Is It Out of Scope? — Web development
Is building a custom analytics dashboard out of scope for a web development project?
Usually yes. Pulling and displaying live analytics data in a custom interface is a distinct application build.
A client sometimes prefers a purpose-built dashboard over checking a third-party analytics tool directly. Building that means integrating an analytics API, handling auth, and building the visualization layer — a real application, even if it displays data that already exists elsewhere.
Is it out of scope?
Usually yes. A custom dashboard is an application in its own right — API integration, data handling, and a UI to visualize it — distinct from the site build it's meant to report on.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Deliverables clause→ — The quote covers building the site; a custom analytics dashboard is a separate application deliverable, unquoted unless it was explicitly listed.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
The build didn't include a custom analytics dashboard — that's a separate application pulling in your analytics data, which I'd scope and quote as its own project.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags custom-dashboard build requests outside_scope on development contracts unless the SOW explicitly listed that application as a deliverable.