Scope creep is something that every freelancer has to deal with at some point of an assignment or assignments. A scope creep is the changes and growth that were not predefined at the start of the project. Not only can a scope creep cost you a lot of money and a lot of time. Many times, it happens that freelancers are not able to do justice to other assignments because of a scope creep.
A scope creep is also known as requirement creep and feature creep. There are a number of ways a scope creep can happen without you knowing about it or even aiding it unconsciously. For example if you are working on a website design and the client asks you to write a short home page intro and you do it thinking that it is a simple thing, then he asks you to fill in the contact details too and before you know it you are spending time gathering data then designing. This is called scope creep.
Scope creep is not very difficult to deal with; you just have to know when to draw a line between a little something and a lot of extra work. There are a number of ways to deal with scope creep. In this post, we will take a look at some of the ways:
Talk sooner than later
Most freelancers fall a victim of scope creep because they do not talk soon enough. When you let the scope of the project creep up to unmanageable proportions, only you are to be blamed for it. Talk to the client a soon as you feel that you are being asked to do more than that was discussed. Bailing out at a later stage will not get you a happy client.
Know beforehand how much time you are going to spend on the project
When you get a job, especially a fixed price job spend some time with the client tell him/her about how you plan to proceed with the job. Chart down how you are going to progress with the job and how much time you are going to spend on the job. This will give you a definite time frame of the job and you can leave a little time over I case of emergencies. This way you will know if you should start billing extra for any of the changes in the work.
Sometimes scope creep is good if you get to increase your experience base.
Do not be afraid to say no or present a new estimate
There is nothing wrong in saying no to the client if you have completed the job successfully and do not want to take on more of the same work. Be polite and firm and explain it to them. However if you have to do the additional work then do not be afraid to provide the client a new estimate. The client should know that increase work would add to the bottom line. There is nothing wrong in that and you must have confidence in your work. Also mentioning a price up front will ensure that there are no misunderstandings later on. The client will be more than happy to pay the price if asked upfront rather than haggling about it later.
One way to deal with scope creeps is to opt for hourly jobs. This way you will be paid for the work that you do and the client will also know exactly how much work you are doing. Payments also become easier to calculate. Scope creep affects every freelancing job and therefore keeping the above tips in mind will help you deal with it better.
About K Saravana Kumar
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