A free portfolio project turned into an endless one. How to be?

Question

Freelance

I once undertook to make a corporate application for free in order to start building a portfolio. Moreover, after talking with the client, the impression was that the project is not very large and will not require much time to complete.
I drew up the TOR, broke the project into stages and started. During the development process, the need for additional functions began to emerge, and I also began to implement them. However, the number of new features and changes that the client wants to make has grown significantly during development. Formally, all these edits fall under my promise to the client to develop software for them. Moreover, the client is satisfied and is even ready to conclude a support agreement, but after the delivery of the first version (as I promised). But because of the edits, the project has seriously stretched out in time and there is no end to it. Each edit individually is garbage, but when there are a lot of them, a serious amount of work looms.
How to competently complete the project, so that the client is satisfied and concludes a support agreement, while stopping the growth in the number of edits (and they grow along with the functionality)?

Answer 1

Option 1 - send and forget.
Option 2 - transfer from free to paid.
Do you have basic functionality? Is
the customer already satisfied? Satisfied It's
time to pay the money, and so he felt a freebie and will not get off you.

Answer 2

It is hard to stop accepting requests for new features.
To say that in the process of support it will be possible to add functionality, but for a fee.
Actually, it is necessary to complete it competently in such a way that the client does not sit on his neck, but understands that initially the conversation was about a specific amount of work, which has long been exceeded, and you have to pay for the work.
Moreover, you have the original TK, which is also divided into stages, and start from it.

Answer 3

You are being used. If you need - implement the functionality of the TK without edits. After that (or instead) say that you do not work for free and complete the project. No sanctions threaten you - you already worked for free.

Answer 4

Plan releases. Now you are only working on v.1.0 for which you have the TOR and all those improvements that you kindly agreed to.
You can accept new feature requests from the client, but don’t even think about implementing them, even if you only need to correct one line for this - they will all go into future, paid releases. Accept the client's wishes, carefully write them down, and forget about them for the time being.
Keep the client informed, everything is transparent with you: show the client the technical specifications and the changes planned for subsequent releases. You can immediately scatter plans for several future releases - this will go into v.1.1 a month after the acceptance of 1.0 and the start of paid cooperation. And this is in v.2- somewhere in the summer.

Answer 5

1. TK should be made by the customer.
2. TK is a document, a work plan. It is done precisely so that the work is not endless. Everything that is not included in the TOR is ignored by the performer.
3. When all points of the TOR are implemented, the work is considered completed.
4. After the work is completed, a support contract is concluded (if this was not done initially). The contract is either temporary for making specific changes to the project, or permanent for making changes and improvements during the operation
PS The free project can be terminated at any time. You don't owe anyone anything.
My friend had a similar situation when he was hired by a company as an intern for the summer holidays for free, and when in September he said "Goodbye. I went" he was quickly hired with a salary

Answer 6

I had something like this, I took on a project for a portfolio and for practice on the angular.js + laravel framework (restful api server), agreed for a ridiculous price, since it was the first project on angular.js, I thought that I would manage quickly, but it stretched out for a very long time. As a result, in order to get rid of the client, he told him that this application costs 5 times more (minimum) - the way it is, and if you want additional. functionality - pay, otherwise what should I live on and what should I eat while I spend all my time on your project? As a result, I provided a project with basic functionality, which was agreed upon. Adding that if they need extra. functionality, look for another developer, I've finished everything, I'm no longer interested in working for free. And the refinement will cost them a pretty penny, because this is not wordpress.
So, here is my true story) And most importantly, this is a life experience, which one way or another is necessary. It's just that someone does without it, but for someone there is no other way.

Answer 7

It's enough just to say "OK, I spent 100500 hours, and now I'm going to the beach, you can take what you have for 100500 money and on Monday discuss the list of edits for some money or you won't get anything."
Smile and go to the beach. So you will find out if the person you are doing needs a project or if he is just having fun. If it's fun, it's not an interesting project anymore.
By the way, you should not work for free, you are primarily selling your time. And time is precious. The value of your time depends on what you can do, but then again, your time is hardly worth anything. Estimate is simple:
1. what can I do in an hour:
- first
- second
- third
2. how much is what I just listed?
3. How much would I be willing to pay for what I listed? And if I do it twice as cool and with additional goodies?
4. How many people can do it?
5. How much are other people who understand this are willing to pay?
6. How much are other people willing to pay who do not understand this?
7. How many nerve cells do I need to do this and that.
And as soon as you understand that you are doing something wrong, then you are doing something wrong and you need to make a decision. Either lower your capitalization to a project and a customer who does not appreciate you, or give it all up (with options to give it away for free, sell it or something else) and rethink your own path.

Answer 8

I once undertook to make a corporate application for free in order to start building a portfolio.

Hey! I work in enterprise applications. "Free" is good, of course. But believe me, the problem is not in the customer. The development of so-called "corporate applications" is really worth those hundreds and thousands of labor hours that are prescribed in the estimates. The fact that you and your customer initially did not take into account this and other subtleties did not affect the laws of the universe. And there is nothing surprising in the consequences of your relationship. On the contrary, everything is very natural.
Free cheese happens... where?
You also "oiled" the customer well. He invested, if not money, then time and hope. And now you and his plans in any case break off. The question is - to what extent are you breaking off.
In such cases, I either immediately refuse, or, at least, I try to do the main thing - not to promise much. Work costs money. Skilled work costs even more money. A well-known decent amount of skilled work cannot be "free". Only if you invest in his business at your own expense. We are talking about hundreds of thousands and millions of rubles - in terms of standard hours, can you afford to spend so much personal time? Not expensive for a portfolio?
To finish a project, do a don't-know-what with the customer, and learn DDD and business intelligence. This will allow you to adequately assess the volume of tasks when working in this industry.
As a lifesaver, here is a list of techniques from various fields that can help you. Learning these techniques will naturally take some effort and time, but they will probably save you and give you some perspective. Everything is googling:

• Getting Real
  
• DDD
  
• Business analysis
  
• Books by Martin Fowler
  

Answer 9

So what's your interest? More precisely. what is your interest in permanent edits? Vooot. But I feel that your conscience does not allow you, so I allow you to sin and send freeloaders to hell.

Answer 10

As I understand it, between you and the customer there is a gentleman's agreement that you do not want to violate, because it is fraught with relations or your reputation (or your conscience).
If I were you, I would discuss this point with the customer, explaining that endless Wishlist, not specified in the TOR, greatly distracts from the main goal - to make a product, because. You can endlessly refine it with a natfile.
And then watch how the situation unfolds: if the customer becomes impudent and pushes through his interests, he will complete the project, fulfilling the obligations under the TOR, not particularly bothering with usability. But if a person is adequate, he should understand your situation.

Answer 11

Complete current tasks and do nothing that is not included in the contract. Finish it, get paid, put it in your portfolio. Further already on circumstances.

Answer 12

Ivan Petrovich, please screw in a light bulb, but my tap is still leaking, and here I need to hammer in a carnation. How to refuse such trifles? Say that you have already done enough and now you need to get busy with your projects. But you are ready to continue, for a price that you value your time and effort.

Answer 13

All changes to the TK cost money, this is how much he will be willing to pay for support after and what prevents him from concluding a contract now for greater certainty if he is satisfied and is going to pay

Answer 14

Finish it, overcoming infinity, but you won't get money for it.
I did. Therefore, I never have gags in the code and all sorts of hacks (they usually do it in a hurry).
This is not good for a portfolio, but for your skill.
And when you write a program, she doesn’t give a fuck about your portfolio, if you don’t know how - there is no program.

Answer 15

Say that you have a more profitable project and you are not able to complete the work on the current one. Say that you are ready to complete the functionality that you are currently performing, but you cannot implement further. It is possible that the customer himself will offer to transfer relations into financial ones, and if he does not do this, then in principle he does not need it. Thus, you yourself will push the customer to make you an offer and you will not look like a scammer.

Answer 16

I have a similar story, the answers are reasonable.
TK is required:
From the points of drawing up TK:
- It is necessary that the client himself provide, TK - specifically said what he wants and there is no need to help the client in drawing up TK. Otherwise, it will turn out later that you offered the client something that he really did not want.
The exception is when the preparation of the TOR is included in the estimate and the client takes responsibility for his decisions.
And the cost of compiling the TOR suits you :)
- Negotiates the number of edits for the compiled TOR.
I usually take 2-3 edits on TK

Answer 17

It means so.
We have from collective wisdom - we need a technical specification, we perform all work according to this technical specification.
From here we see a mistake - the first TK was wiped out, out of good intentions. Well, fuck them, such motives.
What to do - bring the TOR in line with the current project. And to appeal harshly to it, as to TK for v.1. The client after all threatens to pay after v.1? Release v.1 and see if it's needed or is it just brainwash? If necessary, conclude an agreement and write the next versions. Not necessary - stop wasting time and killing your self-esteem by working with people who do not need your work.

Answer 18

Stop work and demand a ransom for the work done.
An interesting tactic, by the way, it turns out)
You put the client on the hook and hook.