Showerthought: Overheard a project manager say 'scope creep is just bad onboarding'

I was grabbing coffee last Tuesday and heard two agency owners talking at the next table. One guy said his team keeps getting hit with extra requests halfway through projects. The other guy said he thinks most scope creep happens because clients don't fully understand what's included from day one. He mentioned he spends 2 hours upfront walking through a detailed checklist with every new client before signing. Said it cut his rework requests by about 40% over 6 months. Made me wonder if my own onboarding process is actually setting people up to ask for more later. Has anyone else tried a really detailed upfront walkthrough and seen a difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren3016d ago

Have you ever tried recording the walkthrough? I started doing that after a client claimed I "never mentioned" a big chunk of work, and now I just send the link along with the contract. Saves a ton of back and forth later, and (bonus) people actually watch it when they're on their own time.

nora7356d ago

My friend actually did this once and it BACKFIRED pretty hard on her. She recorded a super detailed walkthrough for a kitchen remodel, went over every cabinet and countertop choice, the whole thing. Client watched it and then tried to claim she had "pressured" them into decisions because the video made it feel too "fast". They actually tried to use her own recording against her in a dispute. She had to get a lawyer involved just to show that the video was her giving options, not demanding them. It worked out in the end but now she has a separate "here are your choices, pick in writing" email template. Some people will find a way to twist ANYTHING.