How I scope a WordPress job so it does not explode

Marketplace briefs are often one paragraph and a Pinterest board. That is fine for a conversation. It is not a contract.

Before I start, I write down the pages, the plugins that must stay, the devices we will check, and how many revision rounds exist. If “make it like this site” is the brief, I list which parts we are copying: type, spacing, header, shop grid — not “the vibe.”

Anything outside that list is a new quote. That sounds strict. It is how both of us sleep.

What I ask for on day one

• The live URL and wp-admin access on staging, not production, if we can help it.
• Brand files: logo SVG, colours, fonts you are allowed to use.
• A list of pages, not “the usual pages.”
• The deadline that is real, not the one you hope for.

If you cannot answer those yet, I can still help you write the brief. That is cheaper than discovering the homepage was supposed to be a membership area in week three.