Project scope creep

the sound of the scope creep is deceptive and devious and how it
happens, sneaking up suddenly and hitting at the Project Manager and
the Project which requires extreme caution with the increasing or
changing scope in order to avoid nasty surprises.

Important Points
1. What scope creep is?
2. How it can hurt the projects?
3. How to mitigate it when it happens?

What Is Scope Creep?

It occurs when the scope, deliverables, or features on a project
expand from what was originally set—without being accounted for
additional time or budget. It is common that this can happen both
intentionally and unintentionally, stemming from the number of the
people who are involved in a project. Unfortunately, scope creep can
lead to project failure:, burn the entire allocated budget without
delivering the right Product at the right time.

My Experience with Scope Creep

We worked on a Project where there was a design phase, which then
moved into the development stage. It was straightforward enough: we
were building the frontend on top of a backend from another company.
We had signed off the designs and had run through all the details with
the client and other company - what could possibly go wrong?

It turned out that the other company was iterating on their backend
build and frequently releasing new codes. They did not account for us
for building on top of the old codes, so our codes of development got
messed up with every release. Meaning we had to go back through our
codes of development, updating it to work with the continuous changes
from the other company. This process and cost were unaccounted for
—but for success of the project it was essential that this work had to
be done. At first, we managed the odd, small fixes on an ad hoc basis,
but more and more problems started to occur. Although the subject
was brought to the attention of the Client, we absorbed the extra
work into our project rather than charging the client as a gesture of
goodwill, but we needed to find an acceptable solution to avoid losses
before proceeding. We fell deeper and deeper into redeveloping the
existing codes—timelines got extended, we missed our deadlines, and
we came under a lot of pressure - team was demotivated, the client was
unhappy, and none of this was actually our fault! In the end, the
project was delayed by six months, a huge amount of time, unaccounted
for with costs overrun.

The People Involved: Who Actually Causes Scope Creep

In hindsight we take a look at the project and identify who are the
people causing scope creep in order to identify the issues early and
determine in countering the issues.

1. Team members are unclear on what the scope of the project is.
Ensure that at the beginning of the project, all the requirements or
deliverables are already outlined & everyone working in the team is
fully aware. If scope is being set, make sure each team member fully
understands the scope & deliverable by conducting a kickoff meeting
with the team so that everyone is fully aware of what has been agreed
upon.
2. The team members want to develop what they want to develop,
& not what is in the agreed scope.
Technical team has in depth understanding when they are fully involved
and feel they own it. If someone goes away to produce something out
of scope because they want to, others on the project would resist.
3. Team members makes decisions in a vacuum.
Sometimes, team members choose a way to solve a problem that has an
impact on scope, often without realizing. Make sure to set up the team
from the beginning to work together and understand each other’s
suggestions and decisions. Most successful projects are empowered by
teams that work well together.

Internal Stakeholders
Project scope is also influenced internally in the organization from
senior stakeholders. They might have a vision for the organization that
involves delivering more for or they may want to push a different
agenda. Make sure that all internal stakeholders understand what they
are trying to deliver & by when. If a change would have a consequential
impact on the project, clearly lay out what impact this will have—
whether it is financial or time.

Users
User testing should be part of the project or product set up. User
feedback on a product can influence a course of events that ultimately
increases the scope. Prioritize the changes in a manner having the
biggest impact users’ experience. Then, work out what level of changes
that can comfortably be incorporated without affecting scope. If any
of the necessary changes would mean increased scope, contact the
client or stakeholders.

3rd parties
Dependencies coming from other parties (external company, third-
party) can affect / impact the project as well.

Project Manager
Biggest issue causing scope creep stems from the temptation to try
and make things work within the existing budget and timeline, without
involving the client or stakeholder. It is difficult to inform the Client
that a change cannot be made unless change request is raised and
approved. This is lot easier to be addressed earlier on, rather than
down the line.

Client
Be aware of client’s adding change requests that gradually build up or
suggesting new ways to do things that can affect the amount of effort
needed. Make sure to be straight forward and upfront with them if
they are asking for something that will cause scope creep.

Ten (8#) Common Causes of Scope Creep - How to Eliminate Them

1. Not having a clear scope

Clarity is extremely important on any project. If the scope is not
clearly defined at the beginning, this can cause problems during the
execution of the Project.
How to eliminate it: make sure the scope is clear to everyone working
on the project. Involve the team so that they all are on board on what
they are required to deliver.
2. Not having client agreement
If the client is not involved into the scope / deliverable, they are likely
to change their mind with scope / deliverables.
How to eliminate it: ensure the client understands what the scope is?
The Project scope document must be concise and must outline all the
details and deliverables.
3. Not raising issues proactively
Hiding behind issues and not being transparent with the client or
stakeholder seems easier at first, but later it is regretted.
How to eliminate it: raise issues right away, when they occur.
4. Needing more time than estimated
Estimation - How can the scope be estimated accurately? how many
bugs will be raised? how long will they take to fix, and what impact will
this have?
How to eliminate it: estimate a percentage of the scope based on the
complexity of build, then add contingency for unknowns.
5. Not agreeing on how to handle change
If it was not agreed in principle as to how changes will be managed and
handled in the beginning of a project, it is going to be difficult to work
through changes of scope at a later date.
How to eliminate it: outline the Statement of Work (or similar
document) as to how the changes will be managed. Use Change
Requests, ensuring that details clearly mention the original scope, what
is out of scope, what is in scope and how to raise a Change Request and
get it approved.
6. Estimating poorly
Estimation is difficult – It is a challenge to be accurate at the
beginning of a project when there are many unknowns. Certain things
may not get accounted for, and the project gets tied with the extra
scope for delivery of the overall project.
How to eliminate it: involve the complete team in estimation to ensure
that client and business requirements have been clearly understood and
determined against user requirements before estimating. Consider
using a Time and Materials pricing model rather than Fixed Price.
7. Not interrogating new requests
It is not easy to accept new requests or ideas from clients or team
members, believing that they are the right path. If these requests are
not properly investigated and studied, new scope is likely to be
accepted and duplicating of work without noticing.
How to eliminate it: review all the new requests with the full team.
Create a clear understanding of what the requests are, the impact of
incorporating these, and the outcome for the user. Then, prioritize the
new requests and cross check these to make sure these are already
being delivered elsewhere.
8. Not involving users early enough
It is extremely important to involve end users early on. Project can
progress far down the road that does not test well with users. At that
point the scope can suddenly spiral.
How to eliminate it: get users involved who will be using the product
or service as early as possible. If the client or budget holder does not
want to pay for this, work through and advise them with the benefits
and also the negative impact by not performing this early user
validation.
How to Manage Scope Creep?
Scope creep generally applies to projects with a fixed scope. Change
should not be seen as the enemy. Welcome the changing
requirements, even late in development – Process & harness change for
the customer’s competitive advantage. For example, when a new
requirement comes in, pull it into the Change Order Plan Process and
prioritize it with the Product Owner and team.

Five Ways to Manage Scope Creep

1. Be proactive. Determine and agree upon a change management

process upfront.
2. Prioritize. Look at what can be descoped to accommodate new
requests.
3. Be transparent. As soon as scope creep appears, bring it up with
clients and stakeholders.
4. Analyze impacts. Work out the impacts (both positive and
negative) of changes, and present solutions with client or
stakeholder in order to move forward.
5. Embrace it. Work out what is necessary for a testable, usable
product—if that means changing scope, look at ways to incorporate
the changes.