Contracting My Services

Briefly describe the one or two main things that you would like to get out of this class. What are you biggest challenges in contracting your services?

I would like to learn how to create my own custom contracts for future use in my web design business or any freelance work I may undertake. My biggest challenge is that I have nver see, written or used a formal contract so I really have no clue what I am doing.

If you have done contracting, have you worked on a fixed price or an hourly basis? How did this approach work for you? Any issues?

I have never had a formal contract and the only verbal one I had went badly wrong. Probably the reason I signed up for this corpse, to protect myself in the future.

Describe a project that you have done for a client. If you haven't completed something at this point, then describe something you could propose to do for a client. This will be the input that we need to start developing the contract. It doesn't matter how successful you were, we just need a starting point.

I have been asked by my partner to create a web presence for a new business he is setting up, this would include finding the host, building and coding the site and designing the graphics as well as maintaining the site.

Referring to the list of questions presented at the end of Lecture 1, list 10 requirements related to your project. Consider things like scope, schedule, hardware / software / browser environment, and budget.
  1. What is your time scope for this project to be completed?
  2. Who is your intended target audience?
  3. Did you have a layout for the site in mind, or is it something you would require me to do?
  4. Do youre require a specific colour scheme? If so, what is it?
  5. Do you ahve a required font?
  6. Are you planning on accepting credit cards online? If so, I will need the merchant account details to code the site.
  7. Approximately how many products are you planning to offer for sale?
  8. Do you require me to write the privacy/copyright/returns policy for the site?
  10. Does the busienss have any required markings such as LLC, Inc, etc which shoudl be included?
  11. Is there anything you particularly want to see/not see on the site such as forums, guestbooks, scrolling text?
If you have sample URLs, initial design, specifications related to this project, feel free to include that information.

Online store front for a web business selling CCG's via mail order.

List the potential risks you anticipate related to this project. If the project has already been completed, describe anything that happened that you didn't anticipate (good and bad).

Inability to obtain a merchant account or business registration would severely hold up my participation in this project as I could not complete the site without this information.