5 months passed, payment made but not finished.
late penalty wasn't written in the contract.
how much can I chase for?
If no written late penalty, reasonable damages compensation. For future: write '2% penalty/7 days'.
I completely agree. Every "we'll look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.
Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down it speeds them up. Proven by experience.
We got stuck at the same point for a while. When we decide without measuring, we always end up in the same place.
Weekly written progress reports are much more useful than asking for dates. I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.
Doki · Phishing awareness training · 2023
Let me share what happened to me; it might be useful. The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.
When making decisions, write down the worst-case scenario too, not just the best.
Doki · KVKK compliance consulting · 2025
i agree with this and like code without setup documentation isn't yours even if you have it.
people dfeend habits, not processes then resistance comes from there. good luck with that.
My question might sound amateurish, sorry about that. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.
Ask who prepared the quote and who will actually do the work. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.
The opposite happened to me, that's why I'm writing. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.
This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.
I disagree with you on this point. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, that was the answer I was looking for. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.
If you post the result here, it will help others too.
The answer above hits the nail on the head. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.
That's all, sorry if I went on too long.
There are three things to check when doing this. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.
People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there. That's all, sorry if I went on too long.
theeres a trap here, let me mention it and honestly the cheapest quote is usually the least thought-out one.
that's all, sorry if I went on too long.
My perspective changed after experiencing that. If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later.
Here's how it went for us. Code without setup documentation isn't yours, even if you have it.
If scope grows, either time or budget must grow. There is no third option. Just leaving this note, it might be useful.
We need to make a distinction here. Ask who prepared the quote and who will actually do the work.
This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.