In a time and materials contract, the client compensates the development team for the hours worked by the team members, as well as the materials, tools, and other resources utilized in the project. This approach allows for greater flexibility in accommodating changes, adapting to evolving requirements, and incorporating unforeseen challenges as they arise. Time and Materals contracts are particularly suitable for projects where the scope may evolve over time or where the client’s requirements are not fully defined at the project’s outset.
Differences from Fixed-Price Contracts and Other Contract Types
Compared to fixed-price contract, where the costs are predefined and change requests often incur additional charges, Time and Materials contracts offer a distinct advantage. Fixed-price contracts might be more suitable for projects with well-defined requirements and limited potential for scope changes. However, in the world of software development, where innovation and client feedback drive constant evolution, the rigid nature of fixed-price contracts can sometimes hinder progress.
Time and Materials contracts stand apart from other contract types due to their inherent adaptability. While fixed-price and even cost-plus contracts have their merits, Time and Materials contracts excel in their responsiveness to change. These contracts allow for adjustments to project scope and requirements, catering to the ever-shifting landscape of software development. They create an environment where iterative development, frequent client collaboration, and continuous improvements are not just accommodated, but embraced.
What should be covered in a Time and Materials contract?
To avoid unnecessary problems with this development pricing approach it is good to care about a couple of items with the contract – it will help you to better understand the cost on your invoices:
- The fixed hourly or daily cost of each specialist hired for the project.
- The way your service provider will log labor hours.
- The way your service provider will log the delivered tasks.
Once you know who works on the project, what tasks are assigned to the person and how much time it takes to deliver each part of the software, you can easily foresee your invoice total and if you stick to the established timeline.
The pros of the Time and Materials contracts
Time and Materials contracts are the preferred ones at Appstronauts. We appreciate them for multiple reasons and so should you. Let us explain all the pros worth considering this pricing model for your software development.
High flexibility to changes & better control over the project
Having a long-term project with changing requirements, the Time and Materials contract will give you more flexibility overy it. Usually, with this approach and the Scrum project management, the sprint is planned for the next two weeks. This means that each two weeks you can introduce changes to the project and adapt them to the project.
That’s why if the timeline is going to change or you need to adjust the project to your current needs, only this pricing approach will give you the freedom to do it.
Easier project start
Starting your project with the Time and Materials approach, lets you not have every detail of the project set. To begin the project you may rely on the expertise of the development company. It does not mean that you should not spend any time at the outset to estimate the risk level of the project or its timeline but the start itself is much quicker and not all decisions need to be made beforehand.
What is more, instead of planning all features and design parts at one time, you can go through each iteration until the MVP of the product. Once you validate the product itself and the market, you can continue the work on more advanced parts of the software. What is important, with each iteration you can give feedback to the development team and adjust their next activities towards your current needs.
Higher quality
Going with your software development company on a Time and Materials basis you can also expect a higher quality outcome than using Fixed-price contract. With this pricing model, your provider has more time and possibilities to look for the best approach and the outcome for the problem. It also directly translates into better UX of the solution or more effective process which overall, reduces the costs of maintenance and further optimization.
The cons of the Time and Materials contract
Time and Materials contracts are not cons free. Below, we are presenting all the cons you should consider with this pricing approach:
Lower control over the budget & uncertain timelines
Some people think that with the Time and Materials approach it is much harder to control your budget and schedule which lead to the final price. It is only partially true. With a project where you have a lot of changes and you add different features in the meantime, you are not able to know the final cost in the beginning of the development but you still have a set of tools to keep track of the project. Simply, before the beginning of the project, agree with your service provider who is in charge of tracking the progress of the work and budget.
What is most important, if you have everything in place, T&M approach can be much cheaper than fixed-price projects (see cons of fixed-price contract).
Involvement needed
In the Time and Materials approach, depending on your contract terms, you will get daily reports and will be involved in planning meetings. For some, it may be a plus but for some it requires much more involvement than in a fixed-price project.
Remember, that with a Time and Materials approach, the service provider may provide a Project Manager for the project the same way as with fixed-time projects. It’s true that it takes more of your time to manage the project than in the fixed-time contract but the project management itself is still on the contractor side.