Clear answers about pricing, time, scope, and reports.

1. How do you price a project in phases?

   Estimate how many hours each phase should take, then multiply those hours by the hourly rate you want the work to earn. That gives you a price for each phase. For example, a €5,400 rebrand might put €1,500 on discovery, €2,700 on concept, and €1,200 on rollout. Track each phase separately to see whether the estimate holds.

   Pricing in phases

2. How do you know whether a fixed-price project is meeting your target rate?

   Put the agreed price on the project or phase, then track the hours needed to deliver the agreed work. Phased compares the two and shows the effective hourly rate: the price divided by the hours. A €2,700 phase completed in 24 hours earns €112.50 per hour. If it takes 45 hours, that falls to €60 per hour.

   Fixed-price projects

3. How do you track scope creep without turning it into an argument?

   When a client asks for work outside the agreement, mark the time entry Out of scope. The hours stay in your records, but they no longer make the original budget look overrun. If you decide to charge for the request, a Phase or Project Report can show it separately as Additional Work, with its own hours and price.

   Scope creep

4. What should a client report show, and what should it never show?

   A client report should show what was completed, how many hours it took, the agreed amounts, and any Additional Work you choose to include. It should not expose profitability, budget warnings, effective rates, or private notes. Once you create a report in Phased, its work, rates, and amounts stay unchanged even if you later edit the project.

   Client reports

5. How many hours of a freelance week are actually billable?

   Track all of your working time for a few typical weeks, including both client work and unpaid tasks such as proposals, scheduling, and bookkeeping. Divide the client hours by the total hours to find your billable share. Use that real percentage when setting your rate instead of relying on a broad industry average.

   Billable hours

6. How do I choose time tracking software for fixed-fee work?

   Start with how you charge. If clients pay by the hour, a quick timer, clear totals, and a reliable export may be enough. If you agree a fixed price before the work starts, look for budgets and effective hourly rates by phase. They show whether each part of the fee still covers the time it is taking.

   Choosing a tool

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