Class is in session. Grab your seats.
Nothing unusual here..
Let me explain, assuming you were building a simple calculator and a variable say interest rate was hard coded and somewhere along the line, it became important to make this...
This is a market driver requirement and it isn’t unreasonable.
For instance, let’s say the application was supposed to sell cars, then mid development, the client now wants to offer loans to users...
You see how this is now getting complex? So as a client, you can’t just drop this on the thigh of the freelancer just because you can. Recipe for disaster.
First and foremost, resist the urge to take on a project just because the money is “good” and you don’t want to lose a client. Sit down and talk about the product requirements.
If your client is technical, run them by possible technology choices. It doesn’t hurt.
Ask for their brand colour and assets if they have one. This important, do this before you begin the product design phase.
This will give the client a good idea of what the end product will look like.
Carry the client along and get a sign off for this phase.
When the sign off is gotten, then you can begin writing code.
The above process is super useful if you’re using a flat fee billing method. But if you’re using an hourly rate, then things are diff.
These has a couple of benefits, you will learn from real users and understand pain points
Don’t ever top up any money for any external service. If you need 2 machines, get money for those two machines. Don’t lie, never LIE.
While estimating the product dev duration, make room for overflow. Don’t just settle for 3 months.
Resist the temptation to take on more projects than you can handle. Don’t do it...
Most clients will go quiet after getting that doc. You want to be compensated for your time and effort. You have earned it.
Love always,
Celestine...
Undercharging has the potential to breed resentment when you realize the workload is a lot harder than you had earlier anticipated.
Avoid the “help us, we are family/friends” syndrome.