By Jessica Bown BookkeepersWhy you’re working for free and how to stop11 Sep 2019 Have you ever agreed a price for a job, only for the client to move the goalposts at a later date – forcing you to work more hours for the same fee? You’ve been a victim of scope creep.So-called scope creep is the scourge of many small business owners, most of whom feel unable to ask for more money in case they lose clients.Luckily, there are ways to avoid being caught in the scope creep trap.What is scope creep?Coined by project managers, the term scope creep refers to any situation when the scope of a project changes and creates more work for those delivering it.This could be because a client adds on new requests to the initial job, changes their mind on what they want, or asks for the work to be done quicker.What causes scope creep?There are lots of reasons why scope creep can become a problem and it’s not always the client’s fault.In cases where you’re handing the work to an employee, for example, neglecting to properly explain to them exactly what’s needed at the outset can lead to costly misunderstandings.More often, however, it’s due to a lack of clarity around what the client wants.According to a 2017 survey by the Project management Institute, 37% of project failures globally are due to poorly defined objectives and milestones.Other common causes of scope creep include a lack of clarity about the clients needs; failure to include strategies for billing extra work; and a lack of understanding on your part about how much work the project will involve.Key takeaways:scope creep is not always the client’s faultminimise the risk of scope creep by making sure everyone involved knows what’s required.What can I do when a client moves the goalposts?Nobody wants to work for free. But nobody wants to lose clients either.That’s why so many accountants and bookkeepers end up accepting the extra work that comes with scope creep, and simply working for free.However, agreeing to unreasonable requests will devalue your work and may also lead to the client having unrealistic expectations going forward.So it’s important to take a stand if you recognise the conditions of a job are becoming unacceptable.Ways to do this include offering to take on a new target but only if another can be dropped, and offering to do the extra work for an additional fee.Key takeaways:agreeing to unreasonable requests will devalue your workoffering to replace a less critical part of the work with the new requirement is one way to manage scope creepFive ways to avoid working for freeFollowing these five steps will help you avoid having to choose between working for free and having an awkward conversation with a client.1. Define the job and record the requirementsAchieving clarity at the start of a piece of work is the single-most important thing you can do to prevent scope creep.Talk to the client to find out exactly what’s required, and resolve any conflicting points between individuals on the client team ASAP.Then think long and hard about what delivering the work will mean for you in terms of both time and resources.Create a document that sets all this out and share it online so everyone can review it and confirm their agreement.“It’s important to get as much detail set out at the beginning as possible,” said Raffi Cherbedjian, a life coach who runs his own business, Cabinet Somatopsy.“Sometimes clients don’t really know what they want or need, which will create problems later on.”2. Anticipate changes and set related chargesTime does not stand still, and anything from government policy changes to a new chief executive could impact the requirements of a piece of work.Anticipate this – and lower the chances of you ending up out of pocket – by outlining clear guidelines for extra charges that will be payable if changes are made.“Set out how much it will cost the client to make any changes to the agreed plan,” Cherbedjian said.“If they know it will cost more, there should be no disagreement over paying the bill.”3. Establish a clear scheduleOnce you know what you have to achieve, make sure everyone is also clear on when it needs to be done.Leave a bit of room for ironing out any issues that arise where possible.If it’s a long-term job, it also makes sense to ask to meet with the client at regular intervals to ensure you are on the right track.4. Check everyone is on the same pageOnce you think you have a good understanding of the work involved, go back to the client with your project schedule and ensure all the elements they expect to see are included on your task list.If you are speaking to one member of a management team, it’s also a good idea to ask them to check the other members of that team share the same vision and expectations.“You need to make sure they understand what they are asking for and what that will involve for you,” Cherbedijian added.5. Talk to your teamIf you are going to be working on the job with colleagues, the final step you should take to avoid scope creep is to discuss it with them.Make sure they know they can come to you if it becomes clear an element of the work is not achievable under the terms set out in the task list.In summaryFailing to manage scope creep can devalue your work and eat into your profits.Avoid working for free from now on by making sure everyone involved is clear on the project goals, schedule, and consequences for changing requirements.Read more on working in a productive and healthy way:Run your small business without letting it run youMidnight oil: why long hours don’t necessarily lead to successHow to build a great small business company cultureWhy working for free is stopping you getting paid Jessica Bown is an award-winning freelance journalist and editor.