Matter Intake, Scope, and Budget Controls Kit

Matters go over budget for one core reason: they start without scope, budgets, and change control.

This kit installs a minimum viable matter intake workflow so:

• work starts with a defined scope
• budgets are set and approved
• changes require explicit approvals
• Finance can forecast and verify spend

What you will produce

1. Matter intake form
2. Scope and deliverables checklist
3. Budget and approval workflow
4. Change request template
5. Matter status update cadence

Beginner-safe definitions

Scope: what work is included and what work is not included.

Budget: the expected cost limit for the matter.

Change request: a request to expand scope or cost beyond the approved plan.

Step-by-step implementation

Step 1: Standardize intake

Every matter must have:

• owner
• objective
• urgency and deadline
• preferred vendor (or vendor selection plan)

Step 2: Define scope and deliverables

A scope should say:

• what is included
• what is excluded
• what outputs will be delivered

Step 3: Set budgets and approvals

Use a simple rule:

• budgets under $X: manager approval
• budgets over $X: executive approval

Step 4: Install change control

If scope changes, the budget must be re-approved.

Templates

A) Matter intake form (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Matter Intake Form

Matter name:
Owner:
Business objective:
Urgency and deadline:
Preferred vendor (if known):
Work type:
Requested start date:

Initial scope (plain language):
Included:
Excluded:

Deliverables:
- Deliverable 1:
- Deliverable 2:

Budget request:
Estimated budget:
Approval needed by:
Notes:

B) Budget tracker (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Matter Budget Tracker

| Matter | Vendor | Approved budget | Billed to date | Forecast to complete | Variance | Owner | Status |
| ----- | ------ | --------------: | -------------: | -------------------: | -------: | ----- | ------ |

C) Change request (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Matter Change Request

Matter:
Vendor:
Reason for change:
New work requested:
Impact on budget:
Impact on timeline:
Requested decision date:
Approver:
Decision:

D) Monthly status update (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Matter Status Update

Matter:
Owner:
Summary of work completed:
Open risks:
Budget status (billed to date, forecast):
Next decisions needed:

Common failure modes

• matters start without a written scope
• budgets are “soft” and never enforced
• changes happen through email without approvals