Making it clear to a client when a contract is completed

A couple of years back, I became aware of the need to make it clear to a client exactly when my work on a contract was completed. Normally, my contracts are for the production of a complete web site, and after all the weeks or months of work, I consider that there finally comes a definite point in time when the site, and the contract, is finished. Because it's only fair to me, and because it's just good business, it's important to draw a line at that point: the contract has now been fulfilled.

Clients sometimes are in a big hurry to see their new site up on the Web, but like the idea of being able to do the final tweaking after that time, and I don't think that's a good idea at all! I can see no reason for it; they can see and consider their site just as well in its draft location. I don't rush them through the final processes of tweaking and re-tweaking, but I do expect them to finish this process before the site goes live. This contributes to my being able to make definite closure.

Of course, this doesn't prevent me from accommodating a few stray requests for edits after the site goes live, if the client does request them anyway - but it gives me a choice, and it allows me to be Ms. Nice Guy and do it voluntarily, rather than the client expecting me to do it because he only has a vague sense that the contract is finished.

In addition to telling the client that "ready to go live" is equal to "I'm done tweaking the site", another strategy I came up with is sending the client a "Completed Web Site" document. This is a Word document that I fax to the client for his signature, the day he says that he's ready to go live. By signing it, he's stating that the site is ready and that he understands that the contract is completed. The document also includes domain name and hosting information and logins where appropriate, and I suggest strongly that it be kept in a place where it can easily be found later.

I'll admit that I haven't used this document with every client. Sometimes I just feel in my gut that it isn't necessary and might be more of an irritation to the client than its worth. With other clients, however, I have the sense that it might be really important to be sure that he understands that he isn't going to be allowed to take advantage of an unclear situation by asking for many edits and changes after the site is officially completed.