Big debate: detailed scope upfront vs. just starting the work? My last project proved both sides wrong

I landed a gig writing product descriptions for a local boutique in Denver. 28 items, $350 total. Client wanted me to just start after a quick chat, no formal scope. I figured fine, saves time. Halfway through I get an email saying they expected all descriptions to include fabric care instructions and size charts. I hadn't budgeted for that research. Took me an extra 6 hours to redo half of them. Now I wonder if a big detailed scope would've scared them off or if that's just the price of keeping things loose. What's your take? Has a vague agreement ever blown up on you or worked out fine?

3 comments

3 Comments

milalewis17d ago

@sanchez.julia you get it exactly. Vague scopes are a recipe for disaster every time. I had a similar thing happen with a website copy gig last year. Client said "write about our services" but that turned into 12 pages of technical specs I didn't know existed. Took me an extra week to fix everything. Now I always ask for a written list before I even type a single word. Saves both of us headaches in the long run.

wade_anderson17d ago

Actually that's 28 items not 28, typo on your part but yeah vague scopes always bite you later.

sanchez.julia17d ago

Oh man @wade_anderson you hit the nail on the head here! I've been burned so many times by stuff like this. Just last week I was tracking a project list and thought I had 28 things to do, but turns out someone wrote "28+" in the original doc and it actually meant 34 items. Totally threw off my whole week because I planned for way less work. Vague scopes are the worst, they always sneak up and bite you when you least expect it.