scope-creep-responselisted

# Scope Creep Response ## When to use this - A fixed-fee client asks for something the engagement letter does not cover. - A "quick question" email is actually an hour of research. - A small extra task is quietly becoming recurring ("can you also pay these bills each week"). - You are preparing for renewal and want the record of extras you absorbed this year. ## What to gather first Ask the user for: 1. The client's actual request, pasted verbatim if possible. 2. What the current engagement covers: a scope summary or the relevant engagement letter wording. If unknown, use [PLACEHOLDER - CONFIRM SCOPE] rather than inventing terms. 3. A realistic time estimate for the ask, from the user, not invented. 4. One-off or likely recurring? 5. Relationship context: monthly fee level, whether this is an A-client or a chronically demanding one, and the renewal or anniversary date. 6. Any prior extras already absorbed for this client (count and rough time). 7. Country only if the request touches jurisdiction-specific work (IRS notice vs ATO letter, sales tax vs BAS/GST). ## Workflow 1. Classify the request with this decision rule and state the classification with a one-line rationale: - **Under ~15 minutes, one-off**: do it, log it, mention it at renewal. Small goodwill is fine; unrecorded goodwill is how margins die. - **Recurring, or a one-off over about an hour**: change order before the work starts. - **Large or a different discipline** (a cleanup, a tax return, audit supp