Dealing with "one more thing"

I was just recently laid off from a full time web design position with a major company. While exploring my options, I decided to investigate freelance work.

Even with stuff I've done for friends or projects with a volunteer developer for an open source project... I keep encountering "One more thing." I call it "scope creep" but I'm not sure if this is the proper term. (As in the scope of the project creeps larger and larger.)

For example: For that open project I helped with, someone wanted a minor modification to the search function. It would have taken me a few hours on the weekend, so I thought "why not." The person was so happy each step, they kept requesting more. Soon, my weekend project had exploded into a complex modification of the source code. I turned in the little project I'd agreed to and refused to go any further.

That was for free. I'm truly not sure how I'd handle it as a freelancer.

Has anyone else encountered this? How do you handle it? Do you include it in your contract?

To be honest that is a pretty standard problem I encountered when I actually did freelance work. I think the best way around it is to:

A. Outline exactly what is included in your quote. Make sure they give you as much details as possible and explain anything left out of the brief will come at extra cost.

B. Charge per hour. Simple solution to get paid for the amount of actual work you do.

You definitely have to be firm and make sure they understand at the start so as to avoid an upset client when you refuse to add/change elements of the work. This problem, combined with clients who don't understand what they even want was the main reason for me not continuing freelance work.

First off, don't work for free. If you are going to do so leave no misconceptions that they stand in your debt for this and they can get fussy after they pay you. Go as far as to offer a complete refund of $0.00 for your services. Walk away the second they get annoying; you certainly have better things to do than waste your time with an annoying freeloader.

When doing it for money, charge by the hour (see my article on the subject here). Have a detailed outline of what you are going to and what you think its going to cost, make it clear that new things take time and therefore you will charge more. You will see a lot less scope creep after you've done that. Have it in a written contract as well, they take those a whole lot more seriously than emails.

Good to know! Thank you!

Yeah, I honestly have gotten so I refuse to help friends with their websites for this reason and why I got out of that open source project.

Originally Posted by Firefall Good to know! Thank you! Yeah, I honestly have gotten so I refuse to help friends with their websites for this reason and why I got out of that open source project.

Working with family is a nightmare, avoid at all costs. Especially when they think these 90s flash based websites are the best things on the planet.

Originally Posted by Village Genius First off, don't work for free. If you are going to do so leave no misconceptions that they stand in your debt for this and they can get fussy after they pay you. Go as far as to offer a complete refund of $0.00 for your services. Walk away the second they get annoying; you certainly have better things to do than waste your time with an annoying freeloader. When doing it for money, charge by the hour (see my article on the subject here). Have a detailed outline of what you are going to and what you think its going to cost, make it clear that new things take time and therefore you will charge more. You will see a lot less scope creep after you've done that. Have it in a written contract as well, they take those a whole lot more seriously than emails.

Thank you! Your article was exactly what I was looking for!

I got out of doing "free" work a long time ago. (Not even to friends and family.) Too much hassle for everything I put into it.

You set expectations with every action you take.

As soon as you start to put in "a little extra" at no charge, they will come to expect it. Then, when you eventually get frustrated that all your time is being eaten up by "little extras" and demand to be paid, you will potentially disappoint and aggravate your client. It's human nature, and nothing against the client of course.

I try to roll up small changes into larger updates, and if not possible to set a minimum fee for any work performed.

For really big projects, especially projects involving multiple stakeholders (or government contracts, egads), I always require a feature change request form. That way all changes that conflict with the SRS are reviewed, integrated, and added to the invoice.

Everyone has covered the most important parts. I've learned that taking the time at the start of the project to cover there ideas, what they want the site/design to accomplish really helps in removing that "one more thing" annoyance.

Also being firm, even though it may be tough to do earns you way more respect and better clients as time goes on, however being firm should never be confused with being cocky/rude n etc towards a client. Word of such things can travel fast..but word of good work can and usually does travel faster.

Isn't it funny how family seems to think that websites and the like pop up with the simplest amount of work. Working for free for a family member is a mistake you only make once.

If you do it in a professional way, Make sure to put some agreements, and make sure to add your extra work policies in that.

Prob., you can add few free revisions like First Hr revision would be free. And further modification hrs would be chargeable.

This way it will work smooth.