Scope creep is a phenomenon that occurs when you make changes to the scope of a project without using any control procedure, such as change requests, to control the changes. In other words, it refers to the requirements of a project that tend to grow over time, goals, or changes in vision compared to what was originally agreed upon.
This article talks about scope creep, its causes, why it occurs, how to anticipate it from happening, how you can communicate it to your team, impact of scope creep and effective ways on how you can avoid scope creep.
What is Scope Creep?
Scope creep is a progressive enhancement of the initial goals of the project, extending them beyond the initial objectives set for the project. It refers to including additional features to a project’s requirements than what is demanded, changing the goals and objectives of the project or define new objectives and goals. This is detrimental to the success of any project because these goals and objectives were not a part of the initial requirements of the project and hence, they were not planned for within the given timeframe, budget and the available resources at hand.
Consequences of Scope Creep
The following are some of the consequences that can arise from scope creep:
- Increasing Costs – The additional features incorporated in the project entails extra effort from your team. As a result, you may have to spend much more than what you had initially planned for.
- Project Schedule Delays – Since you will need additional resources to work on the additional features, the progress of the project may be delayed thereby affecting the project deadlines.
- Inefficient Work – The increase in the project scope will incur more effort from the team to deliver the software. As a result, this might affect the quality of work as well.
- Negative Impact on the Client’s Satisfaction: Delay of deliverables owing to the scope creep could affect the client’s satisfaction significantly. The delay in the deliverables of the project will adversely affect client’s satisfaction considerably.
How to Anticipate Scope Creep in a Project
The successful delivery of any project thrives on, among other factors, the ability to foresee and control scope creep. Identifying any anticipated scope creep beforehand is helpful as it enables you to take proactive measures to reduce its effects proactively. Project execution delays due to cost overruns, and poor quality of the project may result from scope changes.
If you know how to recognize scope changes at the onset, you can implement strategies to control, prevent and manage the project. Additionally, you should be able to comprehend the various aspects of project management such as, planning, collaboration, communication and risk management.
Through comprehension of project goals and limitations and involvement of the stakeholders at every stage of the project, scope changes may be managed, and projects completed successfully. Remember, the objective is not to ignore or suppress changes; instead, it is to ensure that they at no time derail, as far as the project’s delivery timeliness are concerned, and there is absolutely no compromise on the quality of the deliverables either.
Strategies That can Help you Avoid Scope Creep
To avoid scope creep, you should keep the following points in mind:
- It is critical to define a clear scope of work for the project.
- Your team members should be aware of even the minimal scope changes.
- Set deadlines and adhere to them as much as possible.
- Arrange all tasks or activities in order of priorities.
- You should impart training to the entire team.
- Your team members should always be updated and informed.
- If a change is unavoidable, a change control system has to be in place.
- You should never be reluctant to say NO – only when it is needed.
- Encourage and motivate your team members to be responsible and disciplined.
- Conduct scheduled meetings with the project team from time to time.
Why Does Scope Creep Occur?
Here are the key reasons for the occurrence of scope creep:
- Lack of clarity – If the requirements of your project are not defined with clarity, your stakeholders may want to add new features or change existing features to accomodate changes in business requirements.
- Business requirement changes – Incorporating new features or changing existing features due to changing business requirements might require your team to make adjustments to certain aspects of the project although such changes were not planned at the onset.
- Inadequate estimation and analysis – If the requirements and milestones of your project are not clearly defined, you are running into the risks of failure. Whenever projects exceed their estimated or planned timeline due to tasks that are more complex than anticipated, scope creep follows.
Communicating and Protecting Your Team
You can communicate to your team members that a scope creep will occur by:
- Documenting changes
- Evaluating and communicating the impact of scope creep
- Updating the project plan
- Reviewing the change management process
You can protect your team from the consequences of scope creep by:
- Guarding against gold plating
- Motivating your team
- Communicating with your team on a regular basis
Positive Impacts of Scope Creep
Albeit the downsides, there are certain benefits of scope creep as well. Here are the key benefits of scope creep:
Stakeholder Satisfaction
By proactively planning and providing adaptive management approaches, project teams are able, not only to respond to changes, but also to leverage new opportunities, thereby achieving better project performance and increased satisfaction from stakeholders.
Skill Development
Scope creep can open up opportunities for innovation, since your team members may have to explore new ideas and technologies or algorithms to solve business problems. This will also pave the way for skill development of your team, since they will need to learn or adapt to new technologies and tools.
Wrapping Up
Your project must have a well-defined scope at the onset. You should be able to establish effective communication channels and have arrangements in place to accommodate scope changes. By consistent monitoring and assessment of your project, you can determine any changes in the scope quickly, thereby mitigating their negative impact on the project’s cost, time and success.
