Ya know, back in my day, printers made their money on changes made on press. Not the main job but the tweaks. The “quick ones.” One printer told me 60% of their profits came from change orders alone. That blew my mind. Because in our world, scope creep has the potential to play the same role.
If your contracts are flexible and your team’s trained to spot it early, scope creep isn’t a disruption. It’s a margin builder.
But when it catches you off guard? It’s a morale killer. So how do you turn it into a positive?
Scope Creep Isn't Always A Bad Thing
If we’re still in Discovery and a client’s getting curious... bring it on. Those are the good kind of questions. But if we’re in QA on a staging site and someone says, “Hey, what if we also…?” That’s not a new idea. That’s a breakdown. And it’s usually on us. We probably missed asking something earlier in the process or didn't explain properly the impact of late changes. Now it’s showing up in the worst possible place.
Some roles on your team, and maybe you, just gave me a big eye roll. Because from their perspective, scope creep kills. It creates stress, delays, technical debt, and leaves behind brittle features that were bolted on at the end. And nobody feels great about them. It can trash months of planning in a single meeting.
But as many of us are struggling to make ends meet, it can really help keep those impacted employed. In my experience, the only thing people hate worse than an unexpected change is not getting paid.
That’s why this conversation matters. Everyone feels the impact of scope creep differently. And most of the time, it’s not about whether the new request is good or bad, it’s about when it shows up and what it costs.
Kelly Goto gave me a line that has saved more relationships than I can count: “That sounds interesting. Let’s see how it impacts the time and the budget.”
It does two things. First, it makes the client feel heard. And second, it lets them do the math. Just giving someone a moment to voice their idea is often enough. Once they realize it comes with trade-offs, the excitement fizzles and we all move on.
But not always. Sometimes, those requests lead to something better. Not more features, but better outcomes. And if the request doesn't enhance the final product, then don't allow it. But if it does...
And that’s the real art here: learning how to flip scope creep into value. For the client and for your team.
That means setting guardrails early. Building contracts with flexibility. And checking in at planned moments to re-evaluate the scope based on progress not panic.
Clients love knowing there’s a plan. It builds trust. And trust leads to something even better in my opinion: retainers.
Scope Creep isn't always something to protect against. But we do have to filter it through the lens of progress and impact. If the team has the energy, if the ask fits the goal, if the client understands what it will take—go for it. It's growing revenue from current work and that's beautiful.
If not? Let it be the start of the next phase. Not the death of the current one. Scope creep doesn’t have to be the villain. But if you don’t keep it on a leash, it’ll take the whole project for a walk.