Before you do the extra work
How to respond to an extra client request.
When a client asks for extra work, pause before starting. Compare the request with the agreed scope, decide whether it is included, unclear, or a paid change, then state the price and schedule impact. Ask for written approval before adding the work to your plan.
Use the processA visible decision before work
Use the same sequence every time.
The complete process
Seven steps from request to approval.
1. Capture the request
Keep the client's wording, attachments, requested deadline, and channel together. Do not translate a vague message into a promise.
2. Compare it with the agreement
Find the relevant deliverable, revision allowance, acceptance condition, exclusion, and schedule. Compare the request with the actual agreement, not with memory.
3. Classify the request
Choose one working state: included, clarify, or paid change. If the agreement is ambiguous, clarification comes before a quote.
4. Calculate the impact
Decide the real effort, risk, price, and schedule effect. Those inputs must come from the professional doing the work, not from a template or an app.
5. Write a decision-ready reply
State what is possible, where it sits relative to scope, what changes, and what approval you need. Keep the tone neutral and specific.
6. Wait for written approval
Do not treat silence, a meeting comment, or enthusiasm as approval. Ask the client to confirm the price, deliverable, and schedule in writing before the extra work begins.
7. Record the decision
Keep the request, scope reference, final terms, approval, and status together. A clear record supports the working relationship; it is not automatically a legal contract.
Copy and adapt
A four-line paid-change reply.
The template
Yes, I can add [added deliverable].
It sits outside [specific deliverable or revision limit] in the current scope.
I can add it for [price], with [schedule impact].
I'll schedule it after written approval.
Why this order works
Line one answers feasibility. Line two anchors the decision to the agreement. Line three makes the tradeoff visible. Line four creates a clear stop before work.
What the template cannot decide
It cannot set your price, estimate your capacity, interpret disputed contract language, or guarantee approval or payment. Replace every bracket with facts you can support.
The three boundaries
Included, clarify, or paid change?
Included
Use included when the request clearly fits a named deliverable or remaining revision allowance. Confirm that it is included and state when it will be handled. Scope control is not a reason to charge for work already promised.
Clarify
Use clarify when the requested output, acceptance condition, approver, dependencies, or deadline is uncertain. Ask the smallest set of questions needed before deciding whether the request is included or additional.
Paid change
Use paid change when the request adds a deliverable, exceeds an agreed revision limit, changes approved work, or compresses the schedule. State both price and timing, then wait for written approval.
Before you press send
Extra-request checklist.
Request and scope
- The exact request is captured.
- The relevant scope or revision limit is identified.
- The decision is included, clarify, or paid change.
Price and schedule
- The professional set the price.
- The schedule impact is explicit.
- Dependencies and acceptance conditions are visible.
Approval and record
- Written approval is required before work.
- The client knows exactly what they are approving.
- The final decision and status will be retained.
Optional workflow tool
Where ScopeBill fits.
What the app does
ScopeBill places the new client request beside the agreed scope, lets the professional enter price and schedule impact, and creates an editable reply, PDF, and status record. Project data is processed on the iPhone, and three cases are free.
Developer disclosure
This page is published by Chenghui, the independent developer behind ScopeBill. The examples are fictional, and the App Store link below is an attributed product link.
Important limitation
This educational guide and ScopeBill are not legal advice. The app does not set prices, determine contractual rights, or guarantee that a client will approve or pay for a change.