Scope creep. You may have heard of the term in a project you’ve been involved in, but what is scope creep defined as?
More importantly, how do you prevent and mitigate scope creep from causing havoc on your projects?
Scope creep defined
At the start of a project, a scope is defined, usually in the form of a scope statement in the project charter. The scope is a set of requirements and objectives that have been agreed upon by all stakeholders to complete a project.
The term ‘scope creep’ comes from when a stakeholder (usually the client) asks for an additional request to the project after the initial definition phase. This is usually because they have forgotten something and deem it important to the project.
Fortunately, with agile projects, there are manageable ways to deal with new and existing requirements. Whereas traditional, waterfall projects do not have an easy way of changing project definition and scope midway through a project.
How to handle new requirements
It is up to the scrum master, and project manager to delegate with the product team and the product backlog regarding the importance of the new request.
Depending on the severity and the level of priority will determine whether or not the new request will be added to the project.
It is not always necessary to adhere to scope changes. It depends on the product and project vision and the budget. With agile projects, you have the flexibility to remove items from the scope into the backlog and replace them with new requests. This depends on:
- Priority – how important is the requirement
- Time/cost – Will the new task be able to be completed within the project end date and will it still be within the budget
Whilst priority and budget are key parameters in deciding the outcome of scope creep, it is also important to consider your professional opinion. If a client wants to include a new section on the home page, for example, but it doesn’t meet the design style and layout of the page, then you are more than in your right to push back such requests. Alternatively, tell the client the implications of including the new addition and how it will affect the layout, the budget and time – including the delivery date.
It is important to be as specific as possible when project planning to gain as much clarity as possible. This will help ensure that any important items aren’t left out.
Be firm and authoritative when changes are requested. Keep your professional hat on when dealing with scope changes. Whilst the changes can be valid, make sure the client isn’t trying to add tasks under the radar without paying. Also, don’t get into gold-plating – adding tasks to a project that have not been estimated or priced up.
For more information on scope creep, check out the PMI’s website.
