When a client asks for "just a bit more": an FDE Times guide to reading the SOW before you say yes

A new FDE Times guide, published on October 22, tackles a situation most forward deployed engineers meet a few weeks into a deployment: a happy client asks whether the system could do one more thing while you are at it. The guide argues this is a scope decision the FDE has to make, and that it can be made calmly rather than with an instant yes or no.

Drawing on Tandem's framework, it separates discovery, which clarifies an outcome the client has already bought, from creep, which adds a new outcome while time, cost and resources stay the same. It recommends two quick checks: a goal test (does the request clarify a bought outcome or add a new one?) and a record test (can you point to the SOW, meeting notes or handover notes that say what was in scope?). A worked example shows splitting a ticket category passing both tests, while asking the agent to reply to customers fails them and needs a priced, approved change order first.

The guide also lists common mistakes, such as doing small extras quietly because it is quicker, quoting the SOW at every clarifying question, flagging changes late and keeping no notes. It suggests a short written scope-change summary for every significant request.

Why it matters for FDEs: the job sits between code and contracts, and the guide suggests that when a job description mentions scoping, SOWs or change management, candidates should lead with a cleanly handled scope request as an interview story and a CV line about drafting change orders.