Captain’s log, stardate 20190404

Should I look at the client’s code before quoting a value price?

Sent by Jonathan Stark on April 5th, 2019

A number of list members who work in the software development space wrote in to ask me the following question:

Should I look at the client’s code before quoting a value price?

TL;DR:

No, I wouldn’t.

I published a 12 minute episode of Ditching Hourly to explain my reasoning but here’s the high-level overview:

It opens you up to risk from a total stranger.
It implies that you’re operating with a scope-based mindset and will end up pricing based on your perceived cost instead of the value to the client.
You can find out what you need to know in faster and safer ways.

Here’s a link to the episode if you’d like to learn more:

If you enjoy this episode, I hope you’ll consider sharing it with a few of your colleagues. Cheers!

Yours,

—J