GuideProjects & DeliveryScope Tracker & Client Portal
Projects & Delivery

Scope Tracker & Client Portal

Scope disputes happen when nobody agreed on what was asked for, or when 'just one more small thing' quietly becomes a week of extra work. This page covers the tools built specifically to stop both.

How a scope change gets confirmed

The client's own confirmation is the only thing that can approve it — never the freelancer alone.

Flag the change

Set the cost/timeline impact and why.

Client is notified

It appears on their intake link or client login.

Client confirms

Digitally, with their name — the permanent record.

Work resumes

Only now does it move to Approved.

Scope Change Confirmation

Extra work never starts on a 'maybe' — the client has to say yes first.

Why it exists

A change that affects cost or timeline is exactly the kind of thing that causes disputes later if it was only ever discussed verbally. Flagging it forces a written record, and it stays pending until the client's own digital confirmation.

When to use it

Any time a requirement — new or existing — changes the cost or timeline you originally agreed on.

  1. 1

    Flag it

    On an existing pending requirement, or add a new one directly as a scope change.

  2. 2

    Set the impact

    Cost and/or timeline impact, plus a short note explaining why.

  3. 3

    Client confirms

    They see it on their intake link or client login and digitally confirm with their name.

  4. 4

    Work resumes

    Only after confirmation does the requirement move to Approved — a freelancer alone can never push it through.

Pro Tip

The confirmation record — who confirmed it and when — stays visible on the requirement permanently, even after it's completed.

Client Portal

A read-only progress view you control exactly what shows.

Why it exists

Clients asking 'how's it going' is a sign they can't see progress themselves. A portal answers that question for them, on their own time.

When to use it

Any project where a client would benefit from checking progress without messaging you.

  1. 1

    Generate a portal link

    From the Scope tab, per project.

  2. 2

    Toggle what it shows

    Scope progress, recent logs, a combined activity timeline, milestones, and an optional payment-progress view.

  3. 3

    Share it

    View-only — nothing can be edited or submitted from it, and it never exposes your vault.

  4. 4

    Turn it off anytime

    The Active/Inactive toggle takes effect immediately.

portal.shipmark.io/t/8f2a91
Prepared for Acme Co
Mobile App Redesign
Discovery
Design
Build
Launch
Overall progress62%
Read-only · via Shipmark

Pro Tip

A link can also be set to expire automatically, in addition to manually deactivating it.

Client Login for Multiple Projects

One dashboard across every project a client has with you.

Why it exists

A client with three projects and three separate portal links has three things to keep track of. One login solves that for good.

When to use it

Any client with more than one project in your workspace.

  1. 1

    Share your workspace's client-login link

    One URL, from the client's Portal tab in your Client Directory.

  2. 2

    They sign in with an emailed code

    No password to manage on their end.

  3. 3

    They see everything at once

    Progress, milestones, the activity timeline, and requirement submission with scope-change confirmation — across every linked project.

Pro Tip

This runs alongside the classic per-project portal link, not instead of it — both stay available.

Best practices

  • Turn on the activity timeline in a client's portal before they ask for a status update — it usually pre-empts the question entirely.
  • Flag a scope change the moment it comes up in conversation, rather than after the extra work is already underway.
  • Revoke or expire an intake link once a project wraps, rather than leaving an open door indefinitely.

Frequently asked questions

No — approving a requirement and creating a task are separate, deliberate steps. Link an approved requirement to a task (or checklist step) you've created yourself so scope and execution stay explicitly connected.
No. The classic per-project portal is fully read-only. The client-login dashboard additionally allows requirement submission and scope-change confirmation — but never editing existing data.

Need more help?

Can't find what you're looking for here — try these.