How to stop scope creep from wrecking your agency’s profits

You just landed a big new project and you’re excited. It’s the kind of client whose logo would look great on your website, and their budget is good, too. You agree to a fixed fee and overlook a few red flags in their contract—like a 50/50 payment instead of your usual 100% up front.

But weeks of work go by. Then months, and you’re nowhere near completing the project. The client keeps making changes and revisiting old decisions. Because of the payment terms, you can’t collect the remaining half.

What started out as a dream project is now a living nightmare that keeps you from taking on other paid work.

Sound familiar? In this piece, we’ll explore the common causes of scope creep and share practical strategies to manage it before it derails your projects and hurts your agency’s revenue.

Reason 1: Clients who don’t know what they want

Often clients come in with only a vague idea of what they need. They might say they want a “fresh and innovative” campaign but can’t quite explain. Or they ask for content without knowing who their audience is or what the assets should accomplish.

These kinds of open-ended requests usually lead to scope creep. As the project unfolds, they start learning by doing: reacting to mood boards, reviewing drafts, or testing messaging. Each round of feedback brings them closer to clarity, but it can also push the project beyond the original scope and budget.

How to guide clients to clarity

1. Always schedule a scoping call
No matter how busy everyone is, schedule a live video call, even if it’s just for a few minutes. It’ll help you catch vague answers and ask follow-up questions that help them be more specific. You’ll also pick up on things that wouldn’t show up in a written brief, like if they’re stressed about another big campaign, which could make your project feel lower priority or delay their feedback later on.

2. Repeat their order back to them
During the call, try to guide them to clarity. Ask questions that make them think and be specific about what they want. At the end of the call, summarize your understanding of the project and repeat it back to them. Something like, “Just to confirm, here’s what you expect…” This simple tactic, called closed-loop communication and borrowed from industries like aviation and healthcare, is a great way to make sure everyone’s actually on the same page.

3. Prepare a formal Scope of Work (SOW)
Once the call’s done and the client is ready to move forward, document everything you agreed on in an SOW. Be clear about what’s included and what’s not. Get their sign-off before starting any work. That way, if they later come back with extra requests, you’ll have a clear reference point.

Pro Tip: Send a short intake form before onboarding. It helps gather key info early, sets expectations, and makes your process feel smooth and professional.

Reason 2: Clients who think “it’s all included” 

Some clients assume that your fee is a blanket payment for all their needs rather than a price for specific deliverables. So they make extra requests or changes, expecting you to accommodate them at no additional cost.

They may say things like:

• “While you’re at it, can you also format this in the same style as the other assets?”
• “Since you already know our brand, could you just tweak this real quick?”
• “We started this ourselves, but since you’re already involved, can you jump in and refine it?”

It’s usually not coming from a bad place, most clients just don’t realize they’re overstepping. Or they’re under pressure to deliver what they promised their boss.

How to establish boundaries with clients

1. Be clear about how you treat extra requests
During onboarding, take a few minutes to clearly explain what’s included and how you handle anything that falls outside that scope. You’re not being difficult; you’re setting healthy, professional boundaries.

2.Use subscription pricing
Consider offering a retainer or subscription model that allows clients to scale up or down month to month. That way, when they do need something extra, they’re already covered.

3.Increase your rates
‍Raise your prices, as higher-paying clients are often more willing to pay for extra work and tend to respect boundaries. Even if that’s not the case every time, charging more at least ensures you’re compensated properly for your time and expertise. Better than undercharging and dealing with scope creep.

Reason 3: Agencies that leave the review process open-ended

A content agency we know once spent 10 weeks on a project that was supposed to take two, and only about 9% of that time was spent on actual writing and design. The rest? Reviews, handoffs, and months of waiting.

This usually happens when there aren’t clear boundaries around revisions and approvals from the start. Clients have free rein to bring in as many stakeholders as they want, some of whom might not be experts and often have conflicting opinions. This often leaves you trying to justify your creative decisions to people who aren’t even the target audience and waiting days (or weeks) for busy stakeholders to reply.

How to stay on schedule

1. Restrict revisions to 2-3 rounds
Set limits on the number of revisions you do, and include that number in your contract and SOW (e.g.Two rounds of revisions included; additional rounds will be billed separately.). Also, keep the review group tight—1-3 experts only. More people would only mean more confusion and slower approvals.

2. Make reviews easy
Provide a container for feedback which includes the type of review you want them to give: ideas, style or grammar, strong defaults (what you’ll do if you don’t hear back by a certain time), a deadline for review, and so on. This makes it easy for them to review and keeps everything moving.

3. Use RAPID framework
Use a roles and responsibilities framework like Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, and Decide (RAPID) to clarify who’s doing what. This prevents scope creep by making sure everyone knows their role from the start.

Learn what scope creep is really costing you

Scope creep reduces your profit margins and makes it harder to grow your agency. When projects take longer than planned, it limits your ability to take on new clients or stay on schedule. Unless you're tracking the actual impact of those extra requests, it's difficult to understand how they affect your revenue.

To learn more about how to build a spreadsheet that tracks those metrics, with a dashboard that shows when you’re overdelivering on projects, reach out to our CFO Services team.