Software agency · Delivery
Software change request
Stop scope creep from turning into unpaid work. The client describes each change through a shared link, the team estimates its effect on budget and dates, and nothing is built until the client approves the change order.
- Duration: 3 to 7 days
- How often: For every change to the agreed scope
- Steps: 7 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 2 approvals
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
Extra features slip in through sprint demos and never reach an invoice.
The team and the client argue about whether something is a bug or a change.
Writing a change order takes days, so small changes are done for free.
Approval is a yes in a meeting that nobody can show later.
With it
Every change is estimated and priced, and the client decides before it is built.
Each request is checked against the signed scope and the confirmed acceptance criteria.
An AI agent drafts the change order, and the account manager approves it.
The client records the decision on the run, next to the price and the new dates.
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 something that is not in the agreed scope. The project manager starts a run for the project and sends the client the shared link.
- 1
Client describes the change
Day 1Client product owner · Shared link
Through the shared link, the client describes what they want changed, why it is needed and by when, with links to examples or designs.
Checklist
- What works today described
- Users affected named
Fields to fill in
- What should change (required)
- Why it is needed (required)
- Needed by
- Link to examples or designs
- 2
Check the request against the agreed scope
Days 1 to 2Project manager · Team
Compare the request with the statement of work and the confirmed acceptance criteria. A bug in agreed work goes to bug triage instead, and a new or different requirement continues here.
Checklist
- Compared with the statement of work
- Compared with the acceptance criteria
- Client told it is a change
Fields to fill in
- Classification (required)
- Link to the relevant part of the scope
Approval: The estimate stays locked until the project manager confirms the request is a change to the scope.
- 3
Estimate the impact
Hidden from the shared linkDays 2 to 4Engineering lead · Team
Estimate the work and the risks, and say what the change does to the current milestone: what moves, what it replaces and what it adds.
Checklist
- Effort estimated
- Effect on the milestone date checked
- Risks and dependencies listed
Fields to fill in
- Estimate in hours (required)
- New milestone date
- Impact and risks (required)
- 4
Draft the change order
Hidden from the shared linkDay 4Change order writer · AI agent
The change order writer drafts the change order from the request and the estimate, with the rates from its instructions: what changes, the price, the new dates and what happens if the client declines.
Fields to fill in
- Draft change order (required)
Checked by: The account manager corrects and approves the change order in step 5.
- 5
Approve the change order
Hidden from the shared linkDays 4 to 5Account manager · Team
Check the draft against the estimate and the contract, correct the price and wording, then approve it and email the final change order to the client.
Checklist
- Price matches the estimate and rates
- New dates are realistic
- Contract terms followed
Fields to fill in
- Price of the change (required)
- Link to the change order (required)
Approval: The decision step for the client stays locked until the account manager approves the change order.
- 6
Client decides on the change
Days 5 to 7Client product owner · Shared link
The client reads the change order the account manager emailed and records their decision through the shared link, with a purchase order number if their company uses one.
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- Purchase order number
- Reason or conditions
- 7
Plan the change or close the request
Day 7Project manager · Team
If the change is approved, add it to the backlog and the milestone plan and tell the team. If it is declined, record the reason and close the request.
Checklist
- Backlog and milestone plan updated
- Team informed
- Budget updated for invoicing
Fields to fill in
- Link to the updated plan
Done when
The client has approved the change with its price and new dates and it is in the plan, or the declined request 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.
Change order writer
Turns the request and the estimate into a change order the client can decide on.
What it does
- Reads the client's request and the engineering lead's estimate
- Works out the price with the rates in its instructions
- Writes what changes, the price, the new dates and what happens if declined
- Completes its step, so the account manager can review
Checked by: The account manager corrects and approves the change order in step 5.
Questions this template answers
Treat every change as its own small decision: describe it, estimate it, price it and get the client's yes before anyone builds it. This template runs those steps in order, from the client's request in step 1 to their decision in step 6.
Check every request against the signed scope, and make extra work visible with its price before it is built. In step 2 the project manager compares the request with the statement of work, and in step 6 the client approves or declines the cost.
Point to the acceptance criteria the client confirmed, and show what the request adds or changes. Step 2 records that comparison with a link to the relevant part of the scope, so the conversation is about the agreed text, not opinions.
Estimate the effort and say what the change moves, replaces or adds in the current milestone. In step 3 the engineering lead records the hours, the new milestone date and the risks before any price is set.
Let AI turn the request and the estimate into a clear change order, and keep the price and the final wording with a person. In step 4 the change order writer drafts it, and step 5 is an approval gate where the account manager corrects it before the client sees it.
Ask for an explicit decision on a change order with the price and dates, not a yes in a meeting. In step 6 the client records their decision through the shared link, with a purchase order number if their company uses one.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.