Scope Creep
Scope creep is an uncontrolled expansion of the project scope. Is also known as Gold-plating. In other words, team members are doing work that was not within the scope of work. It is, unfortunately, a relatively common issue. It is also a symptom of poor project management practices. This post explores the concept of scope creep.
Scope creep is usually the consequence of poor scoping. The project scope establishes an understanding of “what” the team will deliver. The team can define scope by, for example, clarifying the project’s outcome, deliverables, requirements, acceptance criteria, exclusions, and dependencies. A clear scope enables credible timelines and budgets. It also facilitates scope validation and project acceptance. In other words, with a clear scope, it will be easier to confirm that products meet requirements and obtain a final sign-off. You can check this post about the project scope to learn more. The project charter is also another source of information to see if something was predefined to be out of scope.
However, gold-plating is also the consequence of poor change control. Changes are inevitable. Nevertheless, project managers should manage them. Scope creep is inevitable when project managers lack the knowledge or authority to control changes.
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Scope Creep Effects
The new business process reengineering project is well underway. The team completed several project deliverables and the customer is pleased. However, team members informally added several significant requirements to the project scope. Therefore, these changes were not formally approved. Consequently, the scope, schedule, and cost baselines remain unchanged. As a result, the team can no longer meet the project’s timeline and budget. In fact, the project is significantly off track. Senior management is unhappy because “time is of the essence”. Moreover, senior management is concerned that the additional requirements can carry significant risks. Furthermore, they believe that the products will not generate the desired outcome.
In short, gold-plating is a bad idea. The project will probably waste resources and time to develop products without a full understanding of its consequences. Moreover, project targets will no longer be feasible.
Reason to Control Changes
Changes may certainly lead to a positive outcome However, the project management team should control them. Changes will have an impact on project objectives, such as schedule and budget. These objectives should remain credible, despite changes. Moreover, management should have an opportunity to approve changes and understand their impact. It is also important to keep track of these changes. In other words, it is important to log the details of each change. At the same time, controlling changes enables the project manager to encourage positive change, and discourage negative change. Without controlling changes a big consequence is Gold-plating.
Factors that lead to scope creep
Several factors can lead to scope creep such as lack of project management authority, poor project management practices, aggressive deadlines, and poor documentation. Let’s explore some of these causes in more detail.
Firstly, project managers can sometimes lack the authority to manage the project. As a result, they may not be able to ensure that the changes are controlled. Changes may therefore occur without assessing and accepting their effects.
Secondly, project managers may not have the expertise to manage changes properly. They may lack the training or the experience. Moreover, the organization may not have adequate project management processes.
Thirdly, some projects face aggressive deadlines. Surely that is not an excuse to accept scope creep. Yet, change control may lead to conflict. The customer may not be willing to accept the impact of these changes. Therefore, some teams may fail to control scope to avoid conflict.
Fourthly, some teams do not document scope properly. As a result, they may not be able to maintain control over the scope.
How to Avoid Scope Creep
Project managers should avoid scope creep. Consequently, they should take control over changes.
Firstly, the project should have a change management system in place. During the project’s early stages, the project manager should define a change management plan. In other words, the project manager should clarify the change control procedures, tools, roles, and responsibilities.
Secondly, the project manager should ensure that the change control system is effectively in place. In other words, there should be some discipline when managing changes.
Thirdly, the project management team should define the scope adequately. The deliverables, requirements, acceptance criteria, and exclusions should be clear. Additionally, the stakeholders should be in line with the scope baseline. In other words, there should be no false expectations regarding scope.