How to handle client change requests without losing control of the job
7 min read
“Could we change that?” is a normal project question. The problem starts when a quick conversation becomes extra work before anyone has agreed what it includes, what it costs or which date it affects.
A useful change process does not make clients afraid to ask. It gives them a clear choice and gives your team a reliable instruction. The aim is to make the consequences visible before the work becomes difficult to reverse.
Use the steps below for renovations, fit-outs and other client projects. They are a communication framework, not a substitute for your contract, required notices or local legal requirements.
Separate a request from an instruction
A client asking about a different finish has not necessarily approved buying it. A team member saying “that should be possible” has not priced the change.
Agree at kickoff who can request changes, who can approve them and how that approval must be recorded. If several people represent the client, identify the person with authority to commit to cost and timing. A family member or site visitor may have useful input without being authorised to change the job.
Give each request a simple reference, such as CR-04. Keep its status visible: requested, being assessed, awaiting decision, approved, declined or withdrawn. These labels can live in a basic shared record; they do not need a complicated system.
Write down exactly what would change
Describe the current agreed scope first, then the proposed difference. This prevents a vague request from expanding as it passes between people.
For example:
CR-04: The current scope includes the standard light gray floor tile in the kitchen. The client has asked to replace it with the larger textured tile shown in the attached selection. The request covers the kitchen floor only. The hallway remains unchanged.
Add the location, relevant dimensions, selected product details and any drawings or photographs needed to identify the change. Mark unresolved details as unresolved. “Textured tile, final product to be confirmed” is not ready to order.
If the request comes by phone, write a short recap and ask the authorised person to confirm it through the agreed channel. Do this while the discussion is fresh.
Assess cost, timing and dependencies together
Do not price only the new material. Check what the change does to work already completed, booked resources and later activities.
Use this assessment list:
- Additional materials, labour and delivery charges.
- Credits for omitted work or materials that can be returned.
- Cancellation fees, restocking or work that must be redone.
- Design checks, approvals or specialist input.
- Product availability and the date an order must be placed.
- Work that must stop, move or happen in a different sequence.
- Any effect on access, handover or the client's own plans.
Separate confirmed information from estimates. If a supplier has not confirmed availability, do not present a delivery date as guaranteed. State the assumption and when you expect to verify it.
A two-day task does not always mean a two-day extension. It might fit into available time or delay a dependent activity by much more. Explain the actual sequence rather than adding task durations mechanically.
Offer choices the client can compare
When practical, show the original option alongside the requested change and one alternative. Keep the comparison compact.
The following figures are fictional and use the project's agreed currency; they are not market prices.
| Option | Cost difference | Schedule effect | Decision needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep the original tile | No change | Current plan remains | Confirm original selection |
| Choose the requested tile | Add 420 | Estimated three working days later | Approve cost and revised date |
| Choose an available alternative | Add 180 | No expected change, subject to stock confirmation | Approve product and cost |
State what is included in each amount and whether any required taxes or other charges are included. If you cannot yet provide a firm price, explain the basis of the estimate and follow the contract's process before committing expenditure.
Avoid describing one option as “no problem” if its consequences are still being checked.
Set a decision deadline linked to the work
“Let us know soon” is not useful. Give a date, a time and a reason. Include the time zone when the people involved are in different places.
For example:
To keep the current installation slot, we need your decision by 12:00 project-local time on Tuesday. After that, the supplier may release the stock and we will need to confirm a new installation date. We will not order the replacement tile without your approval.
Explain what happens if there is no answer. That could mean continuing with the original approved scope, holding the affected task or revising the plan, depending on the contract and the circumstances. Do not treat silence as approval unless the agreed process expressly allows it.
Get approval that names the actual decision
“Looks good” can refer to a photo, a colour or an entire proposal. Ask for a decision tied to the request reference and its current version.
A clear approval record identifies:
- The specific scope being approved.
- The agreed cost adjustment and payment terms, where relevant.
- The expected schedule impact and any stated assumptions.
- The approving person and the date.
- The documents or selection details the decision refers to.
Follow any contract requirements for a signed change order or formal notice. A reply on a project page can support the communication record, but do not assume it replaces the required contractual form.
If the scope or price changes after approval, issue a revised proposal. Do not quietly stretch the old approval to cover new work.
Update the plan before the team acts
Once approval is in place, tell the people who need to act: the site lead, relevant specialists, supplier and anyone managing the schedule or costs. Make the approved version easy to find and mark earlier versions as superseded.
Update the affected tasks, material orders and client-facing dates. Record who will do each action and by when. If other work can continue while the changed item is pending, make that clear too.
When the work is complete, record it against the same reference. Include a useful photograph or other evidence where appropriate. Check that any agreed cost adjustment appears in the correct payment record rather than being discovered at the final invoice.
Keep urgent situations distinct from optional changes
A request for a different finish is not the same as an immediate safety issue. If something presents a risk, follow the project's safety procedures and make the situation safe within your authority. Do not delay essential protective action while waiting for an optional-change workflow.
Then document what was found, what immediate action was taken and what further decision is needed. Avoid guessing the cause or promising a repair price before the responsible people have assessed it.
Make the process easy to repeat
Before authorising changed work, check that you can answer six questions: what changed, why, how much, what happens to the dates, who approved it and which version they approved.
A shared record reduces the need to reconstruct those answers from messages. SiteGlance lets clients answer decisions and approval requests on their project page, keeping their responses on the record. Use that alongside your agreed contract process, not instead of it.
The goal is not to prevent changes. It is to let clients choose with their eyes open while your team works from one clear instruction.