How can you manage clients who request changes outside of the scope of work?

Simply put: communicate in clear and simple terms how the change in scope will affect the originally agreed project cost and delivery time. Educate the client how any change no matter how small they are affects the overall project cycle.

Communication is key to success of any design project. Changes and additional scope always happens despite having signed scope of works beforehand. As an experienced designer we should anticipate this and allow for some amendments along the way. However, clear communications is viral especially when it involves any delay or rescheduling due to the changes required. Clearly explain the challenges of material sourcing or rescheduling to the client and get their approval on any changes before proceeding.

This is a bit of a grey area, especially for those who are new I'm business or haven't done the work required to deal with their self worth and self confidence. A clearly outlined and mutually agreed upon proposal is only step number 1. The implementation and boundaries set is the real challenge. As designers, we believe our duty is to do what we have to do to get the job done, and sometimes this is to our detriment. It's about ensuring that we add value. If the additional work is excessive and is either a re-design or costs us a lot of extra hours, you need to put boundaries in place. If however, it's a little extra to get the point across or make the client comfortable in order to continue, then just do it. We all have one end goal!

Upon the client understanding that what was requested is not part of the scope and he still wishes to include it in the project we might issue a variation as this change will effect the project.

This is so true in Solid Surface fabrication, as it can appear very simple to “just add a few mm” to an item, when the reality can mean searching for material that is in the same batch, and then determining which way to “stitch” on to ensure the smooth and consistent continuation of the pattern. Sometimes it is just not feasible, especially if there is not enough surplus material left from the same batch. In this situation, there could be more issues of colour variation if this were to be attempted.

Sometimes, clients request changes because they don't understand the implications or consequences of their requests. They may think that adding a feature, changing a material, or modifying a layout is a simple and quick task, when in reality it requires more time, resources, and expertise. To prevent this, you should educate your clients about the design process, the rationale behind your decisions, and the trade-offs involved in making changes. You should also explain how changes can affect the quality, functionality, and aesthetics of the project, as well as the budget and timeline

Understand what are the client's priorities. Is it aesthetics, budget or timeline. Once, this is clear and agreed by both parties, we can give accurate advise on how to proceed with the changes. Give the client clear pros and cons on how their decision can affect the outcome of the project.

I have something to add to it. In my experience having a clear cut communication in oral as well written and emphasised many times over does help. Else we guys are usually at the receiving end. It looks overpowering but if you load the client with detail and some narrative, it helps later to get a better recall and thus minimises the fear of a loss.

A Project tracker and a regular review as the project progresses is a great way to keep a check on the deliverables, dependencies and identifying challenges ahead with the internal teams and client for greater transparency. This ensures that the clients are also involved throughout the process and are more aware of its development while understanding the consequences and change in course of action owing to the additional or change of scope.

Should you choose to accommodate a minor change request without a change in fee (and assuming there are no timeline implications) don't hesitate to share with the client that the request is outside of the scope but as a result of a great working relationship with them, will not adjust the fee to do so. Make this offer with caution to manage the expectation that not all things requested in the future can be accommodated without fee change, but client relationships and repeat clients have an opportunity to grow when you know when to negotiate without a fee change.

We always try to accommodate our clients reasonable requests, however, sometimes these do have to be charged for. This would normally occur if we have needed to purchase more material, or if the process itself is labour intensive and takes up a lot more time. We communicate with our clients and make commercial decisions in these circumstances though, as each situation needs to be assessed independently. It is important to communicate any additional costs to customers so they can evaluate them as well.

Designers can also be assertive in explaining the feasibility of the scope creep while informing the client of the effect of scope creep on the project progress, timeline and commercial dependencies. If both parties agree on the dependencies and change in course of action and if the scope creep is reasonable or a value addition to the project. I believe scope creeps can be accomodated because, there are a few ideas that strike when we see the space coming to life in person.

In our work, I consider one of the important factors is communication and ability to understand the client. If we organize the entire process correctly and understand the goals, we will reduce the chances of changes in the project, but this does not mean that they will not happen. You need to treat such moments with understanding, because after all, it is the client who must be satisfied. But at the same time, he must understand that additional changes may entail a chain of work that may affect on duration of the project and prices.