When I first started my business, my clients were so few and far between that I knew everything that was said between us by memory. I knew exactly how much and when I was paid, what I quoted them for the project and what the project's inner details were. Needless to say, it was a much easier time back then.

Now, with business as good as it is now, things are different. While I still give each of my clients the dedication and attention they deserve, I have so much more on my mind. Each project is different. Each one has different terms, different deliverables, different specifications and different details. It got to the point where I couldn't keep it all straight.

Obviously…

Standardized documents have made my life 100% easier. I started using standardized documents in November 2007 and the stability it has brought to my business is phonominal. Aside from making my life easier, they have so many other benefits as well.

• They break down the project and force the client to focus on what he or she really wants the direction to be.
• They keep the project on track as it progresses though it's growth cycle.
• There is no longer the ambiguity that comes with terms and details only written though various email conversations. Email conversions get lost, misinterpreted and worst of all — give so easily that you can never rely on them for a true scope of the project.
• With no ambiguity comes the sense of security for the client. Detailed documents allow the client to become comfortable with agreeing to a complex project that they may not even realize was so complicated to begin with.

Using the Documents

First, I start off by asking my future and/or potential client to complete my Site Planning document. A document such as this should include, at the very least these basic questions:

• Contact Information. What is your preferred contact method? Who has the final say on this project?
• Industry Information. Who are your competitors? What do you want to do different?
• Directional Information. What will be the main goal of your site? What are must haves in your new site? Do you need to update the site regularly?
• Design Information. What other sites do you like the design of?

These questions give me a great start at determining the scope of the project. Some clients have gone into great detail while others write short one word answers for everything. The document has been a very telling exercise at finding the dedication of the client to the project they are looking at creating.

Second, after the scope of the project has been determined - I offer up my Proposal Planner document. This outlines in great detail:

• Exactly what the project will include.
• My quote for the project and the hourly rates if any overages or additions should arise.
• What I expect from the client (vector logo, FTP information, content for the site, etc.)
• General timetable for the project. Timetable is a bad choice of word here, but it fits. I have found that the timetables vary so widely between various projects, that the timetable is much more effective in showing my procedures and processes of the project than it's actual time schedule.
• Terms & Conditions. Here I explain that I reserve the right to showcase their project in my portfolio and also, where appropriate, include a "Web Design by Cagintranet" link at the bottom of their site. (Which is my only form of advertising by the way…)

These documents have saved me time and frustration many times over since their inception 3 months ago. I will probably continue to tweak and change them as my business evolves, but right now, they fit me perfectly.