Before signing, every box.
Fixed price per milestone (scoped build) or T&M with a monthly ceiling and named deliverable (exploratory) — never open-ended.
Not invoices, hours, or dates.
Agreed before the milestone starts.
Small mobilization · majority on accepted milestones · final tranche on paid handover.
On payment of each — never only on final payment.
Keys, repository, credentials, documentation, recorded walkthrough.
Either party exits at a milestone boundary; paid-milestone IP is yours; handover survives termination; unearned prepayment returns.
Written, priced, and approved before work starts.
In weeks, agreed up front.
Never assumed — reviewed by someone who doesn't profit from it.
Whoever diagnosed and scoped the build is not on this contract.
The Split Rule is the closest thing the book has to a commandment: never let the same party diagnose and prescribe. Diagnosis is always purchased separately from the build. The test, every time: whose income grows when the scope grows?
This checklist belongs to the Product Loop. Related guides: Agency, freelancer or first hire · How to read an agency proposal · How to vet a dev agency