Scope Creep or Scope Opportunity? Lessons from Metal Fabrication and Agency Life
There’s something fascinating I’ve noticed after wearing two very different hats—one as the owner of a metal fabrication shop, the other as an agency operations leader and producer. The way these two worlds handle scope changes couldn’t be more different.
Scope Changes Are the Business Model
In the world of architectural metal (and probably most commercial trades), the process looks something like this:
We get a scope.
We bid it.
It gets descoped and revised multiple times until we land on a baseline—basically, the MVP in agency speak.
We start the work knowing full well that things will change.
And that’s not a bad thing. It’s a great opportunity.
Once fabrication starts and the pieces are installed, stakeholders—whether it’s the designer, architect, general contractor, or the owner—start seeing it come to life. And suddenly, they see what needs to evolve. They want adjustments, refinements, and upgrades.
We expect this. We count on it.
Change orders aren’t an annoyance; they’re part of the business model. We plan for them, and honestly, that’s where we make our money. The base project? It often just covers costs. The real profit comes from the iterations, refinements, and evolving vision.
Even general contractors and designers know this. They expect changes and (the good ones, at least) reserve budget for them.
Agency Life: Why Do We Fear Change?
Now, let’s step into agency land, where the mindset around scope is the polar opposite.
Here, we quote, bid, estimate—whatever you want to call it—under the assumption that we have to get it exactly right the first time.
Then, we cross our fingers and pray:
🙏 That we nailed the scope.
🙏 That two rounds of revisions will be enough.
🙏 That production goes smoothly and nobody asks for big changes.
And let’s be real—it NEVER happens that way.
So why are we fighting something that’s inevitable?
What If We Embraced Scope Changes Like Construction Trades Do?
What if we flipped the mindset? Instead of treating change as a failure of planning, we could see it for what it really is an opportunity.
💡 A chance to improve the work.
💡 A process that requires evaluation plus time and materials (aka billable work).
💡 An expectation we bake into approach and conversations upfront.
Because great creative work, just like great fabrication, isn’t static. It evolves. And evolution takes resources, time and material.
So maybe, just maybe, agencies and marketing teams should start thinking like builders. Because the best work? It doesn’t come from rigidly sticking to a pre-approved scope—it comes from allowing the work to get better along the way.
