Getting started with ScopeGuard

Quick start

ScopeGuard has exactly one job: make the gap between what you agreed and what you actually delivered visible, and turn that gap into an invoice. Four moves get you there.

1. 1Create a project — one project per client engagement. The free plan keeps one project active at a time.
2. 2Set the Scope Baseline before you start working. Deliverables, revision rounds, quote, scoped hours.
3. 3Log every add-on the moment it is requested — one line, roughly 30 seconds.
4. 4Share the client view, then generate the add-on invoice when the client has seen the reasoning.

Scope Baseline

The Scope Baseline is the reference every later judgement is measured against. Recorded once, before work begins — after that it stays frozen, so “in scope” never quietly drifts.

What to record

A complete example

# Project: marketing-site-redesign
deliverables:    5-page marketing site
revision_rounds: 2
quote:           $2,000
scoped_hours:    40h
hourly_rate:     $60/h
status:          ✓ in scope

Logging add-ons

An add-on is anything requested after the baseline was locked. Log it while the client’s message is still on your screen — memory is the weakest link in the whole process.

What counts as an add-on

• A deliverable that is not on the baseline list — an extra page, an extra format, an extra asset.
• A revision round beyond the agreed count, even a “tiny” one.
• Meetings, training calls and hand-holding that were never quoted.
• A change of direction that discards work already approved.

Each entry needs three things: label, hours, and the date it was requested. Amount is derived from your rate unless you override it.

Creep Meter

The Creep Meter compares logged add-ons against the baseline and reports one number you can act on: how far over scope this project has drifted.

Status thresholds

Without a quote or agreed hours on the baseline, the meter can still count hours and amounts — it just cannot show a percentage. Fill in quote to unlock it.

Client view

A read-only page showing your baseline and additions side by side, accessed through a token link you control.

Creating a share link

1. 1Open the project, then choose “Share scope view”.
2. 2Decide whether amounts are visible. Hours-only is a good first share when the relationship is new.
3. 3Pick the language of the page — English or 中文, independent of your own interface language.
4. 4Copy the link and send it. It looks like scopeguard.work/c/〈token〉.

When to send it

Send the client view before the invoice, not alongside it. The view explains; the invoice asks. Separating them by a day or two turns a request into a confirmation.

Add-on invoice

Once the client has seen the scope view, the invoice is a formality. ScopeGuard builds it from the logged items — every line already carries its own hours and amount.

• Select which logged items to include — partial billing is fine, and unselected items stay in the log.
• Export as PDF, or send by email directly from ScopeGuard on the Pro plan.
• Billed items are marked in the log, so the same hour is never charged twice.

Plans & billing

Full feature comparison lives on the pricing page. You only pay when you are ready to upgrade — nothing expires on the free plan.

FAQ