Scope creep

Developed by Nathalie Lückstädt Nielsen

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 is the definition that describes the continuous change in scope during a project phase. Scope creep can happen both in relation 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 one 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. The key words in avoiding scope creep are transparency, good planning and overview. Suggestions on how to handle scope creep are also given, if this is unavoidable.

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 on project and product scope is found in the work of your local pizza place. A costumer comes in to order and bring home a freshly made pizza. The product scope is a pizza with the desired toppings. The project scope is on the other hand the work a pizza requires. This could be making the dough, preparing the toppings, baking the pizza 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.

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 are 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 relation 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 are 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 has 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.

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 one 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.

• 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.

• 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?

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Handle Scope Creep

Flow chart: How to deal with a scope change request

You are in the middle of a project, and small requests from the clients, which by itself seem harmless, are suddenly overwhelming, and the project is now on the road to failure. Scope creep is very much happening. There are a few things to have in mind, when your project is affected by scope creep . First step is to identify the scope creep. Why is it happening, and what is the impact of the scope creep? When the scope creep is identified you need to re-organize your work, so the creep can be managed and your project can get back on track. Decisions have to be made: what is necessary to do? Does the scope need to change, obtain more resources, or is it essential to delay the project release date? An important tool to handle scope creep is to make it the costumer’s cost creep. Set a new price on all the new requirements, so the scope creep translates to a financial issue on the costumer’s side. The final step when dealing with scope creep is communication: communicate the changes in the project, regardless if it is changes in scope, time or workload. It is important to keep the team motivated, even though the project is changing during the work period.

The local pizza guy is suddenly overwhelmed by all the new add-ons to the pizza order. He is experiencing scope creep. He has identified the scope creep and the impacts are both slip in cost and time. He can either refuse the costumer’s order change or he can make it the costumer’s cost creep. Tell the costumer “yes, I will add fresh tomatoes to your pizza, but you need to pay 10 DKK extra”. The costumer is now aware of the cost consequence followed by the add-on. Last the changes in scope need to be communicated to both the costumer and the rest of the team. Tell the costumer that the change in order leads to an extended waiting time, and tell the rest of the pizza team due to unexpected changes you will be delayed working on this particular order.

Is Scope Creep Always Bad?

Scope creep is in most cases related to unnecessary costs, delays, failed projects and work overload, but is scope creep always bad? Costumers clearly benefit from scope creep. Due to additional demands during the project time period, the costumer gets more or a better product than what was stated in the project scope in the beginning. As mentioned before is a happy costumer equal to good reputation. A successful project team after scope creep has a satisfied client and is clearly showing great management skills in relation to future projects. Scope creep cannot only benefit the costumer, but also the project management team. A team exposed to scope creep has the opportunity to reevaluate the internal processes in the company and in the team. Reevaluation is used to reduce scope creep and its consequences in future projects. With this mind set is scope creep used to improve the actions and collaborations inside the team. Cooperation between team, stakeholder and client can likewise be reevaluated which will benefit the project management team. A project team can also benefit from the extra work that usually follows from scope creep. Additional work can, if the changes are properly managed in terms of extra bills to the costumer and realistic changes in the time frame, be highly beneficial for the project team and the overall company. Finally, companies are likely to deliver new products or services due to scope creep and additional demands from the client. This will potentially develop new profit streams for the corporation, where the client possibly is financing some of the development expenses.

Conclusion

Scope creep happens 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. Creep in both project and product scope is happening in big projects, when a stakeholder suddenly demands a new feature or when the project team changes work structure. Costumers rarely know what they want in the beginning of the project, and their knowledge and desires are therefore transformed over time. These new desires add to the scope of the project and the final product. 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.

Change during a project is inevitable - so a good project manager is managing the change of the scope closely, to avoid scope creep. Be aware from the beginning of the project, understand what your client wants from the project, realize that change in scope is inevitable and say no to unreasonable requests are the key objects when avoiding the negative consequences of scope creep. The limitations with these five suggestions are that it is always easier to write down suggestion than actually implement them. An important tool to handle scope creep is to make it the costumer’s cost creep. Set a new price on all the new requirements, so the scope creep translates to a financial issue on the costumer’s side. It is furthermore important to keep the team motivated, even though the project is changing during the work period.

Scope creep is in most cases related to unnecessary costs, delays, failed projects and work overload, but scope creep is not always bad. Costumers benefit from scope creep when additional demands during the project time period are suggested. A better or more satisfactory product is presented in the end of the project period. Scope creep can also benefit the project management team. A team exposed to scope creep has the opportunity to reevaluate the internal processes in the company and in the team. With this mind set is scope creep used to improve the actions and collaborations inside the team.

Annotated Bibliography

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

A Wiki article with an overview of the concept of scoping including outline of the big idea, application and limitations. This reference is useful prior to reading the article about scope creep, to get a more profound understanding of the term scope.

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

An article that gives overview of how to outsmart scope creep with the use of simple tools. Suggestions of how to handle scope creep are given along with actual scrips that can be useful when addressing your client in uncomfortable situations that can arise along with scope creep. This includes conversations about declining new features or services, additions to the budget or changing the project requirements. This reference is especially useful for the practitioners interested in concrete tools to use in critical situations.

Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management, Fourth Edition. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited

A text book written by the famous Harvey Maylor about project management. The book covers many interesting topics of project management, and is divided into two major parts: “Making sense of the project context” and “Managing the project process” (Define it, Design it, Do it and Develop it). The source is highly relevant in terms of more academic information and includes many real life examples.