Whether you’re a software developer or a retaining one to develop an application for you, it’s likely you’ll need to change the original scope of work at some point to reflect important changes or additions to the project.
So, what’s the safest way to do that in order to avoid misunderstandings?
- Discuss with the other party what needs to be fixed in the original work order.
- Reach a tentative verbal agreement on the big picture of what needs to revised.
- Use a written change order signed by both parties that clearly states what has changed.
And it’s important that your change order make it clear which things are obsolete in the original work order. For example, if there’s a new payment schedule tied to revised milestones in the new change order, the change order should make it clear that this new schedule replaces the old one so there’s no confusion.
Don’t just wing it with a few informal email exchanges. That’s a recipe for disaster, i.e., lawsuits.
Of course, an experienced software lawyer can help you create templates to use for work orders, change orders, and even a master services agreement to cover multiple software development projects between the same parties.
