Confirm the normal baseline
Baseline prerequisites
- The included scope, acceptance evidence and customer dependencies are recorded. (not complete)
- The normal delivery window and planned internal hours are visible. (not complete)
- Current project and retainer commitments use the same capacity basis. (not complete)
- The requested deadline and the reason it differs from the normal plan are recorded. (not complete)
- Currency, time, cost and indirect-tax units are consistent. (not complete)
Identify the real rush or priority-work effect
| Effect to test | Evidence | Decision checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Incremental delivery effort | Revised task and hour plan | Can the additional effort be resourced? |
| Incremental labour or supplier cost | Current cost or supplier record | Is the cost caused by compression and counted once? |
| Displaced contribution | Named work delayed, reduced or declined | Is the displacement credible rather than hypothetical? |
| Scope and schedule risk | Dependencies and approval windows | Can the same accepted scope and all required hand-offs meet the compressed plan? |
| Delivery-quality boundary | Review and acceptance checkpoints | Can the agreed scope still be completed and checked? |
| Customer or service consequence | Response commitments, current customer work and proposed alternatives | Which customer promise or service level changes if this request moves ahead? |
Stop if the work cannot be delivered within the protected boundary
Proceed only when each point is supportable
- The rush scope is defined and can be accepted on the compressed timeline. (not complete)
- Required people, access, suppliers and approvers are available. (not complete)
- Existing commitments and displaced work have been named and assessed. (not complete)
- Incremental cost and displaced contribution have evidence. (not complete)
- The customer can choose a normal, reduced-scope or rush option before commitment. (not complete)
Compare the options on the same units
| Criterion | Normal timeline | Reduced-scope rush | Full rush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Accepted baseline | Explicitly narrowed deliverables | Accepted baseline only if feasible |
| Delivery window | Normal plan | Compressed plan | Compressed plan |
| Incremental hours/project | 0 | User scenario | User scenario |
| Incremental cost/project | 0 | Planner input and output | Planner input and output |
| Displaced contribution/project | 0 unless evidenced | Evidenced amount | Evidenced amount |
| Decision checkpoint | Confirm normal slot | Confirm removed scope and acceptance | Confirm capacity, scope and acceptance remain protected |
Use the planner for the exact price
Worked scenario: separate incremental cost from the pricing decision
This fictional scenario uses generic currency units. It is not a rush-fee benchmark, percentage recommendation, legal entitlement or promise that the request should be accepted.
| Scenario line | User assumption or engine result | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Normal delivery window | 40 | hours/project |
| Rush delivery window | 30 | hours/project |
| Compressed hours | 10 | hours/project |
| Incremental cost per compressed hour | 55 | currency units/hour |
| Incremental labour cost | 550 | currency units/project |
| Displaced contribution | 500 | currency units/project |
| Incremental rush cost | 1,050 | currency units/project |
Calculate and test the rush decision
- Rush Fee Pricing Planner
Price compressed delivery
- Project Duration Risk Planner
Price best, base and worst project duration exposure
- Minimum Project Fee Planner
Set a minimum project fee
Present the options and record approval
- Show the normal timeline first so urgency has a visible comparison.
- State any reduced-scope option with its own deliverables and acceptance evidence.
- Show the full-rush option only after capacity and delivery checkpoints pass.
- Record the selected scope, price, timing, dependencies and authorised approval.
- Update the delivery baseline without overwriting the prior version.
If the request changes accepted scope, use the scope-change quote checklist to record the commercial decision. This guide does not prescribe contract wording or interpret approval rights.
Review actual cost, displaced work and margin
- Reconcile actual compressed hours and incremental cost to source records.
- Confirm whether named displaced work was actually delayed, reduced or lost.
- Separate approved scope change from rush-delivery variance.
- Compare the accepted option with actual cost and contribution on the same basis.
- Update future triage assumptions only when the evidence is repeatable.
Use the job-costing guide to reconcile estimate and actual without treating one urgent project as a universal pricing rule.
Avoid the common mistakes and keep the boundary clear
- Do not apply a universal 25%, 50% or 100% rule.
- Do not treat a surcharge as permission to skip scope, review or delivery checkpoints.
- Do not invent displaced contribution without naming the work and evidence.
- Do not promise acceptance, quality or timing that the capacity plan cannot support.
- Do not interpret overtime obligations, contract rights or legal entitlement.
- Do not imply every urgent request should be accepted.
Rush-work pricing questions
- What counts as rush work?
- Define it against the accepted normal delivery plan and current capacity. A universal number of days does not show what work, people, review steps or commitments must move.
- What percentage should I add?
- This guide supplies no global percentage. Record incremental cost and credible displaced contribution, then use the planner with an explicit business-selected margin assumption.
- Should I ever waive a rush fee?
- That is a commercial decision, not a universal rule. Keep the incremental economics visible even when choosing not to charge, and confirm the delivery plan remains feasible.
- When should I decline the request?
- Decline or offer another option when the scope is undefined, required capacity is unavailable, commitments or review steps cannot be protected, or the compressed plan is otherwise unsafe or not credible.
Approved calculation and review sources
- Rush Fee Pricing methodology — Margin101: Incremental rush cost, displaced contribution, target-margin and surcharge boundaries.
- Project Duration Risk methodology — Margin101: Symmetric duration scenarios and delivery-cost exposure.
- Minimum Project Fee methodology — Margin101: Project cost-stack and minimum-recovery boundary.