Fixed-Scope vs Hourly Billing
Hourly billing pays for time; fixed-scope pays for outcomes. The model you choose changes who carries the risk of slow or padded work.
The verdict
Fixed-scope protects your budget and aligns incentives for most builds - you know the number and the partner is motivated to deliver efficiently. Hourly only makes sense for genuinely exploratory work where scope can't be defined yet.
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Frequently asked questions
What happens when scope changes under fixed-scope?
It becomes an explicit, priced change request against the original baseline - transparent, not hidden in a growing invoice.
How is fixed-scope priced fairly?
Via story points tied to deliverable complexity, set after an AI scope and senior-architect review - so the number reflects real work, not guesswork.