Project management and time tracking blog for web designers and small business :: the Intervals Blog by Pelago » clients

Client Overview on Hover

John Reeve — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:43:13 +0000

After receiving nothing but positive feedback on our hover views for projects and tasks, we have added the same views to clients. When hovering your mouse over a client’s name — anywhere it is displayed in Intervals — a simplified overview containing important information will appear. This simple overview also provides links for quickly accessing client projects, web sites, and emails.

It’s a nice touch that gives you more information when you want it and can be ignored when you don’t. This type of functionality has been intentional from the beginning of Intervals. Project management should be a simple process when you need it to be, while providing the project manager and resources with more detailed information when desirable.

When do you invoice a client?

John Reeve — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:08:52 +0000

There are many different ways to invoice a client when taking on a creative project. We’ve tried several different methods ourselves, all depending on individual client situations and how comfortable we felt with each client. Below are some examples of different methods for invoicing clients, and the pros and cons of each.

Invoicing before the project begins

When working on smaller projects, this approach makes a lot of sense. First, it goes beyond the contract in formalizing a commitment between you and your client. Their expectations are going to be higher and the pressure on you to deliver is going to be greater. However, having the money up front helps cash flow, and regulating cash flow is incredibly crucial when running a small design business.

Invoicing after the project ends

Asking for a client to hand over the money after the project has been delivered is both extremely risky and requires a high level of trust or past relationship between you and your client. Once you’ve delivered the project the client’s incentive to pay will have all but dissipated. You’ll find yourself getting explanations of net 30 invoicing or scheduled payments, while your client is sitting on top of a sweet new web site and your struggling to find cash to cover this months expenses. There really aren’t any good reasons to invoice after the project is over, and countless reasons not to. Unless you want to hear excuses while you’re not getting paid, don’t use this method of invoicing.

Invoicing before, during, and after the project

When working on mid to large size projects this is the method of invoicing we prefer most. When managing mid size projects we’ll usually invoice the first 50% upon contract approval and the second 50% when handing over the final deliverables. For larger projects we like to break that into thirds, creating a milestone middle payment based on a deliverable. This method of invoicing equally incentives both you and the client and helps you both regulate cash flow (which is also a factor for them as much as it is for you). Periodical invoicing keeps the project moving along at a good pace and maintains accountability on both sides. Though you may still have delays getting that final payment, it’s nice to have already received the majority of it by then end of the project. And if you’d like, you can even hold the final deliverables ransom for that final payment, a tactic which is far more idealistic than practical, especially if you are nice guys like us.

Whichever method you decide to use, be sure to have a solid contract in place. Otherwise, clients will take advantage of you. And even if you do have a contract, protect yourself with good invoicing methods and by holding out on deliverables until getting paid (if you can). Because even if you do have a signed contract, the cost in time and money chasing that money down can often be more than what you are owed.

Anyone want to share their experiences — both horror and success stories are welcome — about invoicing clients and getting paid?

20 signs you don’t want that web design project

John Reeve — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:28:40 +0000

Jeffrey Zeldman gives us his 20 reasons why you may want to say no to that next web design project. Though obviously meant to be a humorous commentary on the unpredictability of managing web design projects, some of the signs happen all too often. Then again, they are all based on actual client experiences.

Here are some of our favorites, based on our own experience managing web design projects:

Client takes six months to respond to your proposal, but doesn’t change his due date.

Your favorite client, for whom you have done fine work in the past, gets a new boss.

Shortly before you ship, the company fires your client. An overwhelmed assistant takes the delivery. The new site never launches. Two years later, a new person in your old client’s job emails you to invite you to redesign the site.

Enjoy the rest at Zeldman.com

Saying “no” to a potential client

John Reeve — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:09:25 +0000

No matter how good a web designer we are, or how reputable our web development agency may be, we all get excited, and perhaps nervous, over the prospect of signing a new client. Our tendency is to promise them everything they want, and then a few things they didn’t know they could do. We can nod our heads a little too much, not realizing what exactly we’ve promised until the contracts are signed. Have you ever considered saying “no” to a potential client? I don’t mean turning down the whole project, that would be silly. What I mean is, have you ever said “no” to some of their ideas before they’ve signed on? Here are a few good reasons why you should.

You’ll probably be the first to say it

This prospect has probably dealt with other vendors in the past and has probably received the same response from them all — Yes, it can be done. It’s normal for someone in sales to promise the world to a client in order to earn their business. But, clients are tired of hearing the word “yes.” When you stop the sales train and explain to them why something can’t, or shouldn’t, be done, the client will likely respect you more for your honesty. And honesty leads to trust, which is unarguably the most important aspect of any client relationship.

Protect yourself and the client from a train wreck

Miscommunication will irrevocably wreck a project. Differences in expectations can often be traced back to the sales phase of a project. Someone said yes to something unrealistic, which resulted in promises being relayed to other parties, only to find out later that it can’t happen. Web development can be especially prone to this due to the expertise required to build custom web-based applications. The more realistic you are in the beginning of a project, the less surprises you’ll have toward the end of a project.

Avoid contractual mishaps

Our eagerness to get new work can cause us to overlook client changes to a contract. It isn’t that uncommon for a client to make changes to a contract in writing before signing it. If you sign the altered contract, you are agreeing to their changes. Take a moment to read through the changes and don’t be afraid to say “no” to them, especially if the client is changing the contract to give them full and exclusive rights to your creation (aka Work for Hire). In this case, saying “no” can spare you from signing away intellectual property rights.

It’s definitely not easy to say “no” when seeking out new creative projects, but learning to do so will help you avoid mistakes in the long term.

Managing Project Delays when it’s the Clients Fault

John Reeve — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:38:26 +0000

Regardless of how well you plan a project, or how well you think you know your client, most projects will be delayed. Often times, the delay is caused by the client. They might take longer than expected approving a design comp or delivering web site copy. We’ve had some clients go off the radar for two or three years before suddenly reappearing, wondering where the project is at and how we can get it finished.

So how do you keep your clients from entering the vortex and stalling out a project? Here are some tips on how we anticipate and accommodate client delays.

Address the issue before the project begins

Go light on the scheduling

Hold weekly meetings

Get them help

Track everything

Intervals

Ultimately, your relationship with the client is the most important factor for keeping a project on schedule. Assuming you’ve established a good working relationship, these tips will keep a client partnership healthy and keep your projects on time.

Project management and time tracking blog for web designers and small business :: the Intervals Blog by Pelago » clients

Client Overview on Hover

Related posts

When do you invoice a client?

Invoicing before the project begins

Invoicing after the project ends

Invoicing before, during, and after the project

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20 signs you don’t want that web design project

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Saying “no” to a potential client

You’ll probably be the first to say it

Protect yourself and the client from a train wreck

Avoid contractual mishaps

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Managing Project Delays when it’s the Clients Fault

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