2026-08-31 · Wallion
Sometimes you need a couple of extra hands on a backlog you've already sent. Sometimes there's a piece missing that no one in-house is going to finish. They're similar in that someone from outside gets involved. They're not similar in who decides what's finished.
Booster
You have the list. You prioritize. You decide what gets merged. The other party contributes time and technical expertise. The work doesn't have a single "deliverable." It has sprints.
It makes sense when the product already exists, the backlog keeps growing, and the bottleneck is capacity, not clarity. You know what to build. You just don't have the time.
It's pointless when there's no list. Putting people in a vacuum doesn't create reach. It creates meetings.
You bear the risk. If the month goes to something else, the bonus goes with the month. That's fine if you know it from day one.
Project closed
There's a scope statement. There's a "this is in / this isn't" definition. There's a date you can say "done." The other part closes that section. You don't use them as the tail of the backlog.
It makes sense when the section can be written before starting. A flow. An MVP. A bridge between two systems. A tool that replaces a sheet of paper.
It makes no sense when the scope is "whatever comes up." That's not a project. It's a temporary fix that you've priced like a project.
The risk of cuts is borne by whoever closes the project. If you can't name the cuts, don't ask for a project. Ask for help defining the scope, or wait.
How not to mix them
Don't hire someone for a project and then change the list every week. Then there's no deadline. It's just a disguised reinforcement.
Don't bring in reinforcements and expect a finished product on day 40. Nobody owned the closing.
Don't try to do "a bit of both" in the same contract. Either send the list, or send a sentence. Trying to do both at the same time is how you create a budget that never ends.
A test
Write who says "it's done".
If it's you, every Monday: reinforcement.
If it's a sentence written on day one, and you can point to it: project.
If you don't know: don't hire yet. First the phrase or first the list. Not both halfway.
Relationship with the rest
If the piece is a product for a stranger, read When does an MVP make sense?. If it's the company's month, it's a tool. If it's a cable between two systems, it's... integrate or build. This page only lets you choose the order form.
After
Both formats fit within the same study. A new URL isn't needed for each. Once you know whether you're sending the list or the phrase, the path is... custom software.