Scope creep

Abstract

The following article describes the project management phenomenon scope creep. The definitions of project scope and product scope as well as scope creep are discussed. Scope creep can happen both in proportion to project and product scope. Product scope creep can happen both naturally and when a stakeholder demands a new feature of the product. Project scope creep can happen when a project team is taken a new working direction with a project - both intentionally and unintentionally. Natural changes will happen in project all the time, and a project rarely delivers exactly what was asked for on day 1 of the project. The key to avoid scope creep is to handle these changes carefully, so this article also discusses tools to avoid scope creep. Suggestions on how to handle scope creep is also given, if this is unavoidable.

What is scope?

It is important to know the definition of scope before discussing the concept of scope creep. The term scope does in project management imply two different things: Project Scope and Product Scope. Project Scope is the “how’s” and is more focused on the work that needs to be completed to deliver a product, result or service. Product scope is on the other hand the “what’s” - this is directly compared with the product, result or service and is more focused on the requirements of these. So scope states detailed deliverables and features of a project.

An everyday example of the difference of project and product scope is found in the work of a bicycle repairer. A costumer comes in with a flat tire and wants it fixed. The product scope is a bike with a new tire. The project scope is on the other hand the work a new tire requires. This could be removing the old tire and replacing it with a new one, inflate the new tire and so on.

Scope creep, also called requirement creep or function creep, happens when these deliverables, along with ineffective change control, are not entirely defined, described and mapped.

What is scope creep?

Scope creep is not just happening in big projects, but happens all the time in everyday actions. You have been exposed to scope creep when you carry to bags filled with grocery home from the store, even though you only needed milk and eggs, or when your boss tells you to copy two files, and suddenly ten files is placed on your desk. Scope creep happens, as mentioned, when the scope of the project or product is not completely well-defined or when the scope changes after the project begins. Scope creep is the definition that describes the continuous change in scope during a project phase. Scope creep can happen both in proportion to project and product scope. Product scope creep can happen both naturally and when a stakeholder demands a new feature of the product. Costumers rarely know what they want in the beginning of the project, and their knowledge and desires is therefore transformed over time. These new desires add to the scope of the project and the final product. Project scope creep can on the other hand happen from inside the organization, when a project team is taken a new working direction with a project due to new knowledge just as the costumer - both intentionally and unintentionally.

You walk into your local pizza place and order a pizza from the menu. Right before you pay, you ask the pizza guy to add fresh tomatoes to your pizza. Fresh tomatoes are then added - the product scope is then changed from a pizza without tomatoes to a pizza with tomatoes. All because of a change request from you (as a stakeholder). This new request cost both in time and money, and a new unclear situation is occurred- should you pay for the newly added tomatoes, or is it part of the deal? Many new decisions have to be made when scope creep is happening.

The pizza guy now decides to try out a new and more effective method while making your pizza: putting the pizza in the oven before applying the toppings. This is an example of project scope creep. The final product will clearly not be the same, even though the pizza guy had good intentions when changing the original project plan.

Creep in both project and product scope is also happening in big projects, when a stakeholder suddenly demands a new feature or when the project team changes work structure. Scope creep can also be a result of reduced communication between parties or poor change control. Scope creep is therefore generally considered harmful and can results in both time and cost overrun.

How to avoid scope creep

Change during a project is inevitable - so a good project manager is managing the change of the scope closely, to avoid scope creep. Thorough project management can avoid scope creep, which increases the change of delivering a project within the given time and budget. Natural changes will happen in project all the time, and a project rarely delivers exactly what was asked for on day 1 of the project. The key to avoid scope creep is to handle these changes carefully. The following five guidelines are suggested to prevent scope creep from happening.

1. Be aware from the beginning of the project. It is essential that the project manager has a good overview from day one, and can quickly say yes or no to new suggestions or requests from relevant stakeholders or clients.

1. Understand what your client wants from the project. It is important as a project manager that you can see the client’s vision with the project in the given time period - is it unrealistic or too determined?

1. Transparency around the objectives and goal of the work already in the initial planning phase. With this transparency small and big milestones within the project can be identified and put on a timeline. When new scope changes are requested, these milestones are reviewed and the project can in continuation of this be kept of track.

1. Realize that change in scope is inevitable. Make a plan that defines how changes will be handled already in the beginning of the project phase. Make decision about who can request scope changes, who will grant these changes and how will the process of getting additional payment due to these changes proceed.

1. Say no to unreasonable requests. A good project manager knows that it is acceptable to say no to irrational scope changes - especially when dealing with critical path elements. If you as a project manager cannot say no to a new scope request try thinking of alternatives. Maybe the new feature can replace a feature defined in the original scope. Another alternative is to price the scope creep: how much will the added features cost? This can results in withdrawal of some requests.

The negative effects of scope creep can with these five suggestions be avoided and handled carefully. The key words in avoiding scope creep are transparency, good planning and overview. The limitations with these five suggestions are that it is always easier to write down suggestion than actually implement them. You and your project team are hired by a costumer and one golden rule is that the costumer is always right. If the customer demands a change in the scope halfway through the project, it is not easy to contradict this demand- a pizza guy refusing to add fresh tomatoes to your pizza does not equal a satisfied costumer. A happy costumer in the end of a project leads to a great reputation and consequently more work in the future.

Annotated Bibliography

Wiki article: Scoping. http://apppm.man.dtu.dk/index.php/Scoping (2017)

Overview of the concept of scoping with outline of the big idea, application and limitations. This reference is useful prior to reading the article about scope creep.

Bellenger, Lynn G. (2003) Avoiding Scope Creep Protects the Bottom Line, Ashrea Journal, Volume 45, Issue 10, pp. 58. Amer. Soc. Heating, Ref. Air-Conditioning Eng. Inc.

Article addressing the consequences about scope creep as an effect of a badly written scope document. Addresses the financial consequences of scope creep and discusses the legal matter

Parisi, M. (2011) Managing Scope Creep with Design Patterns in Formal Specifications, Vol. 5 No. 1. International Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications

Addresses scope creep from the software engineering point of view. The article discusses several design patterns in the software coding, that is design to manage the changes in scope during the project period. This application of code design patters can help mitigate these late changes.

FreshBooksBlog. (2015) 5 Scripts You Can Use to Handle Project Scope Creep

An article what gives an overview of how to outsmart scope creep. Suggestions of how to handle scope creep is given along with actual scrips that can be useful when addressing your client in uncomfortable situations. This includes conversations about declining new features or services, additions to the budget or changing the project requirements.