As a Salesforce consultant, sometimes you play the role of architect. That is to say, not only are you implementing the project, you’re also designing it.
The moment you shift into this role, your role increases dramatically.
The main one being, whatever you design, you are responsible for. When it’s a good design, yay, everyone is happy. When it’s a bad one, oh noes.
In some cases, a bad design means eating hours to get back on track. When charging by the hour, you would reach a moment in which you cannot charge your client. So you work for free until you can charge them again.
This can have a devastating negative impact on your morale and sense of ownership.
Some people avoid making design decisions for this very reason. Others understand it’s part of the role, and step up. Either way, it’s a fact of life, right?
Well, not exactly. It’s a fact of life if and only if you’re charging by the hour.
The takeaway
When you’re ready to step into a design role, understand that you can also become financially responsible. So either avoid the role, or don’t charge by the hour.