How to stop scope creep as a freelancer

Freelancing is increasingly popular among creatives, and it has some clear benefits. You get to choose when and where to work, and once you’re established you may even have the luxury of picking and choosing what projects to accept. But it’s not without its challenges. Finding clients and getting paid on time are obvious ones, but the dreaded scope creep can be just as difficult to deal with.

In this article, I’ll explain what scope creep is and why it happens, and I’ll suggest how you can stop focus creep as a freelancer, ideally before it starts. Once you're done here, you might want to check out our guide to the best website builders if you still need a site to promote your freelance work.

What is focus creep?

A client who hired you to design a logo suddenly realises they need various alternate designs for different applications. Oh, and could you just knock up a business card with the logo on as well? And those collaterals you designed for social media: you couldn’t also export them at the right resolution for print?… And could you add subtitles to that video you edited? – in five languages? You can do that with AI these days, right?

Anyone with experience of freelance work is almost bound to have come across a situation where the work or the deliverables themselves change midway through a project. Sometimes, these additional requests from clients might genuinely be quite trivial, but most of them mean more work, which eats into more of your time. And the extras can soon add up.

There are several reasons why scope creep happens. In the most egregious cases, there may be clients that avoid laying out the whole scope of a project in an attempt to get a lower price. But, in my experience, most clients do not intentionally mislead or take advantage of their freelancer creatives. They’re simply unorganised, in a rush or just don’t know exactly what they want when they begin a project. Often this isn’t the fault of the person you’re in contact with either: they might be waiting for feedback or approval themselves, but they know they need to move forward if they’re to meet their own deadlines.

With all this in mind, here are 6 strategies that may help you to stop scope creep, or at least prevent it from happening again.

How to prevent scope creep as a freelancer

Whether you're working with long-standing clients or new customers through a platform like Fiverr, there a few strategies that you can use to stop scope creep from happening, or at least to prevent it from happening again.

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01. Help your client to understand what they need

A lot of the time scope creep happens because the client hasn’t realised the full complexity of their project or hasn’t fully thought it through. Many initial creative briefs are, well, brief… Way too brief. “Design an exciting social media campaign to raise awareness of our brand.” OK, but for what audience segment? With how many assets? In what format? For which platforms?

Sometimes the client doesn't yet know, but you can help them decide by asking the questions and making suggestions when the client doesn’t have an answer. Point out things they might not have considered: that different platforms or media may require different assets for example. You might even offer to help write the brief if necessary.

Try to find out who’s responsible for the final sign off and talk to as many people involved as possible. Sometimes scope creep happens because of a lack of communication or agreement on the client’s own team. Ensure a written brief is shared with everyone involved so that you can be confident that everyone is starting on the same page and that you won’t be faced with additional requests as a result of a senior stakeholder being out of the loop earlier in the process. Make it clear that this is the brief you’re quoting for and that if anything changes, it may affect the cost and the project schedule… which leads us to the next tip.

02. Make a detailed quote and contract

It can be tempting to rush off a quote quickly to try to win a job, but you might come to regret it if you don’t detail exactly what you’re quoting for. A signed agreement on the scope of work is one of the best ways to prevent scope creep, and it should list every deliverable, no matter how trivial it may seem. By specifying the deliverables in as minute detail as possible, you can help avoid the possibility that the client later says they assumed something else would be included.

Listing everything is the best way to avoid the client sliding more tasks into the mix later on. If the client doesn’t know exactly what they need, shape the quotation around what they do know and make it every clear that anything that’s not in the quotation will be charged as additional work (establishing a three-digit hourly rate for extras can work wonders to ensure the client values your time and considers their needs more carefully at the outset). Also include a charge for additional rounds of revisions. I would normally state that two rounds of revision are included but that additional rounds will be charged at the hourly rate.

Make sure you demand a percentage of the estimated final cost (say 30 to 50%) up front and, if it’s a fairly long project, establish milestones for further payments. This way you avoid leaving a large portion of the fee to the final invoice. The advantage of this (other than getting paid earlier) is that by reducing the sum outstanding, you reduce the risk that you might feel obliged to accept scope creep out of a fear of not getting paid for the work you’ve already done.

Make sure all of these conditions are clearly stated in your contract, and make sure the client signs it before you begin work. This way you’ll have a document to refer to if any disagreement arises.

03. Avoid gold plating your pitch

Sometimes it’s the freelancer themselves who is responsible for scope creep happening. This is especially common when you’re competing for a project: in a bid to win a job, it can be tempting to add extras to your pitch or quote to make it look like you’re offering more for less. You might end up offering the client things they never asked for and don't really need, but once you’ve offered them, you’re going to have to deliver. Rather than gold plating your pitch, try to use your own ideas, work, experience and expertise to show that you’re the best person for the job.

04. Make a project schedule and keep a record

A clear record of progress can be helpful for your own organisation, but it can also ensure smooth communication with your client. Make a project schedule (a spreadsheet is often a good method) and share it with all relevant stakeholders. We know that changes are inevitable, so factor in some time for contingency from the beginning. If the client adds more tasks, advise them that the project schedule will change as a result, and make the change to the schedule so that it’s visible to everyone.

05. Learn to say no

Ultimately, it’s important to set boundaries and stick to them. It’s fine to accept an extra task now and again, but do it too often and things can quickly get out of control. ‘No’ can be a difficult thing to say to a client, particularly for freelancers when future work is never guaranteed. But there are many ways of saying ‘no’.

In some cases, it may be a straight no if the client is asking for something you simply don’t do, for example if you’re a photographer and you don’t provide RAW files. In this case hold your ground and refer to the contract when needed. But in many cases saying ‘no’, really means saying ‘yes’ but not for free. In these cases, you can respond positively but assertively and explain that you will provide a quote for the task, and if applicable, that the project schedule will change as a result. Having a price list for additional services already drawn up can help here. Some freelancers will even refer to their ‘agent’ or ‘accounts department’ to avoid the ‘no’ coming from them directly.

06. Document scope creep even if you don’t charge for it

Finally, always document every instance of scope creep, including the most trivial. Even if you don’t bill for the additional task on this occasion, list it on the final invoice with a 100% discount so that the client sees that this was not part of the original quote and that you agreed to do something extra that would normally have had a charge. This can help ensure that they recognise the gesture and don’t expect it as automatic next time, which may prevent scope creep the next time you work with them.

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.