30
Had to choose between a flat fee and an hourly rate for a tricky client contract
A client in Austin wanted a full website but kept changing the scope. I had to pick between a $2,500 flat project fee or billing $75 an hour. I went with the flat fee to make it simple, but it backfired because they asked for way more work after we signed. I ended up doing about 15 extra hours I couldn't bill for. Has anyone else had a flat fee deal go sideways like this?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_shane1mo ago
Classic case of scope creep.
4
sage5281mo ago
Ever seen a project that just never ends? It starts small and then they keep adding stuff until it's a mess. That's how good ideas die.
8
john_hunt218d ago
The worst one I dealt with was a small inventory app that ballooned into a full ERP system with CRM, accounting, and shipping modules. We had a clear 3 month timeline but 18 months later it was still being "improved" by adding new features no one asked for. The key is to freeze the feature list after the first development sprint and only allow changes that have a clear ROI. You also need a product owner who actually says no to random requests from stakeholders. What did you do when yours started to grow out of control?
2