Where freelance work goes wrong.
WHAT SCOPE CREEP IS
Additional work absorbed into an agreed price.
HOW IT HAPPENS
Small additional requests Revisions beyond what was agreed The brief changing gradually Helpfulness
WHY HELPFULNESS IS THE MAIN CAUSE
Saying yes to small things is easier than raising it.
WHAT IT PRODUCES
Work delivered at a fraction of the agreed rate, and resentment.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
That changes are acknowledged as changes.
WHAT TO SAY
That you can do it, what it adds, and what it costs.
WHY THAT FRAMING WORKS
It is cooperative rather than obstructive.
WHAT TO AVOID
Saying nothing and absorbing it Refusing outright Raising it only at the end
WHY RAISING IT AT THE END FAILS
It appears as a surprise charge.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT REVISIONS
A defined number, stated at the outset.
WHY
Revision cycles are otherwise unlimited.
WHAT TO DO WHEN REVISIONS EXCEED IT
Say so, and price the additional rounds.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT APPROVALS
Who approves, and that approval is final for that stage.
WHY
Work reopened after approval is the most expensive kind.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT TIMESCALE
That it depends on the client's responses.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT CLIENT DELAY
Note it, and adjust the timescale.
WHY
Otherwise their delay becomes your late delivery.
WHAT TO CONFIRM IN WRITING
Every agreed change.
