Writing a Scope That Holds
Scope creep is rarely malice. It is usually a document that left room for two readings. A good scope removes the room.
What a scope is for
It records what will be delivered, by when and for how much, so both sides can point to the same sentence later. Scope creep is what happens when that sentence does not exist.
Write deliverables as nouns
"Three homepage concepts as static mock-ups" can be checked. "Explore the homepage" cannot.
Include
- Deliverables, with counts and formats.
- Rounds of revision, and what a round is.
- What the client must provide, and by when.
- What is explicitly out of scope.
- How changes are priced.
Name the decision-maker
One person signs off. Feedback gathered from six people and passed on unedited is not feedback, it is a second brief.
Keep it short
Two pages that are read beat ten that are filed.
rev. 2026-10-14