Marketing agency · Client services
Scope change request
Stop doing extra work for free without arguing with the client about scope. Every request is checked against the contract, out-of-scope work gets an approved quote before anyone starts, and the client records their decision through a shared link.
- Duration: 3 to 7 days
- How often: For every request outside the contract
- Steps: 8 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
Extra work is done as a favour and never billed.
Whether something is in scope depends on who the client asks.
Quotes go out without anyone checking the price or the team's capacity.
Nobody can say later who approved a change.
With it
Every out-of-scope request gets a quote, and approved changes go on the next invoice.
Each request is checked against the contract the same way every time.
The account director approves every quote before the client sees it.
The client's decision and approver are recorded on the run.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
A client asks for work that is not in the retainer or the statement of work. The account manager starts a run with the request as the client described it.
- 1
Log the request
Day 1Account manager · Team
Record the request in the client's own words and what the retainer or statement of work includes for this area.
Checklist
- Request confirmed with the client
- Contract checked for this area
Fields to fill in
- Client name (required)
- The request (required)
- What the contract includes (required)
- Needed by
- 2
Check the request against the scope
Hidden from the shared linkDay 1Scope checker · AI agent
The scope checker compares the request with what the contract includes, splits it into in-scope and out-of-scope work and lists the open questions.
Fields to fill in
- In scope (required)
- Out of scope (required)
- Questions for the client
Checked by: The project manager checks the split against the contract in step 3.
- 3
Estimate the out-of-scope work
Hidden from the shared linkDays 2 to 3Project manager · Team
Check the split against the contract, then estimate the hours and the earliest delivery date with the people who would do the work.
Checklist
- Split checked against the contract
- Hours estimated with the team
- Effect on current work noted
Fields to fill in
- Estimated hours (required)
- Price (required)
- Earliest delivery date (required)
- Effect on current work
- 4
Approve the quote
Hidden from the shared linkDay 3Account director · Team
Check the price against the rate card and the delivery date against the team's capacity, and approve the quote.
Checklist
- Price follows the rate card
- Delivery date fits the team's capacity
- Current deadlines protected
Approval: No quote goes to the client until the account director approves the price and the date.
- 5
Send the quote
Day 4Account manager · Team
Send the client the quote and the shared link, and explain what the change adds and what it moves.
Checklist
- Quote sent
- Shared link sent to the client contact
- In-scope part confirmed to the client
Fields to fill in
- Link to the quote (required)
- 6
Client approves or declines the quote
Days 4 to 7Client contact · Shared link
The client reads the quote the account manager emailed and, through the shared link, records whether they approve or decline it, who approved it and a purchase order number if they use one.
Checklist
- Quote read
- Budget holder agreed
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- Approved by (required)
- Purchase order number
- 7
Schedule the approved work
Day 7Project manager · Team
Check the client's decision. If it is approved, add the work to the project plan and tell the team the new dates; if it is declined, record that and complete the step.
Checklist
- Client's decision checked
- Work added to the project plan
- Team told the new dates
Fields to fill in
- Planned start date
- 8
Add the change to the next invoice
Next invoice runFinance manager · Team
Add the approved change to the client's next invoice with the purchase order number, so extra work is billed when it is agreed. If the client declined, complete the step without an invoice line.
Checklist
- Invoice line added
- Purchase order number on the invoice
- Price matches the approved quote
Fields to fill in
- Invoice month
Done when
The client has approved or declined the quote in writing, approved work is scheduled and on the next invoice, and the decision is on record.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Scope checker
Compares the client's request with what the contract includes and splits it into in-scope and out-of-scope work.
What it does
- Reads the request and the contract scope recorded in step 1
- Lists which parts are in scope and which are not
- Drafts the questions the team needs answered to estimate
- Records the result in its step
Checked by: The project manager checks the split against the contract in step 3.
Questions this template answers
Treat every request outside the contract as a change with its own quote and written approval. Step 2 splits each request into in-scope and out-of-scope work, and no work is scheduled until the client approves the quote in step 6.
Show what the contract includes next to what they asked for, and offer a price and a date for the rest. Step 1 records both, and the quote in step 5 explains what the change adds and what it moves.
Estimate the hours with the people who will do the work, apply your rate card and have a second person approve. Step 3 records the hours and the price, and step 4 is the account director's approval gate before the quote goes out.
Let AI compare the request with the contract and propose a split, and let a person make the call. In step 2 the scope checker drafts the in-scope and out-of-scope lists, and in step 3 the project manager checks them against the contract.
Make billing a step of the change, not something finance hears about at month end. Step 8 adds the approved change to the next invoice with the purchase order number from step 6.
Keep one run per change request, with the quote, the decision and the name of the approver. Step 6 records the client's decision and approver, so at renewal you can show every change and its price.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.