As any project manager knows, as a project progresses, the client asks more questions about the status, expected benefits, and budget. Managing what your clients expect and actually delivering a project that matches up with what they want/need is a very difficult task. Often times, as a client’s budget increases, so do their expectations, and who can blame them. It is your job as the project manager to make sure that the project stays on budget, but that the client receives the value he was promised from the beginning.

If you aren’t careful, there can, and will be, a disconnect between the delivered value of the project and the perceived value from the client. Often times this is caused by a shift in project scope and in the end, the client sees something different than was originally planned and must now be assured that what he has in his hand was worth the money he paid for it.

A good way to do this is with regularly scheduled updates. If your client is constantly kept in the loop as to the status of their project, budget, and deliverables; there will be fewer questions once the project is completed and at the very minimum, you have documentation to cover all of the steps of the project.

Keeping your client assured and on board with the project is the best way to manage their expectations when it comes to the project.

Marketing, more than any other industry, requires you to be on your toes. In the blink of an eye, your competitor can announce a new product, offer lower prices, or even attempt a smear campaign against your company. When this happens, a marketing department needs to act fast. As a marketing consultant, you are the one the company will turn to when a campaign needs to be shifted mid stream, or even if an entirely new campaign needs to be created in a hurry.

These diversions from the norm are commonly referred to as scope changes. Managing and implementing scope changes are a vital part of a company’s success, not just in marketing, but in every subdivision of a company. A smart marketing consultant will understand that not every proposed change should be implemented into the project, but they shouldn’t be so narrow-minded as to shoot down every suggestion that crosses their desk. A healthy balance is the first step to marketing success, as is a plan to implement the project changes seamlessly into the everyday operations.

As a marketing consultant, you should have a process for evaluating proposed changes to determine if they are part of the project. Marketing consultants might not have final say on what gets approved, so these ideas must be presented to a board or panel often times. Once approved, it is the job of the marketing consultant to work the new project into the existing operations without going over budget or over time constraints. Knowing your available resources, both monetarily and labor-specific will go a long way to ensuring that the project remains successful.

For more tips and resources for marketing consultants, visit the TechInsurance Small Business Center.

The uses for ASP Agreements can be a little fuzzy sometimes. Not too many web developers know when to utilize them or even in what manner. As a result, this can result in a lot of wasted time, money, and energy on your part. ASP Agreements are a good idea to use any time you develop a web or software application for your client. You use the agreement to regulate who gets to use the software and how often.

In order to save money, some developers will use the same agreement for every job. While this is definitely less expensive in the short term, it can be more costly in the long run because the contract might not cover you in every scenario. A better alternative is to utilize contract template software when creating business agreements. This software will allow you to customize each contract you create for a onetime fee. You will save money on the creation of new contracts and you will also save money in legal fees due to the fact that you are less likely to show up in court if you properly utilize ASP agreements.

As times change and more and more software applications are requested by businesses, it is important that you as the developer stay up to date, not only in your industry, but up to date with your legal agreements as well.

One of the biggest concerns facing software developers is the control of their final product. Software piracy and theft are at all time highs as more and more programs are illegally made available on the internet. This kind of theft is a reality, but is there any legal action that you, the software developer, can take? There is if you have a software license agreement in place.

Without the software license agreement, anyone who owns the CD or computer where your program sits can distribute it to whomever they wish. Once a software license is in place, however, you as the creator can limit the amount of uses that particular program has. With this agreement signed (or digitally agreed to), any illegal use of the software from that point forward can allow you to take legal action against the illegal users.

These software license agreements are commonly found in a digital format with each copy of the software, but can also be in the form of a written agreement between a custom software developer and the client for whom they are developing the software. This second situation is the most important because it gives the software developer the most control over the situation. If you can lay down the licensing rules from the beginning, you can have the opportunity to make more money by simply selling the licenses and not having to create the software all over again.