Ten questions to ask a studio before you sign
Ask us these too. What matters is not whether the answer is reassuring — it is whether it contains a name, a number or a date.
- 01
Who writes the code?
"Our team" is not an answer. Ask how many people, how senior, and whether the person who scoped the work is one of the people building it. Scoping and building being different people is how a fixed price quietly becomes an estimate.
- 02
What do I own on the last day?
"You own your data" is the answer given when the answer is not everything. You want the repository, the infrastructure config, the deploy pipeline, the accounts, and the practical ability to hire someone else to change it.
- 03
Whose name is on the hosting and the domain?
in the PDF
- 04
What is explicitly not in scope?
in the PDF
- 05
What happens if we stop after the first phase?
in the PDF
- 06
Show me something you built that broke.
in the PDF
- 07
What does month two cost?
in the PDF
- 08
What would make you tell us not to build this?
in the PDF
- 09
How do I get a change made in six months?
in the PDF
- 10
Can I talk to someone you no longer work with?
in the PDF
8 more checks in the PDF
The complete checklist — every check with the reasoning under it, the closing note, and the other 12 documents — comes as one PDF.