You do not need to start with a dispute about scope. Explain the effect and offer choices the client can make.
Compare the request with the agreement
Read the actual agreed scope. Is this a correction to work you owe, an included revision, or an additional deliverable? Do not label your own omission as a chargeable change.
Fictional example: an agreed service-process review includes four interviews with one department. After the interviews are booked, the client asks to add a second department with three more interviews.
The consultant estimates three additional hours for interviews and preparation, plus two hours for analysis. At the hypothetical agreed change-work rate of €80/hour, the additional five hours would cost €400.
Send a short decision note
Request: include the second department in the current review.
Effect: three additional interviews and a wider comparison in the recommendation.
Options:
| Choice | Output | Fee effect | Date effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Keep the original department review | No change | Original review date |
| B | Add the second department | Add €400 | Review meeting moves three working days |
| C | Finish the original review, then assess the second department separately | Separate scope to agree | Current review stays on schedule |
All figures and dates here are fictional. In a real proposal, use your actual estimate, agreement and availability.
Close with: “Which option would you like us to proceed with?” Do not treat silence as approval.
Explain the trade-off in ordinary language
The buyer needs to understand the consequence, not your internal project-management system. “The extra interviews change the comparison and need two more analysis hours” is clearer than “the change introduces a resource variance.”
Asana’s change-control guidance describes assessing the effect of a proposed change before approval. For a small consultancy, a concise written choice can support that decision without creating a large committee.
Keep work moving where possible
You may be able to continue the unaffected part of the assignment while waiting for a decision. State what will continue and what is on hold.
If the request is urgent, confirm whether you can meet it before suggesting an accelerated delivery. Avoid accepting an impossible date and hoping to recover later.
Confirm the chosen version
After the client chooses, send the updated scope, fee and dates through the agreed approval process. Keep the original baseline and the accepted change together.
This record protects both sides from a later misunderstanding: the client can see what they bought, and the delivery team knows which version to follow. It is a commercial decision note, not a substitute for the terms or legal advice needed for a particular contract.