. Put all the critical details of what you are going to do and what you are going to use to get there. Now you don’t have to include plugins or extensions if you are building a website project but get detailed and put it all in the contract that they need to agree to.
Offer a price that is good for you. I recommend adding a 10%, 15% or 20% buffer into the price for the unexpected. Clients always have additional requests and even hand-holding to get through the project. Having the extra buffer protects you and ensures that you get paid on the work that you’ve done.
Complete and have your clients sign a detailed contract that clearly states what you are going to do, what they are required to do and what happens if those things don’t happen. These details are super important for protecting you.
In the podcast, I talk about a few examples of how I prevent scope creep in my client projects.
Thanks for listening and hopefully subscribing!
