Preventing Scope Creep in Project Management

Scope creep: On-going requirements increase without corresponding adjustment of approved cost and schedule allowances.¹

Project Management Realities
In 1994, only 16 percent of projects were considered a success. Among the top ten reasons for project management challenges are: incomplete requirements and specifications, changing requirements and specifications, unrealistic expectations, and unclear objectives.²

One of the chief complaints of project managers is not having enough time to produce good quality work.³ We could produce a very impressive-looking cause-and-effect diagram here, but it seems pointless when the relationships are so linear:

1. Customers usually define success as good quality work.
2. Good quality work takes time.
3. Unclear objectives plus incomplete requirements result in changing requirements.
4. Changing requirements steal time and result in scope creep.
5. Thus, success is an unrealistic expectation if changes are not controlled through perceptive project management.

Seven Strategies for Preventing Scope Creep

• Control the scope of your project the moment it is assigned to you. Your first assumption should be that there will be changes and, in making that assumption, that you will need a robust change process in your project management. Implement change request forms early, and educate all stakeholders on your processes. A change request form will allow you to perform a cost-benefit analysis before approving changes.
  
  
• Be sure you completely understand the objectives. Don’t limit your vision to the product of the project; ask to see the business case and the strategic objective(s) that it supports. Meet with the sponsor and customer, and use the scope statement to deliver an overview of the project as a whole for their review and comments. Getting a written signature at this point can go a long way toward avoiding future misunderstandings and preventing scope creep.
  
  
• Identify who has change/approval authority for the project. You do not want to be making changes based on the feedback of someone who lacks the authority to actually make changes or approve them. Establish single points of contact at the customer’s organization. All changes/additions get channeled through this person to you.
  
  
• Understand your priorities and the priorities of the customer and sponsor. Maintain a list for your review throughout the project. Listed items should include budget, deadline, feature and function requirements, critical success factors, and customer satisfaction drivers. You’ll use this list to justify your decisions once the project has commenced.
  
  
• Minimize scope creep by establishing open and honest communication about cost expectations, the method of calculating costs and timing, the implications of scope change, and the negotiation process for any possible cost adjustments, if required.
  
  
• Every project should have a corresponding project management plan. Even if you’re just a one-person team, you’ll benefit from documenting your efforts before you begin. Decompose, or break down, the approved deliverables into work packages. The requirements should be as detailed as necessary and can be completed using a simple spreadsheet. The larger your project, the more detail you should include, and don’t forget to include time for training and documentation.
  
  
• Build flexibility into your cost and time estimates—about 15 percent to 20 percent. Scope creep is inevitable, so you may as well plan for it. Support from top-down leadership is important to good project management, too.

Preventing scope creep takes careful planning. If you can implement any of these steps, you can reduce the challenges of scope creep to merely annoying scope changes. That way, you are in a better position to control your project, instead of your project controlling you.

Want to prevent scope creep in your workplace? Discover industry-leading project management training courses that work with your busy schedule, or call Boston University today at 1-800-BU-TRAIN (288-7246) for your customized project management training assessment.


¹ “Wideman Comparative Glossary of Common Project Management Terms v3.1.” R. Max Wideman, March 2002.
² “CHAOS Report.” Standish Group, 1994.
³ “What are your project managers’ biggest complaints?” Zweig White Consulting. March 2002.