Many freelancers and agencies know that they need to deal with this at the latest during their first customer project. Yes, it is about the data processing agreement, or DPA for short. 

When is this really necessary and how do you organize it sensibly?

The good news: a DPA is not a bureaucratic monster. If you understand what it's about and integrate it properly into your projects, it will become a completely normal part of your professional working method.

In this article, you will learn what a DPA is, when you need it, and how to use it stress-free in project management.

What is a data processing agreement (DPA)?

A data processing agreement (DPA) is a written agreement that regulates who can work with personal data and under what conditions. The contract clarifies who is responsible when you work with data on behalf of a client.

The DPA is not a standalone topic, but part of the General Data Protection Regulation. If you want to understand more deeply how data protection works in everyday life, this overview will also help you: “Data Protection Without Stress: Everything About the GDPR”. 

Why is the DPA necessary?

As soon as personal data is involved, for example:

• Names

• Email addresses

• Phone numbers

• IP addresses

• Customer data from forms, CRM systems, or newsletters

it must be clear according to the GDPR:

• who "owns" the data (the controller)

• who processes it on behalf of someone else (the processor)

That is exactly what the DPA regulates.

What does this mean for you as a freelancer or agency?

In your projects, you are not just any service provider; in most cases, you do much more. Because you maintain the content on your client’s website, you have access to customer data in the backend, you work with email lists, forms, or membership areas, and you use tools to store or organize customer data. 

In all these situations, you are working with data on behalf of your client. 

And that is exactly why the data processing agreement exists. 

Especially when you regularly work with clients, it is important to structure projects cleanly and transparently. How this works in detail can be read here: “How to Organize Client Projects in a Tool Without Chaos”. 

What does the DPA include?

Yes, at first glance, this DPA sounds like a lot of legalese and paperwork. But in practice, it's not that complicated, because the contract regulates a few basic things that are important for a clean collaboration.

Which data is processed?

The DPA specifies which personal data you work with in the project.

Typically, these are:

• Names and email addresses

• Contact details of customers or leads

• Content from forms

• Access to backends, CRM systems, or membership areas

Basically, it is not about listing every single file in the project but about realistically describing the type of data. This ensures that you are covered because all data is included. 

For what purposes can the data be used?

In short:

✔️ Use only for the specific project

❌ No private use

❌ No transfer to third parties

❌ No “secondary use” for other purposes

This protects not only your client but also yourself, as your clients transparently know what happens with their data. And you know what is allowed and what is not. 

How is the data protected?

The DPA also states how the data is generally protected. This is not about technical details but about principles, such as:

• Access only for authorized persons

• Secure passwords

• Protected devices

• No open handling of sensitive data

You don’t need to be an IT professional to do this; just show your clients that you handle their data responsibly and professionally. 

What happens after the project ends?

An equally important point that is often forgotten. But it is just as important for your clients to know what happens with their data when the project ends. This is also regulated in the DPA:

• Access will be deleted or returned

• Stored data will be removed

• Documents will be handed over or destroyed

This simply establishes that no open data remains that is no longer needed. 

When do you, as a freelancer or agency, need a DPA? 

As soon as you have access to your client’s personal data in the project, you are right in the middle of data processing. This is the case when your project grows larger than just a consultation. Whenever you work with your client’s data on their behalf. 

And that is exactly what the DPA is intended for.

Important:
You do not have to “own” the data for a DPA to be necessary.
Access alone is often sufficient.

DPA is standard as soon as you work with client data

In practice, a DPA is always included as soon as you work with personal data. 

No matter if:

• you work for clients

• store data with tools

• or include other freelancers in the project

A DPA is not an exception; it is part of a professional setup. So if you regularly work with clients, you should not be asking: “Do I need a DPA here?”, but “Where is it filed, and is it clearly documented in the project?”. 

Typical DPA mistakes in everyday life

Most problems arise not from missing DPAs, but from a lack of structure. And that costs you a lot of time in the end. 

Typical scenarios:

• the DPA is somewhere in the email inbox

• no one knows if it is up to date

• the connection to the project is missing

• clients ask for documents, and you have to search

And that's exactly what you want to avoid in customer projects. 

Many of these problems arise not only in data protection but generally from a lack of project structure. I have summarized here what typical mistakes cost you time: “How to Work More Efficiently: 5 Project Management Mistakes That Cost You Time”. 

The real difficulty is not the DPA

The DPA itself is not the problem. Because once it is set up, you can use and adapt it repeatedly. The problem rather lies in the fact that it exists detached from the project on some subpages. 

Normally, the DPA should create a helpful framework for the project instead of becoming an annoying obligation. 

Organize DPAs where they belong: in the project 

Good project management is shown in that everything is organized where it belongs. This also means that the DPA should always be directly accessible for both parties in the project. This will no longer be a stress factor for you and an uncertainty factor for your clients.

If you want to involve clients more and at the same time keep an overview, a clear project structure is crucial. How to sensibly integrate clients into projects is explained here: “Integrating Clients into Projects – Here’s How with Proyex”. 

Integrating DPAs with Proyex 

In Proyex, you can integrate the DPA directly into the project. Everything is clearly structured and readily accessible. And your data protection will no longer be an extra but part of your professional setup. 

Your clients will notice whether things are organized. This creates trust and ensures relaxed collaboration.

Conclusion: DPA is part of good project management

A data processing agreement is not a cumbersome bureaucratic construct. Once you have set it up clearly and integrated it into your projects, it is no longer a major hurdle for you. 

In Proyex, you can do this automatically and find your DPA in integrated project templates immediately. 

Log into the tool directly and try out the project setup!