Extra hands, or a closed project

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

Tú tienes la lista. Tú priorizas. Tú dices qué se mergea. La otra parte aporta horas y criterio técnico. El trabajo no tiene un "entregable" único. Tiene 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

Hay una frase de alcance. Hay un "esto entra / esto no". Hay una fecha en la que se puede decir hecho. La otra parte cierra ese trozo. Tú no los usas como cola del 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.

No tiene sentido cuando el alcance es "lo que vaya saliendo". Eso no es un proyecto. Es un refuerzo al que le pusiste precio de proyecto.

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.

No hagas "un poco de las dos" en el mismo contrato. O mandas tú la lista, o mandas una frase. Las dos a la vez es cómo un presupuesto no termina.

A test

Escribe quién dice "está hecho".

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.