Risk prevention

Preventing contractual dispute
Preventing contractual dispute
In order not to arrive to the situation where the client can claim that we did not deliver what he has asked, the deliverables after each milestone should be payed, re-controlled and inspected by the client or his representative.

To be able to make realistic estimate workload and start planning, we should have answers to these two CRUCIAL questions:
a. What assumptions and preconditions have not been yet fulfilled; so we can not start to make any estimate of the volume of work and start planning development?
b. Have the end user/ client CONFIRMED the future solution mockup (interface layout and operating procedures, "frozen design - user interface feature freeze"), before the coding has started!?


The client after each milestone should review the functionalities promised in the contract and cross-examine it against and sign a formal approval and provide a list of remarks or reclamations.
Failure reduction is an essential step towards excellence. And each defect, glitch or bug will be addressed in Test driven development.

If the payment of the last milestone is not payed or is not formal approval signed, it is a clear sign that you are entering in contractual dispute.

It will help if there is a project manager appointed from the client side who has in-depth knowledge of the contract and will take an active part in the the project.

You should do everything in your power to prevent escalation of a dispute, and put the project on the right track.
If you do not successfully arrive to the terms with your client, it is time to consider the termination of contractual relationship, and prepare for the consequences. Do not sign any antedated contract and do not give the statement which could harm you. Anything what you consider signing, should be controlled by your lawyer upfront.