| Category | Proposals & Pricing |
|---|---|
| Time to Run | 10 min |
| Difficulty | Standard |
| Output | Document |
| Client-Facing | Yes — goes directly to client |
The client just asked for something that wasn't in the original scope. Maybe it came up organically in a session. Maybe they sent a casual email that starts with "Oh, one more thing..." Either way, you know this changes the timeline, the deliverables, or the investment — and if you don't formalize it now, you'll absorb the cost later and resent the engagement by month three.
Run this when scope changes mid-engagement and you need to document the adjustment professionally. The change order protects both sides: the client knows what they're getting and what it costs, and you don't end up doing significantly more work for the same fee.
Copy the skill file below and save it as change-order-builder-SKILL.md. Upload it to a Claude project or paste it at the start of a conversation, then provide your inputs.
---
name: change-order-builder
description: >
Builds a formal change order document when scope shifts mid-engagement.
Run when a client requests work outside the original agreement and you
need to document the adjustment to timeline, deliverables, or investment.
metadata:
author: "Kathryn Brown, Practice Builders"
version: "1.0.0"
date: "2026-04-25"
---
# Change Order Builder
Formalizes scope changes into a professional document that protects both you and the client — before the new work begins.
**Core Principle: Document the change before you do the work. Verbal agreements about scope changes are the single largest source of fee disputes in consulting.**
## What This Skill Does
**Job 1: Change Documentation** — Captures exactly what changed from the original agreement. Names the original scope item, what the client now needs instead (or in addition), and why the change matters. Creates the paper trail that prevents "I thought that was included" six weeks later.
**Job 2: Impact Assessment** — Translates the scope change into concrete effects on timeline, deliverables, and investment. No hand-waving — specific dates shift, specific fees adjust, specific deliverables add or modify. The client sees the true cost of the change, not a vague "this might take longer."
**Job 3: Professional Framing** — Presents the change order as a normal, healthy part of any engagement — not a conflict or a negotiation. The tone is matter-of-fact: here's what changed, here's what it means, here's how we move forward.
### Section 1: Change Summary
Write a 2-3 sentence summary of what changed and why. Reference the original scope by name or section number. Use the client's words for what they requested. This is the executive summary — a senior person should be able to read this alone and understand the change.
Format: One short paragraph. No bullets.
### Section 2: Original vs. Revised Scope
Create a comparison table:
| Element | Original Scope | Revised Scope |
|---------|---------------|---------------|
| [Deliverable/item] | [What was agreed] | [What is now needed] |
Include only the elements that changed — don't restate the entire SOW. If three items changed, three rows. Be specific: "4 workshop sessions" becomes "6 workshop sessions," not "expanded workshops."
### Section 3: Impact on Timeline
If the timeline shifts, show it:
- Original completion: [date]
- Revised completion: [date]
- Reason: [1 sentence]
If the timeline doesn't shift (you're adding work within the existing window), state that explicitly. Clients assume scope changes mean delays unless you tell them otherwise.
### Section 4: Impact on Investment
State the fee adjustment plainly:
- Original investment: [amount]
- Additional investment: [amount]
- Revised total: [amount]
If the change is significant enough to warrant a new payment schedule, include it. If it's minor, a single additional line item is sufficient.
Watch for: the temptation to absorb small changes. If the change takes more than 2 hours of your time, it gets a change order. Small concessions compound into significant revenue loss over a 6-month engagement.
### Section 5: Approval
Provide a clear signature block:
- Client name and signature line
- Date
- A one-sentence statement: "By signing below, [Client Name] approves the scope change described above and the revised investment."
### What to Skip / What to Watch For
**Leave alone:** Don't renegotiate the entire engagement. The change order covers only what changed. If the client's needs have shifted so fundamentally that most of the original scope is obsolete, that's a new proposal — not a change order.
**Watch for:** If you're writing more than one change order per month on the same engagement, the original scoping was insufficient. Flag this for your own process improvement, but don't punish the client for it.
## Quality Check (Internal — never shown to the user)
| Check | Question |
|-------|----------|
| Specificity | Are the original and revised scope items specific enough to prevent ambiguity? |
| Completeness | Does the change order address timeline, deliverables, AND investment (even if some don't change)? |
| Tone | Does it read as professional and matter-of-fact, not defensive or apologetic? |
| Signature ready | Could the client sign this document as-is without needing clarification? |
**Enforcement protocol:** (1) Run all four checks. (2) Identify the weakest section. (3) Rewrite it. (4) Verify the rewrite improved specificity and professional tone. Present only the finished document.
## Rules
- Never apologize for the scope change or the additional investment
- Use the client's language for what they requested — don't translate into jargon
- Dollar amounts use numerals (\"\$2,500\" not \"twenty-five hundred\")
- Always state impact on all three dimensions (timeline, deliverables, investment) even if two of them don't change
- Keep the document to one page — this is a change order, not a new proposal
- Reference the original SOW or proposal by name and date
- Include a signature block — verbal approvals don't count
## Output Format
# Change Order: [Engagement Name]
**Client:** [Client Name]
**Original Agreement Date:** [Date]
**Change Order Date:** [Today's Date]
**Change Order #:** [Number]
## Change Summary
[2-3 sentences. What changed and why.]
## Scope Comparison
| Element | Original Scope | Revised Scope |
|---------|---------------|---------------|
| [Item] | [Original] | [Revised] |
| [Item] | [Original] | [Revised] |
## Timeline Impact
- **Original completion:** [Date]
- **Revised completion:** [Date or "No change"]
- **Reason:** [1 sentence]
## Investment Impact
- **Original investment:** [Amount]
- **Additional investment:** [Amount]
- **Revised total investment:** [Amount]
[Revised payment schedule if applicable]
## Approval
By signing below, [Client Name] approves the scope change described above and the revised investment of [Revised Total].
**Client Signature:** ___________________________
**Date:** ___________________________
## What Makes This Different
Most consultants handle scope changes with a quick email or a verbal conversation. Then they wonder why the invoice triggers a dispute. This skill produces a document that's professional enough to reinforce your credibility and specific enough to prevent misunderstanding — in 10 minutes. The comparison table alone eliminates the vast majority of "I thought that was included" conversations.
---
Copyright (c) 2026 Kathryn Brown, Practice Builders
This skill is licensed for your personal and business use. You may run this skill inside your own practice and share the outputs it produces with your team and clients. "Your practice" includes employees and contractors engaged to perform work for your business under your direction — virtual assistants, operations support, bookkeepers, and similar team members.
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