Squashing Scope-Creep
Software projects get expensive without clarity. That is—without a specific, measurable goal—costs will quickly bloat. "Scope-creep" is the name we give to this phenomenon. When features and questions like, "wouldn't it be cool if we did X?" push the boundaries of the project further than intended, it results in higher costs and lower success rates for software projects.
Of course, most agencies and individual developers have no financial incentive to define clear scope. If you keep pushing scope out, their payday keeps getting fatter.
So it falls to you, the manager or owner to combat this. Here's a few quick tips to helping combat scope-creep:
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Define clear starting and ending business conditions for the project. You are done when you reach the end condition.
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Pay a fixed cost for a fixed project. This incentivizes the developer to ensure they understand the beginning and end of the project before talking about money. It incentivizes you to know what you need to build before you hand your money to them.
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Iterate quickly. Scoping projects smaller, and iterating over them is a better mechanism to realize the value of software. Too often, the end isn't clear until we make some progress. To facilitate this, don't do a $80,000 project if a $15,000 can get you headed in the right direction.