# Send an estimate the client can adjust themselves.

Turn a spreadsheet estimate into a page where the client switches parts of the scope on and off, and the price range and timeline change with them. When they ask “what if we skip Android?”, the page already has the answer.

## Why estimates stall

An estimate usually arrives as one number in a PDF. The client can’t see what drives it, so they ask for three variations, each one a new spreadsheet and a new attachment. By the third round nobody is sure which total is current.

An estimate page shows its work. The one above prices Plumbline’s MVP module by module, with the effort for each role. Before the call, the client can compare Lean MVP with Full v1 and arrive ready to decide.

## How it works

1. **Start from your real numbers** Give your agent the scope and the effort per role, along with your day rates and assumptions. A spreadsheet export or a pasted table is enough.
2. **Ask for a page with the math in it** The client should be able to switch modules on and off and see a low, likely and high cost. The timeline moves with the scope, and payment milestones follow the likely total. Ask the agent to check that every total adds up.
3. **Publish and share** Publish it **Private**, check it, then invite the client by email. Invited people sign in with that address, so Views shows exactly who opened it.
4. **Update after the call** “Make SSO optional and move the start to February.” The estimate changes at the same link, and the previous version stays in your history.

## Show a range, and say what moves it

A single number reads as a promise. For each module, give the low and high effort, and say in one plain sentence what makes it uncertain.

| Module | What widens the range |
| --- | --- |
| Offline sync | How many records an inspector edits offline, and how conflicts are resolved |
| PDF reports | Whether the client’s current report layout is final |
| Single sign-on | Which identity provider, and whether their IT team is available |

## Every revision is on record

Each change is a new version of the same artifact, with a message saying what changed. If the client asks “what did the first estimate say?”, open the **Versions** list to check, or roll back for a moment and then forward again.

> **Pricing stays with the right people.** Use an Email invite for estimates. Prices get passed around, and with an invite, only the people you sent it to can open it.

## Limits

- The page has no server, so approvals go out by email or to a form service you use.
- Keep your contract and invoices in the tools you already use.

## Make your own

Have these ready:

- Scope broken into modules
- Effort per module and role (low and high)
- Day rates
- Assumptions and exclusions

Then ask your agent:

```
Turn this estimate into one self-contained, responsive HTML page for the
client. Use only the modules, efforts and rates I attach.

Let the client switch optional modules on and off. Show a low, likely and high
cost, weeks to launch, team size, a timeline that reflows with the scope, and
payment milestones that follow the likely total. Explain in one sentence per
module what makes its range wide. Put assumptions and exclusions in
expandable sections. Check that every total equals the sum of its parts.

Publish it privately to artifact.guru and give me the link.
```

## Questions

### Can the client change the numbers and send them back?

They can switch options and see the result. The page has no server, so to send their choice back, give it a button that opens an email to you with the options filled in.

### Can I send different clients different rates?

Yes. Each estimate is its own artifact with its own link and access, so clients only ever open their own.

Source: https://artifact.guru/use-cases/project-estimates