How to determine the scope of work and price if there are only general phrases in the TOR?

alk2017-05-12 11:31:37

Freelance

alk, 2017-05-12 11:31:37

Colleagues, such a problem:
The customer is asked to complete the revision of his project (rather large and with a lot of functionality). The project is a site on Django and you need to develop a module with new functionality.
The fact is that from the initial data there is only technical specifications with rather general phrases like "the car must have wheels and a steering wheel and it must drive", that is, it seems clear what the customer wants, but the scope of work is completely incomprehensible from this description, since the customer may want conditionally both a "2-seat sports car" and a "seven-seat minivan" and all this will fit the TK.
The customer does not disclose the source codes before the start of the project, and here it is also not possible to determine the amount of work to screw the new functionality into the old code.
The customer asks to name the price and terms. How to do it right in this case?

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9 answer(s)

Saboteur, 2017-05-12
@Alexey_Kutepov

Directly and explain to the customer that the TOR should be finalized, that it is not possible to estimate the terms according to the current TOR, since there are many details that can drastically affect the complexity of a particular task.
Either the customer is looking for a sucker to throw off a bunch of work on the cheap, or you agree with him on the development of a more detailed technical specification (for money), which will include your technical refinement with prescribing details and his consultation and agreement with your edits.

Sergey, 2017-05-12
@begemot_sun

Work on an hourly basis, for your money, any whims.

Ivan, 2017-05-12
@LiguidCool

How to do it right in this case?

Run fools! © Gandalf

BBmike, 2017-05-12
@BBmike

with a crooked TK, the problem is not in the cost of work, but in the guaranteed requirements of the customer to finish, remake, finish sawing and fasten another 100,500 tons of any functionality. in the end, you bargain for 100 rubles, and you make them 500.

Andrey Pletenev, 2017-05-20
@Andrey_Pletenev

If the customer does not yet have a clear idea of how the "car" should look like and he is ready to gradually come to this understanding with you, offer him time & material and work iteratively, starting with prototyping.
If the customer certainly wants a fixed price, talk to him, understand the current picture in his head and, most importantly, the goals for which the "machine" is being built or the pains that it must relieve. Do you need it because your neighbor has one? To save time? For off-roading? To impress? To invest? etc.
After that, offer your version of the "car". Calculate the volumes of prices and terms based on the option you offer and clearly indicate this in the commercial offer. In the same place, specify your assumptions about the readiness of their code for integration. "The cost of the project is calculated on the assumption that .... 1)... 2).. 3)... After analyzing the customer's source code (as well as when the customer chooses a different car model or configuration), the cost of the project can be changed. "
Do not rush to write detailed technical specifications. Often in such cases, the customer simply monitors the market in order to select a supplier. If the preliminary agreements are signed, then you can get involved in the preparation of the ToR. In any case, it is done at the expense of the customer, it's just that the customer does not always know and understand this.

Roman Vasilenko, 2017-05-18
@farewell

Offer the customer a "fork" with a difference corresponding to the detail of the order. If the order is described absurdly, somehow, the fork, respectively, will be large (for example, from 100 to 1000 of something). If the order is described in good language and everything in it is clear to you, the gap can be reduced to zero.
In this case, you will have an explanation that may motivate the customer to rewrite the terms of reference more clearly for the contractor.
Well, or find another artist.

Puma Thailand, 2017-05-12
@opium

detail TK so that the situation is reversed

evgeniy_lm, 2017-05-13
@evgeniy_lm

Judging from the description of the situation, we can conclude that the customer is stupid. In this case, you have two options for behavior:
1. Take the money and competently sell I get on under his TK and dump. "A fool does not need a knife, you will lie to him from three boxes ..." (c)
2. Find a more intelligent client. It is better to lose with a smart than to find with a fool.
I would choose the first option, they will throw him all the same, if not you, then someone else

ralaton121, 2017-06-06
@ralaton121

1. Ask more clarifying questions. If you don’t want to get in, then your task is to pull out the TK at least with ticks.
2. Or just reserve the price and multiply by 10 more.