Understand the goal before the features
A brief full of features usually hides one or two real goals. We start by asking what changes for the business if the project succeeds, then work backwards to the smallest set of features that gets there.
- Write the outcome in one sentence
- Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves with the client in the room
- Agree what success looks like before anyone designs a screen
Price the work you can see
A fixed price is only fair when the scope is knowable. We break the build into phases, price the phase we understand, and treat anything discovered along the way as a new decision rather than a silent overrun.
- Estimate in ranges, then commit a number once the unknowns are closed
- Put the assumptions in writing next to the price
- Reserve a contingency that the client can see
Quote the dependencies too
Timelines slip for reasons that have nothing to do with code. Content, copy, photography and third-party access all gate the launch, so we make them part of the plan instead of the excuse.
- Name who owns each piece of content and by when
- Line up accounts and domain access up front
- Set a cut-off after which a launch moves to the next slot
Keep the loop short
Long silences are where projects go wrong. We work in weekly increments, show something real every week, and adjust the plan while it is still cheap to change.
- Ship to a staging link from the first week
- Review in the same slot each week
- Put every change of scope in one place, in writing
Say no clearly
Scoping well sometimes means declining work that cannot be done properly at the budget on offer. A clear no early is kinder than a discount that ends in a rushed launch and a difficult conversation.
