Articles

A successful project starts with a specification!

About the importance of prescribing technical specifications before starting project, and on the possible risks when there is no the specification

The specification is a kind of law that is designed to:

• Describe the purpose of the project.

• Describe the tasks that the contractor must perform and the customer must pay for.

Regulate relations – volumes, terms, monetary amounts, formats of the initial and received data, the acceptance procedure and many conditions that must be prescribed in order to avoid conflict situations.

Clear specification is necessary for both cooperating parties

By prescribing technical specifications, the customer becomes convinced of the professionalism and experience of the contractor. The absence of technical specifications, in turn, allows a contractor to increase the budget, delay deadlines, cut volumes and worsen the characteristics of the work performed.

The presence of specification helps the contractor to understand the purpose, volume and amount of remuneration for the performance of work.

Who is responsible for creating the technical specifications?

The specification is prescribed by the contractor when the project is technically complex. In virtue of a deep understanding of the field’s specifics, the contractor can define the boundaries, make recommendations and formulate tasks. When the task has an individualized nature, the responsibility of writing technical specifications goes to the customer. Otherwise, he risks losing his money and not getting the desired result.

There are the most common cases when the contractor refuses to prescribe specification:

The creative task cannot be fitted into the framework of the specification.
Even works of art are subject to technical specifications. Monuments, drawings, logos and melodies - everything can be described in words. Only a non-professional is not able to describe his work or the created product.

Writing a specification takes a lot of time and resources. It is better to start and, if necessary, make changes.
For a professional a few days is enough to write a technical specification. Owning a rich experience, he predicts the time spent on each task, anticipates and prevents potential difficulties at the stage of discussing tasks.

For a simple task the technical specification is not needed.
Many difficulties arise after the contractor starts work. Taking advantage of the absence of the specification, the contractor can delay deadlines or demand more money if “unforeseen difficulties” arise.

At Smartup, we understand the importance of writing technical specifications. Cooperation with each client, we begin with a discussion of the scope and timing of work.

Cooperate with professionals and sign up for a demo of Smartup