Scope Creep: The Uninvited Guest to Spoil your weekend plan

scope creep is an uninvited guest at your project meeting, bringing along a whole lot of trouble

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Team Get Aligned

3/26/20246 min read

Scope Creep: The Uninvited Guest to Spoil your weekend plan

By Team Get Aligned

3/20/2024 | 2 min read

How to Slay the Scope Creep Monster and Deliver Projects on Time

We've all been there. You meticulously plan a project, set deadlines, and assemble a dream team. But then, something insidious creeps in – scope creep. It's the uninvited guest at your project meeting, bringing along a whole lot of trouble.

What is Scope Creep?

Imagine a project as a delicious pizza. You've carefully chosen your toppings – the features and functionalities that will make your project a success. But then, the "helpful" friend (or client) suggests adding extra anchovies (new features). While a few extra anchovies might seem harmless, soon you're drowning in a sea of toppings, and your perfectly planned pizza becomes a soggy mess.

That's scope creep in a nutshell. It's the uncontrolled expansion of a project's scope, adding features, requirements, or deadlines that weren't originally planned. These seemingly minor changes can snowball, leading to project delays, budget overruns, and frustrated team members.

Let's follow the journey of "A," the project manager

Early Signs: At the project's inception, minor changes requested by the customer seem inconsequential. However, as these requests accumulate, they gradually expand Thingamajig's functionality beyond its original scope.
Customer Influence: The customer's involvement, while initially beneficial, becomes a double-edged sword. Their feedback leads to additional changes, pushing the project off course.
Internal Contributions: Internal team members also contribute to scope creep by suggesting improvements without considering their impact on the project's scope and timeline.
Milestone Review: During the milestone review, pressure from the customer and company executives leads "A" to accept further changes, despite recognizing their detrimental effects on the project's schedule and budget.

The Culprits of Scope Creep

There are two main culprits behind scope creep:

External Creep:

This comes from outside the project team, often from clients or stakeholders. They might request new features, changes in functionality, or adjustments to deadlines.
Internal Creep:
This originates within the project team. Team members, enthusiastic about the project, might suggest improvements or add features that go beyond the initial scope

How to Kick Out Scope Creep

Don't let scope creep turn your project into a disaster zone! Here are some battle tactics to keep it at bay:

Define Your Boundaries: Before you get started, create a clear and well-defined project scope statement. This outlines the project's deliverables, limitations, and goals. It's your pizza recipe – a roadmap for success.
Communication is Key: Maintain open and transparent communication with everyone involved in the project. Regularly discuss potential changes and their impact on the scope.
Change Control Measures: Establish a formal process for handling change requests. This ensures that all changes are properly evaluated, considering their impact on budget, schedule, and resources.
Taming Team Enthusiasm: While team creativity is valuable, manage expectations. Clearly communicate the project scope and discourage implementing features outside the defined boundaries.

By following these tips, you can keep scope creep out of your project meetings and ensure your project stays on track for success. After all, a well-defined project is a happy project, just like a delicious pizza is a happy pizza (even without the extra anchovies for some).

Reference; https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/controlling-scope-creep-4614