The Problem
Great Work, Bad Economics
Creative teams love to deliver. But when requests multiply without clear boundaries—"one more revision," "quick variant," "tiny scope tweak"—hours balloon, schedules slip, and realization % falls. Senior creatives get overutilized while juniors idle, and the project finishes with discounts or write-offs. Scope creep and revision loops are margin killers you can predict and prevent.
The Framework
Risk Conditions (Act Early)
Leading indicators that a project is drifting:
- Average revisions per deliverable > 2.5 (rolling)
- Client approval latency > 48 hours on key milestones
- Realization % trend ↓ (e.g., dropping toward < 85%)
- Senior utilization > 90% while junior/mid < 65%
- New work requests arriving outside agreed deliverables (no CR raised)
Action: Tighten approvals, cap revisions, rebalance staffing, and spin out change requests (CRs) early.
Issue Conditions (Already in Trouble)
If these are true, you're burning margin right now:
- Overage hours > 15% vs estimate and growing
- Discount/write-off required to close the job
- Deadlines slipping due to serial revisions or slow approvals
Action: Freeze scope, agree on a CR path, and execute a fast recovery plan.
Common Diagnostics
Run these quick checks to pick the right play:
- SOW hygiene: Do we have explicit deliverables, revision caps, acceptance criteria, and out-of-scope examples?
- Decision latency: Who approves? Are we waiting on a single stakeholder? Is "silence = proceed" defined?
- Work mix: Are seniors handling work juniors could deliver to standard?
- Content rework causes: Is rework from changing briefs, missing brand assets, or unclear success criteria?
- Change hygiene: Are new asks logged as CRs with impact on budget/timeline?
Step-by-Step Guide
Shape Demand
Actions:
- Enforce revision caps from the SOW (e.g., 2 rounds); any extras convert to a Change Request
- Tighten approvals: agreed approver list, 48-hour SLA, and "silence = proceed" for low-risk steps
- Clarify brief & asset checklist up front (brand kit, references, must-have outcomes)
- Preview standards: mood boards / style tiles early to lock direction sooner
Expected Impact: Fewer loops, faster approvals, cleaner baselines for estimation.
Balance & Standardize
Actions:
- Rebalance the team: shift repetitive tasks to junior/mid with senior QA gates
- Template the work: design systems, component libraries, and reusable layouts
- Playbooks & macros: common deliverables (ads, banners, landing sections) with checklists and QA criteria
- Batch reviews: group feedback sessions to avoid trickle-in commentary
Expected Impact: Realization ↑ 5–10pp; cycle time ↓; senior burnout ↓.
Commercialize Reality
Actions:
- Freeze current scope and agree on CR(s) for additions (variants, extra channels, new features)
- Introduce priority / rush fees if timelines compress
- Rebase timeline with a visible burn chart; confirm trade-offs (scope vs schedule vs budget)
- Escalate approvals (exec sponsor) if latency blocks delivery
Expected Impact: Stem margin loss now; restore predictability and accountability.
Finish Strong & Prevent Recurrence
Actions:
- Close the brief loop: document what drove rework; update the brief template
- Tune the SOW: sharpen deliverables, add explicit out-of-scope examples, define CR triggers
- Rate card hygiene: specialized work gets specialized rates (motion, 3D, localization)
- Portfolio learning: add best examples to the system library; reuse next time
Expected Impact: Higher win rate with realistic pricing and fewer firefights.
KPIs to Track
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Realization % | ≥ 85–90% |
| Average revisions per deliverable | ≤ 2.0 |
| Approval latency (median) | ≤ 48 hours |
| On-time delivery | ≥ 95% |
| Senior utilization | Healthy band 75–85%; avoid >90% sustained |
Warning Signals
Real Scenarios
Campaign with Endless Revisions
Context
Brand campaign where client keeps requesting "small tweaks" across 20+ deliverables.
Steps
- 1.Audit current revision count vs SOW cap
- 2.Document all out-of-scope requests with timestamps
- 3.Present client with CR for additional revision rounds
- 4.Batch remaining feedback into structured review sessions
- 5.Update brief template for next campaign
Senior Burnout on Routine Work
Context
Art director spending 60% of time on banner resizes while juniors are underutilized.
Steps
- 1.Map work types to appropriate skill levels
- 2.Create QA checklist for junior-produced work
- 3.Shift resize/adaptation work to junior team
- 4.Senior reviews final batch only
- 5.Track realization improvement over 4 weeks
Quick Wins
Start with these immediate actions:
- Add explicit revision caps to SOW template (e.g., 2 rounds included)
- Create a "change request trigger" checklist for project managers
- Set up 48-hour approval SLA with "silence = proceed" clause
- Build a component library for common deliverable types
Related Playbooks
Want to automate this playbook?
DigitalCore tracks these metrics automatically and alerts you before problems become crises.