Continuing on with the things that create a better working relationship with any contractor, this week I cover Know Your Limitations and Read the Contract.
You’ve got to know your limitations
For each of us there are three resources: time, money and energy. Before starting a project it’s a good idea to evaluate how much you are comfortable spending and what you are capable of spending or investing of each. Basically, how much do you want to spend, and how much could you spend. The reason for this is that your wants may exceed your capabilities in one or more areas and you may need to know where you are able to pull the excess. so, know your limitations.
An example, if we have a lawn, it needs to be mowed. Your choices are: mow it or have it mowed. If we don’t have the time, or we don’t have the physical ability (energy or otherwise) to do it, then we have to invest money to get it mowed.
This is true with any project, even your business website. If you do it yourself, you may not outlay as much money, but if you invest 100-200 hours to do it yourself, how much have you really spent?
- Do you have 100-200 hours to learn to do this yourself?
- How much is your time worth per hour?
- Do you have patience and ability to learn tech stuff without getting frustrated?
- How professional will the finished product be and will it accomplish what you need?
OK, so you may not WANT to spend money on your business website, but maybe doing so to have a professional do it for you is overall the best option from a time and energy viewpoint (and actually from a money viewpoint – you could be making money with those hours!)
Read (and understand) the contract
There is a contract for a reason. It’s (usually) not to intimidate you. Contracts clarify expectations so the contractor and you know your limitations, and theirs. Read the contract and be sure you understand the following:
- What is included in the final product, job or service
- What is not included
- The cost of the project
- What extras will cost if you are considering them
- What you need to accomplish or provide for the project to stay on its timeline or be completed
- Expectations there are for time parameters, deadlines, deliverables
- Penalties there may be for missed deadlines or payments, either for the contractor or you.
Don’t assume you know the answer to any of the above. If conditions aren’t written down, they don’t count. You always have the right to amend a contract. (If there is a problem, better you get it addressed before work is started). If you have a verbal understanding for something not in the contract and add it, they probably will have no problem with that. Remember, the time to ask questions and get clarification is BEFORE you sign the contract, not after.
Read the contract at least once every two weeks during the period the project is being done. Then you can be sure you are keeping within it, and the contractor is too. its usually easier to stay within scope you monitor the work and reread the contract as you go.
The last two things To Think About When Hiring A Contractor next week.