A Jigsaw Puzzle Of Confusion
You’ve been handed a jigsaw puzzle to complete. Sounds simple enough, right?
But here’s the twist. There’s no box, no picture to reference, and, oh joy, some pieces are missing. Still, you crack your knuckles and get to work, relying on a mix of logic, optimism, and maybe a little denial.
Just when you start making progress, you discover some of the pieces you had are no longer part of the puzzle. Strange, but you roll with it.
Then, out of nowhere, pieces from a completely different puzzle show up. Suddenly, you’re not just assembling a picture of a lighthouse; now, there’s a giraffe and possibly part of a moon landing involved.
Now imagine that, while navigating this ever-mutating puzzle, you’re also expected to provide a time estimate. Repeatedly. As if nothing’s changed. Each time you update the estimate, you’re met with confusion: “But why can’t it stay the same?”
Why This Happens: Understanding A Wobbly Brief
One of the trickiest parts of a project is when pricing expectations don’t evolve alongside the project itself. There’s often an assumption that the first quote should be final, like it came down from a mountaintop, carved in stone.
But that only works when nothing changes. Which, in the world of unclear briefs and shifting goals, is… rare….or is it!
Here’s Why Things Shift:
- Missing info equals educated guessing: If all the puzzle pieces aren’t on the table from the start, you’re making assumptions. Once those assumptions become confirmed requirements, the cost naturally follows.
- Scope creep is sneaky: A few extra requests here, a “quick change”, a few “can you just” later, and suddenly what began as a postcard turns into a mural. More work equals more money.
- Hidden complexity reveals itself: That “straightforward” puzzle might be a 3D model requiring specialised assembly. Once you discover that, the price has to reflect the reality, not the original scope.
- Minimum expertise: Dictating deadlines, but not knowing enough about the jigsaw and the level of work that will go into actually solving the puzzle required, lack of expertise.
- Inconsistent expectations equal frustration: When the project evolves but expectations stay frozen in time, misunderstandings happen. It’s not about overcharging, it’s about aligning the price with what’s being produced.
The Fix: Clear Communication Is Everything
If you want smoother sailing and fewer surprises, here’s what helps:
- Get clarity upfront: Before quoting, ask for all the details. Make it clear that if key info is missing or changes along the way, the estimate will too.
- Talk through changes: When things shift, explain the impact. A simple clarification before-and-after or a quick breakdown often makes the adjustment easier to understand.
- Be transparent and confident: Some confusion is inevitable. Transparency and clear communication about why pricing changes and standing by the value of your work, conversations stay productive instead of tense.
At the end of the day, a quote is only as accurate as the information it’s built on. If you want a fixed price, you need a fixed picture. If the puzzle keeps evolving, the budget has to evolve too.
And if, after all the explaining, the other party still expects the price to remain unchanged despite a shifting scope, sometimes the best move is to step back. It’s not giving up; it’s choosing certainty over chaos.
Because nothing good comes from endlessly trying to finish a puzzle that keeps changing shapes under your hands.
Contact us
