Finally! Now I understand the types of clients I seem to have been plagued with as a freelance designer, and why the influx of this kind of client made me close up shop and re-evaluate my commitment to design. It's due to scope-creep.

In other words, watching a small, neat project gradually turn into a long-term nightmare with a wishy-washy client you can't seem to shake. Allow me to share an experience that illustrates what scope-creep looks like, and how easy it is to fall into the trap if one doesn't follow the advice provided in this article. Note that I take full responsibility for failing to prevent this in the first place, and for allowing myself to be manipulated into various situations. (Much wiser now.)

I was done with freelance after a series of scope-creep projects, then a friend called with a client and a project she knew I'd just love. My gut said "don't do it" but my wallet said otherwise. Despite the hope of earning some cash, somehow I let myself get wrangled into a barter situation (her services in exchange for mine). The client had about five different projects she wanted to have done, but this initial one was urgent, so I decided to agree to the barter since it was the precursor to bigger paid projects. She had a community festival coming up and needed a tri-fold brochure for the event, and a one-off calendar card with the schedule for that season printed on it so passersby could get info. Not a big job, not too complicated???perfectly suited to a small barter.

Did the job. Client thrilled. Event came off beautifully, and she got new clients from it. Then the scope-creep began. "Just a little change to the schedule, won't take but a moment, to update it". Then again, a couple months later. For free, mind you, because although I was clear about my pricing schedule, she wasn't as transparent with hers so there was no real way to know when I'd "used up" my allotment of the barter. (My fault for not having it spelled out.)

When she asked about more work, I outlined the scope of the "new" project and reminded her of my fees. She promptly dropped off the face of the Earth for a year.

I thought I was done with her, but she popped up again this fall, claiming "time had gotten away from her" and now she was ready to revisit the project we'd been discussing and was I still available to do it. And then she reminded me I still had some time left on her services and she was eager to provide them. And THEN she asked if I also did websites because hers needed an overhaul. It occurred to me that if I let her, she'd milk the barter for the next several months and I wasn't about to have that.

I finally got through to her. I explained that the barter only applied to the brochure and one-off calendar, but if there was time left I'd gladly come use that up; and that revising the calendar format for her own personal updating and redoing her website were two completely separate projects, for which I would assume she'd be willing to pay my going rate.

Dropped off the face of the earth... again... scope-creep is term applied to the process AND the person, IMHO...