Forum Discussion
Client wants .story (unpublished files) - do they need this?
Speaking as another architect, Terry is 100% correct.
This forum speaks of nice customers and respectful relationships between clients and contractors. From the past 30 years as a consultant I have found that a not insignificant number of clients are not respectful of the work done by designs.
You are a designer. Your ability to create engaging, rapid e-learning solutions is your core competency and therefore your competitive advantage. If a client insists on receiving your source files and it is not stated in the contract, they are neither respectful of your effort or your work.
A number of forum contributor's who are on the client's side have expressed the views that they have bought the services and have therefore are deserving of the source files. The notion has also been expressed that without the source files you cannot edit the work at a later date or turn the files over to another developer should the original developer not be available. There is a clear solution to this problem; hire a developer/designer to work full-time. Firms hire contract developer/designers because it avoids the financial overhead burden of a full-time employee.
If you are a contract developer/designer, make no mistake. Source files you give to a client without receiving appropriate compensation for surrendering your copyright will be given to someone who is cheaper.
All of my clients are aware at the offset that they will receive the source files and that the price reflects this. My core skills and ability is not within those files. Clients who want to give these files to cheaper freelancers to replicate my work are free to do this. All of my work can be reverse engineered from the source files it will just take a developer longer. What cannot be replicated my creativity and ability to produce bespoke engaging interactive content and that I hope is why I am employed.
I work with a lot of clients who develop their own work and need templates, training and assistance they hire me to provide those skills and hopefully at the end of it are competent.
When I develop a course I do not want a client to feel they must come back to me for update, they should want to come back for further work because of the value that I added to the project/their business. If I look at that situation my source file for me, hold no value, but to my client are valuable, I am happy to lose a small proportion of repeat business by satisfying my clients needs and building a relationship with them instead of arguing over who owns what.
The other side of the coin is that although I have robust backup solutions in place, I am not responsible for my clients files (I clearly state at the end of the project that is their responsibility).
I have also worked in situations where companies/organisation have paid £100,000s for bespoke databases etc only to find the company goes bankrupt and they did not have access to the source code to start again.