The Reasonable Test

I was just chatting to a colleague (hi Michael *waves*) and we got discussing what I call the “reasonable test” and I figured it would be a good blog post.

We’ve all heard of job creep, whether it be through additional features and functionality or due to having to do numerous mock-ups for a client. Doing too much of this will cost you in both time and money, however you probably want to keep your client happy as you work tgether.

When this happens I apply what I call a reasonable test. Is it reasonable that I do the additional work for no additional fee? Is it reasonable that the client should be billed extra? What is a reasonable solution to this?

This litmus test has stood me in good stead over the years and ensured that everybody is happy and knows where they stand.

6 thoughts on “The Reasonable Test”

  1. Thanks for stopping by Anthony.

    Nothing beats having a solid contract which clearly spells out each party’s obligations. But before you get to the point of waving the contract around it’s nice to work towards resolving any issues in a reasonable manner. 🙂

  2. Howdy 🙂

    I love the idea of “the reasonable test”, it’s what most of us would do anyway in one form or another but by giving it a life of it’s own I think it brings it much more into focus.
    The last resort should be contracts and I just wish I understood all the legal ‘fun’ that is sometimes required.

  3. One factor in the balance for me would be the client’s track record. If they had been generous with putting their own time into their own content, I’d be more likely to come up with extras.

    Also, would I learn from the process, or be developing something I could re-use?
    Do I have time on my hands?

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