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Based on your description of the situation, my suggestion would be to
concentrate on completing the document, as originally scoped out to/by
you, on the original completion date. Don't assume that the new
material you have been exposed to is so important that it has to be
added to the initial release if your client didn't think to mention it as a
requirement in the first place. It sounds to me as if you've already
got enough to worry about between next Tuesday and next Friday
as it is. Just notify your clients that during your attendance of their
demo seminar you noted several areas of potential documentation
need that had not been included in your original discussions regarding
the assignment (and which therefore are *not covered by your original
quote*), and provide them with a time and cost estimate for adding
these areas, either as an extension to your original pricing and release
dates or as a follow-up assignment for a document revision (since
they asked you for a list of possible additional document projects
anyway).
Gene Kim-Eng
----- Original Message -----
Do I ask for an official extension to the deadline? Or do I power thru this
and bust my tail to make the original deadline? Obviously, this is the
first and only project I've done for them and I'd like more, so I'm not
quite sure how to handle it. Is the fact that I need to add material due to
my inexperience? If so, does that affect how I handle this as far as "it's
my mistake so I'll deal with cleaning it up"? Or do I talk to the contact
and ask for an extension, citing new material and lack of diagrams? And, if
I do ask for an extension, how do I go about it w/out looking completely
unprofessional?
Oh, and just FYI, I was asked at the seminar by one of the owner/VP's to get
them a "list of documents that they need to create" so they can discuss it
and decide what they are doing next. ???? No idea what those are yet, but
one thing at a time right? So, conceivably, if I don't screw this assignment
up I've got work to look forward to..
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