**Source:** https://heykiku.com/glossary/change-order

# Change Order

Creative projects change. The client sees the first round and wants to go in a different direction. The campaign strategy shifts based on market feedback. The CEO has a new vision that invalidates approved concepts. **These aren't failures—they're the nature of creative work**. The question is whether changes get documented and billed.

A change order formalizes what most agencies handle with a sigh and a "sure, we can do that." Instead of absorbing the pivot and hoping to reconcile later, a change order **documents exactly what's changing**, why the approved direction is being abandoned, and what the new scope costs. The client approves before new work begins.

Without change orders, **creative pivots become margin killers**. The client didn't like the direction—so you do another round. They want to add a video that wasn't in scope—so you figure it out. They need everything faster because their launch moved up—so you scramble. Each accommodation seems reasonable. Together, they destroy profitability.

The best change order processes acknowledge creative reality while protecting margins. They're quick enough that account managers actually use them. They document the client's request in their words. They make the cost clear before work starts. When change orders are standard practice, **pivots become revenue instead of resentment**.

## Related terms

- [Scope Creep](https://heykiku.com/glossary/scope-creep)
- [Statement of Work (SOW)](https://heykiku.com/glossary/statement-of-work)
- [Revision Round](https://heykiku.com/glossary/revision-round)