Change order script · Content late
Client misses the content delivery deadline
Final copy and images were due two weeks ago. The launch date has not moved. This script resets the timeline kindly and makes the cost of compression visible.
Alicia Tran10:42 AM
Sorry, copy is still with legal. We should have it next week. We're still good for the 15th launch, right?
Possible scope change, visible to your team only
Cites SOW section 6.1, Client dependencies and schedule. Estimated 30 hours. Change order draft ready for PM review.
The situation
Content delays are the most common reason a fixed-fee website runs late, and the agency is usually blamed for the missed date anyway. The SOW ties launch to the content due date. The team can still hit the original date, but only by compressing population and QA into a shorter window, which means overtime. That is a real cost, and the client should choose it knowingly.
Why this script works
The script is empathetic about legal review, restates the dependency without blame, and offers two paths: move the date for free, or keep it with an expedite fee. Either choice is fine for the agency. The client keeps control.
- Scenario
- Content late
- Clause to cite
- SOW section 6.1, Client dependencies and schedule
- Typical effort
- 30 hours
- Typical change order
- $4,950 at $165/hr
- Reply within
- Same business day
The script
Three versions: the quick reply, the email and the nudge.
Start in the channel where the request arrived, then follow with the email and change order. Copy any version and replace the bracketed placeholders.
Youdraft, reply in thread
Hi [Name], totally understand, legal reviews always take longer than anyone hopes. Quick timeline note: our plan (SOW section 6.1) had content arriving on [date] so we'd have three weeks to populate and test. If copy lands next week, we have two options: keep the original schedule shape and launch on [new date], or keep the 15th with an expedited sprint. I'll send both options in writing today so you can pick what works best.
Replace every [bracketed] placeholder before sending. Your PM approves every message, TWINJAM never contacts clients on its own.
What not to say
Small wording changes decide whether the client hears help or a bill.
| Avoid | Say instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “You missed the deadline, so launch is late.” | “With content now arriving next week, here are two options.” | States facts, not fault. |
| “We'll make it work somehow.” | “Keeping the date needs an expedited sprint, here is the cost.” | "Somehow" means unpaid weekends for your team. |
| “We can't do the 15th anymore.” | “We can do the 15th with an expedite, or [new date] at no change.” | Gives the client a path to what they want. |
SOW clause to cite
SOW section 6.1, Client dependencies and schedule
Client will deliver final, approved copy and images for agency-populated pages by the content due date in the project timeline. If content is delivered late, the launch date moves day for day, or the client may request an expedited schedule under the Change Control clause.
No clause like this in your SOW? Use one of the SOW templates for your next engagement, and have your counsel review final contract language.
CO-CVL-WEB-07
Client misses the content delivery deadline
| Line item | Hours | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Expedited page population (weekend shift)Content developer | 16 | $2,640 |
| Additional QA pass on compressed timelineQA engineer | 10 | $1,650 |
| Launch readiness and stakeholder coordinationProject manager | 4 | $660 |
| Total | 30 | $4,950 |
Priced at a $165 blended hourly rate. Cites SOW section 6.1, Client dependencies and schedule.
Step by step
From the client’s message to a signed change order.
The script is one step. The process around it is what keeps scope conversations short and friendly.
- 1
Check the request against your signed SOW. For this scenario the clause to cite is usually SOW section 6.1, Client dependencies and schedule.
- 2
Reply the same day in the channel where the request arrived, using the Slack version. Agree with the goal before you mention scope.
- 3
Estimate the work as line items with hours. This scenario typically lands around 30 hours.
- 4
Send the email version with the change order attached and two or three options, including a lighter or free path where one exists.
- 5
Set a decision date tied to the schedule. If there is no reply in three business days, send the follow-up.
- 6
Record the approval or the decision to defer, so the SOW baseline stays accurate for the next request.
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Agency Change Order Scriptbook
12 polite Slack and email templates to ask for more budget without friction.
The scriptbook collects the twelve conversations agency PMs dread most, from the fourth design round to the after-launch feature, with the SOW clause to cite and a change order form for each.
Spot the request before the work starts.
TWINJAM flags out-of-scope requests in Slack, Teams and Jira, cites the SOW clause and drafts a change order like this one for your PM to approve.