Fixed-scope projects can link payments to defined deliverables and acceptance evidence. Time-and-materials or retainer work can use calendar billing with approved time records and budget controls. Choose the model with the scope and document changes, delays and acceptance before work starts.
When calendar payments need additional controls
Consider an illustrative proposal of "30% on signing, 30% at week six, 40% at week twelve." If payments depend only on dates, a delayed fixed-scope project may still trigger the invoice. Add agreed deliverables, acceptance evidence and a delay/change procedure; this is an example, not an industry payment standard.
Set a review point before each payment. For fixed-scope milestones, review the agreed deliverable; for time-based work, review the authorized work, time records and budget. The billing model alone does not prove progress.
A structure that works for small projects
This is an illustrative allocation for a fixed-scope project, not Manboo pricing or a universal payment schedule. The five shares total 100%; the contract must define the actual deliverables and support terms.
| Stage | Example share | Released when |
|---|---|---|
| Kick-off | 25% | Contract, scope and start arrangements agreed |
| Design approved | 15% | Defined screens and design evidence accepted |
| Core build complete | 30% | Agreed main workflows demonstrable in the test environment |
| Acceptance passed | 25% | Defined UAT and defect conditions met |
| Retention, if agreed | 5% | Agreed post-launch defect-support period and release conditions completed |
Each stage has a verifiable trigger. "Core build complete" means the client can log in and walk through the main workflows — not that the developer says it is done.
The deposit
Agree any deposit around mobilization, reserved capacity and the work funded. Record the start arrangements and deliverables it buys; there is no universal 25% minimum needed to schedule development.
Record the responsible contact, agreed start arrangements and how the deposit is treated if the project is delayed or cancelled. A deposit alone does not verify delivery capacity.
Retention
If retention is agreed, define its amount, release date and defect procedure. The 5% in the example above is a hypothetical allocation, not a market norm. Two terms to settle are:
- A defined period with specific start and end dates or an unambiguous trigger, rather than an open-ended hold.
- A defined release condition — the warranty period ending without unresolved defects, rather than the client's satisfaction in general.
An open-ended retention is not a retention; it is a discount the developer has not agreed to, and reasonable developers will decline it.
What to write down alongside the schedule
- Payment terms — how many days after invoice.
- What happens if a milestone is late because of the developer, and separately because of the client. Client-caused delay is common — feedback not given, content not supplied — and a schedule that ignores it is unfair in the other direction.
- How change requests are paid, since they sit outside the milestone structure.
- What happens on termination — what is owed for work done, and what is handed over.
Define termination payment, accepted and unfinished deliverables, repository and deployment handover, intellectual-property rights and third-party licence limits. The contract should explain who can use the work and what is owed; a single sentence does not resolve every ownership or termination issue.
Warning signs in a proposed schedule
- 100% upfront. Occasionally justified for very small jobs, otherwise a significant risk.
- Milestones with no verifiable trigger — "backend complete" with no definition of complete.
- Post-launch support not defined. Specify any agreed defect-support period, maintenance scope and escalation process. Support can be contractually defined even without retention; do not rely on an informal promise.
- A final payment before acceptance. This inverts the leverage at exactly the point where it matters.
Related Manboo Services
- Flutter App Development for iOS and Android MVPs.
- Business Software Development for CRM, booking, inventory and workflow systems.
- Admin Panel Development for operations dashboards and backend management.
- AI API Integration when your product is ready for smart search, chat or automation.
- Request a scope review and project estimate when you are ready to plan the first version.