Negotiating a change to project scope

The idea

Name the change, clarify deliverables, explain its effect on time or effort, and confirm the agreement in writing.

Examples

• The new request adds a dashboard to the original plan.
• Could we clarify which reports the dashboard must include?
• Adding those reports will require another week of design work.
• We could deliver the dashboard now and add the reports later.
• If the deadline stays fixed, which feature should we remove?
• Let us confirm the agreed deliverables and changes in writing.

Watch out

Agreeing to extra work without discussing its effect can create an unrealistic commitment.

Try it yourself

1. Could we clarify which files are included in the ___? (scope / salary)

   Show answer or example answer

   scope

   scope means the work included in the project.

2. If we add testing, which task can we ___? (remove / removes)

   Show answer or example answer

   remove

   remove follows can we in the base form.

3. Let us confirm the revised deliverables in ___. (writing / write)

   Show answer or example answer

   writing

   writing completes the expression for a written record.

Use it today

Propose a trade-off for a new feature and confirm the deliverables.