I have been working on an internal app for the business I work for, and after showcasing it to a few people in the industry, they were quick to request my services in building one for them.
For those of you out there building apps for clients, what tips do you have for a novice freelancer like myself.
My main concerns are:
1.) do I know enough glide/sheets skills to build robust apps
2.) how do I scope and set expectations
Regardless, I am diving head first for the experience and hope to learn a ton from this!
1/Ask questions on this forum, we are always willing to help. After a while you should feel much more confident about what you can do.
2/Related with 1, after trial and error with some apps you will know what can be and what can not be done. That should be good to go to set expectations for your customer. Also, as stated above, ask questions here if you can’t find the answer yourself.
I think it’s REALLY important to get a specification in place before you start any works, including but not limited to:
Core functionality
Any limits on number of users / other entities
Basic look and feel
Authentication method
Deployment method
In my experience these are areas where your end user may have a vision or aspirations, based on your discussions, that don’t necessarily match what you have in mind.
Set up a simple contract that has statements about release of liability. After a couple exploratory meetings you should be able to add in some bullets describing deliverables (app features) and milestones. Also state what percentage payment is needed up front, and what payments are needed upon delivery on milestones. Just a couple pages is fine. Have a lawyer take a quick look. Should be golden!