Re: Freelance programming
Re: Freelance programming
- Subject: Re: Freelance programming
- From: Daniel Hedrick <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 21:44:56 -0600
[At the risk of taking this off-topic discussion even further...]
On Tuesday, November 4, 2003, at 07:12 PM, OL&L Dev 2 wrote:
I would advise *never* to big a software contract on a fixed fee
unless the fixed amount is some huge amount.
"some huge amount" is a nebulous term. Keep in mind that it is
important to bill a project based on its *value* not based on how long
it will take you or how "big" a project it is. Whether the project fee
is $10k or $75k, it is imperative to demonstrate the ROI to the client.
In these kinds of projects, things always take longer than expected,
the client almost never fully and clearly specifies everything they
want done, and there are always just "one more thing" to be done.
Every single time I've witnessed this, it's been due to one of two
reasons:
1. The client misrepresented the work to be done.
2. The consultant misunderstood the desired outcome.
In both cases, it fundamentally comes down to discovery and
specification. A consultant worth their salt will be able to do both
efficiently and effectively. *THAT* is worth the pricetag.
In the end, on such projects, doing them on a fixed rate basis usually
ends up netting the programmer $5/hr.
I respectfully disagree. One of my most recent projects, which is
nearing a close, will end up averaging out to about $300/hr. Basically,
a $6k project that I've spent right around 20 hours on. The client is
thrilled with the turnaround. I will probably be able to generate about
another $10-30k from this client based on this one (small) project.
I would advise against it.
To each his own. The purpose of my e-mail was to present another
billing option (and specifically in response to JCR's comments
regarding a client willingness to pay a premium for quality work). It
has served me well, but one reason I think I have had success with it
is because of my ability perform the critical tasks of "discovery and
specification" as I outlined above. Also, while I'm never rude or terse
with a client, I am always firm when I discuss what *IS* and what
*IS*NOT* part of a specification. I almost never have to deal with
feature creep -- and when I do, I always construct an addendum to the
original agreement and additional fee.
-daniel
email@hidden
--
There are 10 kinds of people in this world...
those who understand binary, and those who don't.
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