Change request template: stop scope creep without the awkward talk
Published
Short answer
A change request is a one-page addition to a signed contract that describes new work, its price and its effect on the timeline, and is signed before the work starts. Sending one every time the scope grows turns an awkward conversation into a routine step, and it's the simplest cure for scope creep.
Why scope creep happens
Nobody plans scope creep. It arrives one reasonable request at a time: one more page, one more round of feedback, "while you're in there". Each is small. Saying no feels petty, and saying "that'll cost extra" feels awkward, so the work gets done for free.
A change request takes the awkwardness out. It's not a negotiation, it's a form: here's what you asked for, here's what it costs, here's the new date. Sign it and we'll start.
When to send one
- The client asks for something the contract lists as out of scope
- A deliverable grows: more pages, more features, more markets
- The timeline moves because of something on the client's side
- You'd otherwise think "I'll just do it this once"
Agree the change before the work starts
- 01
New request
Name the extra deliverable.
- 02
Price & date
Set the cost and effect on delivery.
- 03
Both sign
The change becomes part of the agreement.
- 04
Work starts
Deliver the newly agreed scope.
Keep the original terms. Record only what changes.
Change request template
Change request [number]: [short name]
This change request amends [the agreement / statement of work] dated [date] between [Client name] and [Agency name].
Requested change. [What the client asked for, in their words if possible.]
What we'll do. [The work, as concrete deliverables.]
Price. [Fixed amount / estimated hours at [rate]], excluding VAT, invoiced [with the next invoice / on completion].
Timeline. [The effect on delivery dates, e.g. final delivery moves from 15 December to 22 December.]
Everything else stays the same. All other terms of the original agreement apply.
Signed by both parties, this change request becomes part of the agreement.
Making it routine
- Mention it at the start. In the kickoff, say: "Anything outside the scope, we'll send a short change request. No drama." Then it's expected.
- Send it fast. The same day the request comes in, before anyone starts work.
- Keep it short. One page. If it's long, it's probably a new statement of work.
- Number them. CR-1, CR-2. It makes them easy to refer to and to total up.
Send it from your agent
With a change request template in Pledge, ask your agent:
Change request for the Acme website: add a careers page and a job listing feature, 2 400 fixed, final delivery moves a week to 22 December. Show it to me first.
The agent drafts it from your template and links it to the client, you check it in the chat, and it's sent for signature when you say so.
This article is not legal advice.
Questions
- What is a change request in a contract?
- A short document that adds or changes work under an existing contract, with its price and timeline, signed by both parties before the work starts.
- Is a change request the same as a change order?
- Yes, the terms are used interchangeably. Construction tends to say change order; agencies and IT more often say change request.
- Does a change request need to be signed?
- It should be. A signed change request is clear evidence that the client agreed to the extra work and its price.
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