Choose the working relationship, not only the scope.

A page, integration, or feature is an output. Clarify what should become possible after it exists, who needs it, and what evidence would show that the change is useful. This gives the team a basis for choosing scope rather than merely accumulating requests.

The delivery team owns the work it agrees to carry. The client retains business decisions that require its authority and context. Naming that boundary prevents important decisions from disappearing between roles.

A healthy team can question an approach without blocking progress or turning every trade-off into conflict. The goal is not agreement on every detail; it is a reliable way to decide when evidence, constraints, or priorities point in different directions.

Before starting, confirm the problem, decision owner, review rhythm, required access, acceptance evidence, and escalation path. If these remain unclear, reduce the scope until the first verifiable decision becomes visible.