“One small extra” can turn into several rounds of design, content changes, testing, and delays. You do not need to reject every request. You need a repeatable way to decide what it changes before you commit.
1. Restate the request
Write one sentence describing the result the client wants. Ask a follow-up question if the request could mean more than one thing.
2. Find the agreed boundary
Check the proposal, statement of work, or project brief for the related deliverable, quantity, revision limit, or assumption. Point to the wording and explain the difference neutrally.
3. Break the work into tasks
List design, copy, development, review, testing, and coordination. Include dependencies such as client-supplied assets or third-party approvals. Do not estimate from the client’s description alone.
4. Choose a pricing basis
Use the pricing method already agreed with the client where possible. If the work is uncertain, separate discovery from implementation or state the assumptions and cap. Show what is included and what would require a further change request.
5. Show the timeline effect
Identify which milestone moves and what input or approval the new date depends on. If the original deadline must stay fixed, explain which existing work would need to be removed or reduced.
6. Get written approval before work starts
Send the request summary, fee or pricing basis, schedule effect, assumptions, and approval deadline in one message. Start only after the client approves those terms in writing.
Copy-and-use review list
- Requested result is specific
- Difference from agreed scope is identified
- Tasks, assumptions, and dependencies are visible
- Fee and exclusions are clear
- Schedule impact is stated
- Approval is recorded before work begins
This process makes decisions easier to explain, but it cannot guarantee that a client will approve the change or that a project will avoid every dispute.
Use a ready-made set of forms
The Web Project Change Kit provides editable DOCX worksheets, client email templates, a complete guide, and worked examples for this workflow. It is a one-time $29 purchase under a single-user business-use license; source files may not be resold or redistributed. You can also start with the free Scope-Change Triage.
Disclosure: Web Project Change Kit is my own product. Review the linked pages for the full contents and license terms.