Have you ever been in a situation like this?

You have a project in front of you.

You agree to the payment terms of that project

You agree to the work that's required to be done for that payment.

And then... in the middle of that project... the client has a sudden idea.

"Why don't I just ask this person to do extra work for the same amount?"

And then what do you do?

Just agree to it...?

Well. You shouldn't.

Money doesn't grow on trees, and let me tell you, neither does your time.

Out-of-scope work or Scope Creep is a HUGE PROBLEM for many of us.

And there are ways you can deal with it.

Here's how: 

1) Focus on Your Original Contract

Most of the disputes can be resolved by reviewing your original contract with the client.

Make sure that your client contract contains the detailed “work” that needs to be done.

And the areas that you may have conflict in the future.

If the client requests you to do something that’s not covered in the original contract, you will have the contract on your side.

You can simply show the client that their request is violating the terms of the contract.

And, then you can command a price for the revised requirements.

2) Setup a Scope Change Process

The client is bound to have some changes in their requirements mid-project.

You should know this by now.

So here's what should be done to address those cases.

Include a clause in your agreement on what “additional scope” or “scope change process” would look like.

And when a client starts changing things too much?

Communicate with them that this is not covered in the original scope.

And document everything related to out-of-scope work.

The reason is:

It will have an impact on the original project schedule.

And the client should be made aware of that, so you don’t get blamed for it.

These steps need to be taken before you take on any project.

I know it can be annoying to deal with out-of-scope work.

And some agencies just treat it like "part of the work".

But it's not simply part of the work.

So next time, make sure you are protecting your time and money.

And in case you want me to help you with drafting a Contract that tackles both points, pick a time here:

https://calendly.com/mtlegalteam/discovery-call-with-mtlegal-team

Talk to you soon.

-- Akhil Mishra