We need contracts and contract negotiations. One of the values of a contract is to have an agreement on the scope of the project. And contract negotiation is a process in which changes requested by customers can be denied. Besides that, to both sides, a contract is protection. However, when contracts are used as weapons and shields by either side, the trust, collaboration, and momentum are gone. And conversations start to begin with: According to the contract…, and there will be times when customers point out that a feature isn't functional, to which developers might reply—I built that strictly according to the requirements specified in the contract. Or, when developers try to discuss an alternative solution to a feature where the team has difficulty with the underlying technology, the customer might say: No, you have to build it in that way. It is written in the contract. These are the moments when a project stalls.

On the other hand, when developers and customers work as partners, everybody works toward the same goal, and there is a much bigger chance of achieving success.