These are the things I wish clients would ask when they’re looking to start a new project. You can use this as a punch list of questions to ask a web designer, web development agency or someone to develop an online course:

1. Do you have any case studies?

Case studies are a really great way to see what an Internet developer or graphic designer has done for another client. Good ones take you through the problem, solution and introduce the technology. We’re careful to create case studies that are framed to show how work we’ve done for one client is applicable to many. People can find case studies on our website, but they don’t ask for them enough or ask for ones that are specific to the work they need.

2. Do you have references?

It’s a little odd how many people don’t ask me for references. They should, because talking to someone we’ve actually done work for is invaluable. An outside perspective is exactly what someone hiring a designer should be looking for, too.

3. How does your process work?

I’ve worked on enough projects to know how valuable it is to have a capable person managing the process. You’re not only hiring someone who knows about the technology and design, but who also knows about how to manage a project, how to schedule milestones, and make sure deadlines are met.

4. How did you get into the web design industry?

This is an easy question that will give you an idea of how passionate a person feels about the work they do. It will also give you an idea of the values of the web developer and what kinds of hidden skills they bring to their cache of talent. It always sparks a good conversation, and anything that opens up conversation in an exploratory call helps.

Notice that nowhere on this list is, “How much will this cost?” Everybody has a budget, but without preliminary research into what a client needs, it’s virtually impossible to give a price estimate. Plus, if you’re working on a tight budget, a good development agency can help figure out how to solve problems you have rather than cut features you can’t afford. Plus, value is not the same thing as cheap. With interactive design, you get what you pay for.

Anything I missed? If there are other questions you’ve found useful in initial conversations with web designers, add them in the comments below.

Even the very best laid plans can run into unforeseen problems. The causes can range anywhere from an indecisive decision-maker to a natural disaster that takes the office out of commission for a while. Whatever the reason, any online course, website or other online is subject to delays and changes. We at Talance do our best to estimate and build systems to prevent hold-ups, but no one can tell the future. Sometimes things just cost more.

If you’re smart and allow that things you can’t imagine might happen, you can help your deadlines and decision stay as close to budget as possible. (It also helps to spend your money on the most valuable features.) At the very least, follow these tips to make sure budget surprises don’t catch you unawares.

Pad your budget

First of all, pad your budget from the get-go. We provide our clients with a quote before a project begins, but we can’t imagine every change that could happen. We always advise our clients to set aside 15-25% of the total estimated cost to account for unforeseen events or upgrades.

Relax your schedule

You may never miss an appointment, but that doesn’t mean that everyone on your team is so careful with deadlines. Plus, holidays have a way of popping up and skewing schedules. Pad them out. Allow for more time than you thing something might take. We try to finish projects a month before the drop-dead date arrives.

Present a unified front

Be organized and unified with your decisions. If you’re faced with a decision on design or content, make sure everyone in your organization agrees before you tell your web company. Poll everyone you need to and sign off on that decision in advance. Every time you change your mind costs time, and time costs money.

Sock some away

Put away enough money for the end of a project. Starting on an online project is not where it ends. They have a life beyond launch. Budget for recurring fees, web hosting, maintenance or subscription plans. Look further out to the next six months to a year so you can afford upgrades to technology, content and design in the future.

Most of these points involve being realistic and organized. Open communication and firm decision can remove the fear factor from web projects and help your bottom line stay in the black.

Everybody’s strapped for cash these days, but budgets vary widely. Some non-profits are run out of a basement and have a budget of exactly zero, and others are housed in city high-rises and have budgets in the millions. They all need websites.

Any given day at Talance, someone from either camp may call with a new web communications project. Before we know how we can best help whoever is on the other end of the phone, we need to know how much money they have to put into the project. Some people simply can’t afford the kind of work they want done.

Many people are hesitant to reveal how much they can pay for a project, but be prepared to at least have a ballpark prepared during the first phone call. Buying a website isn’t like buying a car – hiding the amount you have doesn’t help with negotiation. Web developers need to know if your budget matches the work you want done. We tell our potential clients what they can or can’t expect – even when that means the work you need does is less than you expected.

We’re really there to help you figure out what you need, and if we don’t know how much you can afford, we don’t know how to start helping you.