Is It Out of Scope? — Web design
Is adding an affiliate or referral program out of scope for a web design project?
Yes. An affiliate/referral program is a functional system with its own dashboard and logic, not a design deliverable.
This tends to come up once a client is thinking about growth channels beyond the launch — they mention wanting customers to refer friends, and ask if that can be added to the site being designed.
Is it out of scope?
Yes. A referral or affiliate program needs tracking logic, unique codes or links, and typically a partner-facing dashboard — real functional software, not a page in the design list.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Exclusions clause→ — Affiliate/referral program logic and tracking is functional work excluded from a design engagement's deliverables.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
I can design what a referral flow looks like, but the tracking, codes, and partner dashboard behind it are functional/marketing-ops build work — outside what this design scope covers.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags affiliate/referral program requests outside_scope on design contracts, since the underlying tracking system goes well beyond visual design.