How to use this checklist
Run it before work starts and again before anything goes client-facing. The point is not bureaucracy. The point is to stop ambiguity from turning into rework.
- State the client context, business goal, deliverable, and deadline.
- Define what done means and what is explicitly out of scope.
- Name dependencies, owners, and the review path.
- Complete self-check, internal review, and approval before client delivery.
Why subcontracting fails
Subcontracting usually fails because the brief hides judgment. The owner knows the client context, risk, quality bar, and political sensitivities. The subcontractor receives a task. Then everyone acts surprised when the output technically matches the task but misses the situation.
This checklist forces the missing context into the brief before work starts. It also creates a QA path so the client does not become the first reviewer.
Brief quality controls
- Context: why the client needs this and what business outcome it supports.
- Acceptance criteria: what must be true before work is considered done.
- Examples: references, preferred style, previous work, or anti-examples.
- Dependencies: assets, access, inputs, decisions, and owners.
- Review path: self-check, internal QA, client-facing approval, and escalation rules.
QA gates
Before work starts
- Brief has outcome, scope, deadline, and owner.
- Subcontractor confirms unclear points in writing.
- Dependencies are available or explicitly blocked.
- Margin and revision budget still make sense.
Before client delivery
- Deliverable matches acceptance criteria.
- Known client preferences are respected.
- No unresolved comments or placeholders remain.
- Owner has reviewed and approved client-facing version.
Incentives matter
If you pay only for speed, you will often get speed. If the brief does not define quality, the subcontractor has to guess. If revisions are unpaid and unlimited, resentment shows up somewhere. Good subcontracting requires a simple incentive design: clear scope, clear quality bar, fair payment, finite revisions, and fast feedback.
Use with
- Subcontractor incentives and quality control
- Client Onboarding & Kickoff Checklist
- Statement of Work (SOW) Template
- Client Concentration & Capacity Scorecard
FAQ
Should I share the full client context with the subcontractor?
Share enough context for good judgment and clean execution. Hiding the relevant stakes usually increases rework. You can protect confidential details while still explaining the goal, buyer, quality bar, and risks.
How much QA is enough?
Enough that the client never becomes the first person to find obvious misses. The higher the client risk, the more explicit the acceptance criteria and internal review should be.
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