One thing I enjoy about what I do is the 'always learning' factor - and that's both within my everyday practice in terms of illustration, design and code, and also in terms of trying to improve the everyday running or my 'lil freelance business.

My aim is to make the business as enjoyable and manageable as possible for myself and how I live my life, whilst at the same time improving the service I can provide to my clients. A simple 'mission statement' if you like.

I feel proud knowing that my approach has brought me this far, but things can always be improved on all levels and from all angles and for ever and ever, amen.

One thing I have decided on perhaps putting in place is a more rigid pricing and management system for projects of a medium to large size. Let me try and explain further ...

And so ...

I have recently had the opportunity to take on some quite big conception to solution projects, and -  whilst I have no doubt that what I provide is of a standard as high as some pretty darn fine agencies - I do have to realise that I'm not blessed with the same resources as an agency.

I'm mainly talking "man power" (such as a 'team' of designers / developers / project managers / administrators), and as such it may be (upon analysis of the setup and needs of the client / project) that it would be more beneficial to recommend that the prospective client perhaps increases their budget and hires the services of an agency rather than a sole-freelancer (well, just me and my dog ... I mean programmer). I am not too proud and have no qualms in doing that. The needs of a project must always come first.

That's not to say that I would turn down all projects of a certain size. If a hefty project can 'fly', I have decided it may well need a certain "project management system / approach" put in place to suit both my setup and the needs of the project.

Managable, chewable chunks ...

What I have decided to do is to break a project up into stages. To be honest, this is something I have always done, but now - in the case of projects of a certain size/type - each of these stages will be:

1. given a provisional sign-off date
2. signed-off by the client upon completion
3. paid for by the client (within an agreed number of days)

Let's say we are talking a pretty big web project. So the stages could well be:

1. Research, consultation; discovery; site-map and site-plan document generation; wire framing
2. Visual designs
3. HTML and CSS build; on-page SEO
4. Programming; database set-up
5. Initial content implementation; launch

Yer know. Something along those lines.

So each stage would be given a provisional deadline (which is perhaps looked at again should any issues crop up at each stage), the next stage only begins upon sign-off of the last, and each stage is paid for upon completion. No deposits. Almost a "pay as you go" system.

Obviously all costs are agreed before any work begins, and an overall provisional deadline is set, but this way - should any issues need sorting between stages - everyone knows where they stand.

Of course, I understand this may not be an appropriate approach for all projects of different sizes and specifics - and indeed all clients and their set-ups - but I do like the transparency it gives to all involved.

I also feel it is a more manageable approach for a freelancer like myself, thus maximising and getting the best out of my resources, and helping to keep large projects simmering nicely rather than boiling over - if yer get meh. Everyone's a winner baby that's no lie.

What about you?

What do you think about all this? Are you also a freelancer operating a similar system? Go on! Make a comment for me to touch and lick (and by that I mean 'read') ...