The importance of a good specification
Have you ever worked on one of those projects where you think you’ve done everything that was required, but your client has other ideas? And despite ‘going the extra mile’ and adding more value to the project than you’d allowed for, the client considers that you haven’t fulfilled all their requirements. And before you know it, what you’ve got is a bad case of brief creep.
What basically happens is this. You put together a spec for creating a new website. This is at the start of the relationship with the client when you’re keen to do business with them, and they’re nice people, so you don’t really worry too much about the details. You explain the limitations which will need to be in place with the budget they have available, and they understand.
So you create a design. It may be relatively basic, or it may be more advanced, but it does everything that they said they wanted it to do, and maybe you throw in a few “nice to have” items as well. They’re happy with it, and you start the build.
Brief creep…
Then, sometime while you’re building the site, the client starts to look around at their competitors sites, and at other sites on the web. They talk to friends and colleagues and advisors. They think some more about their site and what they want it to do. And then they come up with all sorts of modifications to the original design. It starts off small. “We’ve had a look at the content and we think we need to add another page to show off our blue widgets”. No problem. “We think we should rename this area of the site to fantastic widgets instead of just great widgets”. Okay. Then things start to get more fundamental in nature. They want to change the way the site works. “We think it’d be great if once people have viewed this widget, it listed all the other widgets that are similar underneath”. Well yes, that would be great, wouldn’t it – but the thing is, you never said you wanted that, and you’re not paying for it, are you?
You understand that their site would be better with the amends they’ve requested, but with the best will in the world you can’t squeeze it out of the budget. So, very tactfully, you explain that while you want them to be happy, you can’t make those changes within existing budget. You feel you’re being very reasonable when you suggest that, if they’d like these extra changes, there will be a small additional charge.
And then, in some cases, that’s when it all starts to unravel. Beyond anything, you want your client to come away happy with the service you’ve provided – of course you do – but you run the risk of making a loss on the project when the final invoice goes out. And it’s easy to get frustrated about it. I always find myself drawing parallels to other industries. If you had a builder round to build an extension, you wouldn’t wait til he’d finished and then say “I don’t like that window there, actually, can we try it round the side instead?” would you? You wouldn’t say, “Yes, I know I asked for a panel door, but now that I’ve seen it I think I’d rather have french doors”. There seems to be some perception that with web development things can be altered very easily, and in almost no time at all.
And the lesson is…
Of course, there’s no point blaming the client at this point. Unfortunately, in most cases, the blame falls squarely at your door, because most of this could have been avoided had you taken the time to draw up a watertight specification. I can’t emphasise this enough: if you’re starting a new website design/development project: no matter what the situation, sit down and work out a really good specification. Put down in detail exactly what will be included in the price you’re giving, and what won’t. Detail also the timescales, what the client can expect at every stage, and also what you will need from them, and when. A watertight specification is the only way to make sure that everyone is 100% agreed on what work is being undertaken, and although at the start of the project it might feel as though you’re being overly beaurocratic, or overbearing with your paperwork, everyone will be glad of it later. It makes life better for you, and better for your clients, and with no brief creep, everyone comes away happy.
Why not check out our tips for creating a good website development specification.