Scope creep, and how to deal with it
By: Sheryl Garratt
Tags: Work, Work Life Balance, Freelancing, Boundaries, Creativity

Another friend is a truly brilliant scriptwriter. Which is why he was asked to rework the first episode of a six-part TV drama. He made it clear that he had another big project immediately after, and that this was all he would be able to do. Then he worked his magic, turning wooden characters into real people, creating a stronger story arc, and bringing the series to life.

He has a great agent, who issued a watertight contract. None of which stopped the producer calling my friend at home and saying, “We’ll never get the rest of it as good as this. So could you also just sketch out what you’d do with the other five episodes?”

There’s a name for this: scope creep.

And it’s becoming epidemic.

Partly it’s that the clients really don’t understand the extent of the extra work they’re asking you to do.

So it’s up to you to educate them.

Partly, it’s that clients have begun to take freelancers for granted. We are always there, 24/7, ready and willing to serve their wants and needs.

Except we all need to sleep, sometimes. Or even have a life.

Mainly, it’s that we are afraid to set firm boundaries, to risk losing clients.

Yet that’s what we need to do.

How to stop scope creep

1. Always agree the work in detail, before you begin

I ask for an email outlining the brief, before starting on any big writing project. So with the actor profile, I could go back to the commissioning editor’s brief and point out that no secondary interviews were mentioned when I agreed to do the feature.

The web-site designer has started issuing a detailed list of what is included in her starter website package — and what is not. One round of corrections/alterations is included. In clear, bold type, her contract states that any extra work would incur additional charges.

For the scriptwriter, it was simply a case of calmly restating that he’d made it clear that he had other commitments, and there was no extra time to work on this. If they could wait, he said, he’d be happy to pick it up again next year. And the producer could call his agent to schedule that in — and negotiate the fee.

“I used to feel guilty if I couldn't do everything people wanted,” he says. “But I’ve come to realise that I just can’t work the hours I was, and produce work to a standard I am happy with. Something had to give — and I decided it wouldn’t be me.”

2. Get paid upfront, whenever possible

And if not, at least half. This stops the fear that if you don’t do the extra work asked of you, you won’t get paid for any of the hours you’ve put in.

Clear contracts will also help ensure you will get paid for the work agreed. If you’re just starting out, at least confirm the fee and the scope of the work in writing. You can also often find templates for basic contracts in your field, online.

Once you’re more established, or start taking on jobs that entail a big outlay of time or money — get legal help. It’s one of the best investments you’ll make.

3. If you want to do the extra work, negotiate a fee

It doesn’t have to be difficult: “I’d love to do that for you! It wasn’t included in our original schedule of work, so would you like me to send you a quote?”

You might be surprised how often the client simply says yes.

4. Or, push the work back to them

I agreed to do the new interviews, for a small extra fee. But only if the magazine’s staff actually organised it all for me. Weirdly, it turned out that big Hollywood names and world-class fashion designers aren’t available to hop on the phone with 24 hours notice.

Surprisingly, however, they did get one person on their list to talk to me. We chatted for 15 minutes. I got a great anecdote to add to the profile. And £150 extra on my fee.

The website designer now sends new clients a list of things they need to get together before she starts work, including a logo, all of the copy and some photographs that the client feels they can live with for a while.

There are clear deadlines for all of this, and a warning that if these are missed, the project could be delayed. This stopped her having to chase the client for every single component of the website, reducing her workload considerably.

5. Set clear boundaries

Make it clear that you only respond to emails or accept work call during certain hours. Train your clients to understand that you have other clients, and a schedule of your own; when they miss deadlines or add extra work, it is likely to affect your completion date. Try and do this calmly, without apology, guilt or drama.

If you’ve been endlessly available in the past, it’s absolutely fine to say, for example: “Now that I’m more busy, I’m reassessing how I work. Moving forward, I’m no longer taking work calls after 5pm, or over the weekend.”

6. Get comfortable with losing clients

No one likes to lose a customer. But if they won’t accept that asking for extra work means paying out extra money for your time, the scope creep will quickly turn into a scope stampede.

Soon you’ll be dreading their calls or their emails, and staying up late into the night doing extra, unpaid work on every single job they give you.

Or — you could invest that time connecting with people and creating new clients who respect your work, and your boundaries. Then spend your evenings doing whatever you like. Because freedom is part of the reason you went freelance in the first place, no?