Your Manager Promised Us: How to Handle Verbal Agreements

It’s a phrase every project team hears at some point: "Your manager promised us..."

These situations can be minor, such as agreeing to make a small visual adjustment, or major, involving significant changes to project functionality or design that were never formally approved.

Regardless of the scale, informal agreements can lead to misunderstandings and conflict, jeopardizing the relationship with the client and disrupting the project flow.

How to prevent this from happening:

- Document all agreements. After each meeting, summarize the discussion and share the document with the client for confirmation. This ensures both sides have a clear record of what was agreed upon.

- Apply this to all forms of communication. Whether the discussion happened via video call, phone, or chat, important decisions and agreements should always be formalized and shared in writing.

- Confirmed documentation builds trust. Even if not specified in a formal contract, these written summaries help avoid disputes later and protect both parties.

By consistently documenting agreements, teams can avoid unnecessary stress and maintain positive client relationships while keeping projects on track and within scope.