Round two, or was it round five?
The proposal said two rounds of amends. The client's marketing manager sends feedback on the first draft on Monday. On Tuesday her colleague adds a few thoughts. On Wednesday the MD sees it and wants the headline changed. The designer does each change as it arrives. Is that one round or three?
By the time the job is signed off, there have been six versions. The account manager feels it was too many but cannot say which ones counted. Raising a charge now would sour a good client, so the time is written off. The same thing happened last month.
Why amend limits are never enforced
- There is no clear moment when a round starts or finishes, so fragmented feedback becomes several rounds by accident.
- Several people at the client give feedback without talking to each other.
- Designers respond to each comment immediately to be helpful.
- Version numbers are in file names that everyone changes differently.
- Account managers do not want to be the person who counts amends in front of a client.
An amend limit that is never counted is not a limit. It is a line in the proposal that makes the agency feel protected while providing no protection at all.
What unlimited amends cost
Studio time goes into changes the fee never covered. Jobs run late because each small change restarts the review. Creative quality often gets worse with each round of committee feedback, so the extra work does not even produce better results. Worst of all, clients learn that the limit is not real, which makes it harder to hold next time.
Amend tracking we build
- Each deliverable is shared with the client through a review page, one per version, rather than as an email attachment.
- Reviewers at the client leave comments on the version, pinned to the part of the design they mean.
- A round is opened when a version is shared and closed when the named approver at the client submits it. Comments from other reviewers are grouped into that round.
- The page shows which round the job is on and how many are included in the scope, both for the client and the agency.
- When a new round would go beyond the included number, the account manager sees it before the designer starts and can send a short estimate, agree it as goodwill, or talk to the client.
- The full history of versions, comments and approvals is kept with the job for later questions.
| Moment | Without tracking | With tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback from several people | Separate emails, each actioned | Grouped into one round |
| Start of a new round | Nobody notices | Opened when the approver submits |
| Going past the included rounds | Found at the end, if at all | Flagged before work starts |
| Which version was approved | Search file names | Recorded with name and time |
If you already use a proofing tool that supports rounds, such as the review features in some project tools, we help you connect it to the scope instead of building a new one.
A job with rounds you can see
The client's team knows from the review page that this is round one and that their marketing manager submits the feedback. They gather comments in one place. The designer works through one consolidated list. When the MD wants another change after round two, the account manager has a simple conversation with the facts on screen, and the client decides whether it is worth it. Often it is not, and the job finishes.
Recognise this in your studio?
- Proposals include amend limits that are never counted.
- Feedback arrives from several people at different times.
- Designers make changes as each comment comes in.
- Extra rounds are written off rather than charged.
- Nobody can say which version the client actually approved.