Looks like we're all out of scope. Better get some more.
Scope creep is not the close talker in the office you avoid at all costs unless you can offer him gum. Scope creep is way more dangerous (and costly) than that.
Imagine you are out for a meal and you ask the waiter how much a meal costs (silly question, but just go with me here). His reply? “Entrees are $15″. Great, you think, I can eat for $15. So you order the salmon with rice pilaff and sauteed asparagus. Delicious. Of course, you have to have a glass of wine with that, follow it with dessert and round it off with an espresso. When you get the bill, you are somewhat surprised to see the final figure is $28, not the $15 you expected.
You ask the waiter why your $15 meal is now $28. “Well,” he replies, “you asked how much a meal costs, and the entrees are $15. But you also ordered the Sauvignon Blanc, cherry cheesecake and coffee.” Did you really think they were all included with the entree?
Of course they weren’t included in the entree. There’s a menu in plain site, whether you read it or not, and common sense really would prevail. What if the waiter asked you if you wanted dessert, would you take that to mean he would be buying? Of course not.
Asking your service provider (whether it’s web design, print design, marketing consulting or any other service) to add services on without the expectation of paying for them is theft. Continually adding ‘one more thing’ to the project is asking them to work for free. Whether that’s an hour or six hours, that’s time that could have been spent on another project that would have been billed.
You don’t ask others to do ‘just one more thing’, so why would you ask your graphic designer to add ‘just’ a logo, flash animation or another form?
Most designers and consultants are very flexible. They would be more than happy to accommodate what you need and come to some kind of arrangement. This doesn’t mean constant freebies, but it may mean that they could spread out payments, subtract another service in exchange for what you are requesting or trade services.
Not only does scope creep rob the service provider, it also taints the project, leads to an inferior product and hurts a potentially long term relationship.
So is the relationship really worth that little extra add-on? Or can it wait until next time?
