Do you provide ongoing support?

Just like a car, applications need servicing and tuning every now and then to stay in top condition. They might need alterations to deal with new business problems, or just tuning to increase efficiency.

Figure: What happens after the software has been delivered and the development team moves on. The next phase is maintenance

So you’ve done 10 good Sprints and the software has been delivered (it's ready!) and the team is winding down. It will need maintenance.

Different clients need different levels of support. Offer your clients a few different support offerings.

1. Ongoing Maintenance

1 day per week (or whatever quantity suits), a developer will work on enhancements and bug fixing. This is useful because the client always knows when work will next be done.

2. Support Plan

For a small monthly cost, plus a multiple of the hourly rate, you can guarantee specific response and resolution times. This way your client will be guaranteed that they can get out of a fix quickly when needed.

Learn more on Support Plan

3. Time and Materials or Prepaid

A client can simply call for bug fixing or support as and when needed. However, unless it's a show stopper, this model can involve waiting for developer availability.

4. Fixed Price Warranty

For a fixed price project, a warranty commences after the Sprint Review. The warranty length is half the length of the Sprint and, during this period, any bugs reported will be fixed for free.

Warranty on a Fixed Price Contract

Once the Sprint Review is complete, the Product Owner has half the Sprint period again to report any bugs. The conditions are:

• The warranty period pauses when the client reports a bug that stops them testing further. The warranty period resumes when a new version is sent
  For example, the client may report a bug on a Wednesday morning on "Day 4" of the warranty. The bug is fixed on Friday and a new version is sent late in the afternoon. The warranty period resumes on Monday morning, at "Day 4". Therefore Wednesday through Friday was not included in the warranty
• During the warranty period, all feedback from clients should be moved to backlog unless they fall into the bug definition
• There is no warranty on a time & materials contract