Glossary
Out-of-scope request
Any client ask that falls outside the deliverables, limits, or timeline defined in the current contract or SOW.
An out-of-scope request is any specific, individual ask from a client that the current contract or statement of work doesn't cover — as distinct from scope creep, which is the pattern that emerges when several out-of-scope requests get absorbed without anyone flagging them.
Example
A development contract scopes desktop and mobile web layouts. Partway through, the client asks for a native app version. That single ask is an out-of-scope request — whether it becomes scope creep depends on whether the agency flags it and change-orders it, or just builds it.
Why it matters for agencies
Catching individual out-of-scope requests as they land — in an email thread, a Slack message, a call — is what prevents them from accumulating into scope creep. The earlier one is flagged, the easier it is to have the change-order conversation before work has already started.