Change order script · New feature
Client wants a new user role
The app was scoped with three roles. The client wants a fourth, a regional manager who sees some data but not all. This script shows why roles are bigger than they look.
Grace Liu10:42 AM
We need a Regional Manager role that can see their region's locations but not edit billing. Can that go in before launch?
Possible scope change, visible to your team only
Cites SOW Appendix B, Roles and permissions. Estimated 37 hours. Change order draft ready for PM review.
The situation
A new role touches every permission check in the app, every list query that needs filtering, the invite flow, the admin UI, and the test suite. The permissions matrix was agreed at kickoff with three roles. A fourth role with partial data access is a genuine new feature with security implications, and rushing it before launch increases risk.
Why this script works
The script takes the request seriously, highlights security as the reason to estimate carefully, and proposes a short scoping session before the change order. Clients respect care around permissions.
- Scenario
- New feature
- Clause to cite
- SOW Appendix B, Roles and permissions
- Typical effort
- 37 hours
- Typical change order
- $6,105 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], a Regional Manager role makes a lot of sense as you grow. Because roles touch permissions across the whole app, I want to scope it carefully rather than rush it. Our permissions matrix (SOW Appendix B) covers three roles today. Could we do a 20-minute call to confirm exactly what Regional Managers can see and do? I'll follow with a change order and an honest view on whether it fits before launch.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| “It's just a checkbox.” | “Roles touch permissions across the whole app.” | Under-describing the work makes the estimate look inflated. |
| “We'll add it, no problem.” | “Let's confirm the rules, then I'll send an estimate.” | Permissions done in a hurry become security bugs. |
| “That wasn't in the spec.” | “Appendix B covers three roles today, here is how we add a fourth.” | Cites the boundary and moves straight to the solution. |
SOW clause to cite
SOW Appendix B, Roles and permissions
The application supports three user roles with the permissions in this matrix. New roles, or changes to the permissions of existing roles, are changes 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-TWC-OPS-07
Client wants a new user role
| Line item | Hours | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Permission rules workshop and updated matrixTech lead | 2 | $330 |
| Region-scoped data access in API and queriesSenior engineer | 16 | $2,640 |
| Role management UI and invite flow updatesEngineer | 8 | $1,320 |
| Authorization tests and security reviewQA engineer | 8 | $1,320 |
| Project managementProject manager | 3 | $495 |
| Total | 37 | $6,105 |
Priced at a $165 blended hourly rate. Cites SOW Appendix B, Roles and permissions.
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 Appendix B, Roles and permissions.
- 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 37 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.