MOVE 37 · SCOPE CONTROL · FREE
Name the Scope Change
Point out, calmly and early, when a request falls outside the agreed work, so the change becomes a decision instead of a silent favour.
Unnamed scope changes become the new baseline.
WHY IT WORKS
Clients often do not realise a request is extra; they are thinking about their goal, not your contract. Naming it neutrally — 'this is outside what we agreed' — gives them information and choice without accusation, and stops the gradual expansion that makes projects unprofitable.
WHEN TO USE IT
- A client asks for 'one small thing' not in the agreement.
- Extra work has crept in over several weeks.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT
- The request is trivial and goodwill is worth more than the time.
- The agreement is genuinely ambiguous on this point; clarify the agreement first.
SIGNALS IT FITS
- You feel reluctant to log the time a task is taking.
- The phrase 'while you're at it' appears in requests.
PREPARATION
- Check the agreement and quote the relevant scope line.
- Estimate the time or cost of the request.
STEP BY STEP
- Acknowledge the request and its value to them.
- State that it sits outside the current scope.
- Offer options: add it with a cost, swap it for something else, or defer it.
- Confirm the choice in writing before starting.
OPENING LINE
“Happy to help with this — I want to flag that it's outside what we agreed, so we can decide how to handle it.”
SCRIPT
The social media templates would be useful. They're outside the website scope we agreed, so I can add them for 1,200 or we can plan them for phase two.
LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS
- If they say it's only small
- Agree it may be quick, then explain small items accumulate and give the cost or a swap option.
- If they insist it was always included
- Share the scope line from the agreement and ask how they read it.
SECOND MOVE
If the client wants it without extra cost, use Swap, Don't Stack.
FOLLOW-UP
Log each agreed change in a running change list shared with the client.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Doing the extra work first and raising it later.
- Using an irritated tone that makes the client defensive.
WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS
- The client routinely expects out-of-scope work for free after it has been named.
EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)
A UX designer received a request to 'quickly' design an admin dashboard. She replied naming it as additional and offering a quote; the client chose to defer it, saving her an estimated 30 unpaid hours.
ETHICAL BOUNDARY
Base the flag on the actual agreement. Retroactively narrowing scope to charge more is unfair.
RELATED MOVES
Content version 1 · Drafted by Power Move IQ Editorial · Not yet human-reviewed · Educational decision support, not legal, financial or employment advice.