PROJECT CHANGE PLANNER · PRACTICAL GUIDE
Handle a Project Scope Change: Compare Three Options
By BestTools ·
Record the current scope, fee and estimated effort first. Then compare adding the requested work for an explicit extra fee, excluding a named original task, or retaining the request for a later discussion. None of these options is agreed until you confirm it with the client.
Record the request before choosing an option
- Record the original fee and total estimated hours, including the existing work you may remove.
- Name the requested work and estimate its hours. State the extra fee you would propose for the Add option, including zero if that is deliberate.
- For Swap, name an in-scope task to exclude and its estimated hours. Do not remove more hours than the original total.
- Record a scope version and source or discussion notes. Missing notes remain unverified.
- Compare the options, edit the discussion drafts and confirm scope, fee and timing with your client before changing the work.
Work through a fixed-price example
This synthetic project has an original fee of USD 2,000 and an estimate of 20 hours. A booking request form adds an estimated 5 hours. The proposed Add fee is USD 500. The original fee divided by estimated effort is USD 100/h. This is a revenue reference, not profit or a recommended hourly rate.
| Option | Current fee | Current estimated effort | What stays explicit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add and charge | USD 2,500 | 25 h | USD 500 is a proposed extra fee, pending confirmation |
| Swap a named 5 h FAQ page | USD 2,000 | 20 h | FAQ page is excluded; equal hours do not prove equal value |
| Swap a named 3 h task | USD 2,000 | 22 h | Two additional hours remain at the same fee |
| Defer the form | USD 2,000 | 20 h | Request is retained; later price and timing are undecided |
Check the assumptions that can change the decision
If the added fee is zero, Add becomes USD 2,000 / 25 h = USD 80/h: 20% below the original revenue-per-estimated-hour reference. It does not establish a profit loss. Costs, taxes, overhead and the reliability of your effort estimate still matter.
If you exclude an 8 h task and include 5 h of new work, the new total is 17 h. The planner shows 3 h released and keeps the original fee; it does not invent a refund. If you exclude only 3 h, it shows 2 h of extra effort rather than calling the exchange equal.
Without a named task and positive removed hours, Swap stays incomplete while Add and Defer can still be compared. Zero original hours is invalid because the reference rate would be undefined. A zero original fee is allowed but cannot provide a useful percentage reference.
No calendar dates are calculated. Timing notes are text, not promises. Different tasks can carry different uncertainty even when their hour estimates match.
Keep an editable record without treating it as approval
Edit the client discussion text for each option. If you change inputs and compare again, edited drafts are kept, so check them against the revised figures or regenerate them.
Download JSON to continue editing in this tool. Standalone HTML is a readable snapshot with no scripts or external assets. Imports accept the versioned plan format, not arbitrary project files. Keep downloaded client information private as appropriate.
The planner keeps inputs in tab memory and does not upload project content. Ordinary hosting requests still occur when the site loads. Reset or a fresh reload clears the working state; downloads remain on your device.
A discussion draft is not consent, an invoice, a signature, contract interpretation or legal advice. This tool does not decide whether a request is in scope and does not send anything to a client. FWD offers a change-request log; Scope Assistant is another scope-planning alternative. Compare existing workflows before assuming a new tool saves time.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked on 2026-11-02. Platform menus and supported formats can change.