How to Protect Your Margin When the Client Changes the Project After Approval

Short summary

A developer on Reddit faced a client who requested major redesigns after formal approval — not gradual scope creep but a structural project redefinition. The article argues that fixed-scope contracts without a formal change request process create an asymmetry: clients feel entitled to evolution while developers absorb the cost. The solution is a documented change request workflow with impact analysis, trade-off presentation, and formal sign-off before any new work begins.

• •Post-approval changes differ from scope creep — they're structural, not incremental
• •A formal change request process depersonalizes negotiations and protects margin
• •Present scope variants and include change clauses upfront to set expectations

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