Scope Creep in the Project Management

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction: The importance part of project success and project deliverable are clear defining the project scope. In any project, the scope has to be defined in which to state what things that are include and exclude in the project. In the theory the scope should not be crept because it has to be defined in the very beginning of the project planning. However in the reality the scope is creeping according to the needs or change control in project life time. It also happen because not have a clear definition in the scope of the project.

The scope is also describing all parameters that are involving or not involving in the projects. Some requirements to produce project scope statements are: project charter, preliminary project assessment, company or organizational internal procedure and policies that are relevant to the project, including experiences from the similar project in the past.  

In the progress of the implementation of the project, there are some parameters that need a change because of the project environment itself, not well distributing the scope statements to the right person or involving persons, the requirements are not well define, and communication gaps. These are among the thing that makes scope is creeping.

How to avoid the scope creep in the project management? First of all is having a clear vision statement available to everyone as a project team member. In other word everyone is in the same page, how to deliver and achieve the project. This is helping to define the project scope as details as possible. The project manager has to communicate all information or scope statements to the project team members specially a person who is involving specific tasks that crucial to have in time.

When the creeping scope in the project can be a good thing? When there are a few adjustments in the scope but still relevant to the initial scope of the project and most important is to make sure there will be no additional cost. For instance new features in the application that is not well define in the beginning. Or there is an additional cost but not much as we are waiting for new version to be developed and the changes has been approved by change authorities.

Conclusion:  To avoid the creeping scope in the project management, the project manager has to identify and define project team task clearly including define scope statement for the project.

Project manager has to communicate all scope statements to the relevant project team members that, their works are crucial to be delivered in the timely manner. In the process of the changing of the requirements in the project life time has to be communicated to all relevant entities with the reasons why and how it is changed. However, those changes are happen because they have been approved by authority body and there are no cost impacts of the changes or they have minimum impacts to the project cost.

References list:

·        Schwalbe, K. Information Technology Project Management, Revised 6th edition, Ch. 5 P. 183-186 

·        Lecture note, PM_WK2_Lecture_notes

·         Veryard, Richard. “In Praise of Scope Creep.” May 2001, [online]. Available from: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rxv/projmgt/scopecreep.htm . (Accessed Date: May 14, 2011)

·        Helms, Hal. “In Defense of Scope Creep.” A List Apart. September 20, 2002: Issue 150, [online]. Available from:  http://www.alistapart.com/articles/scopecreep . (Accessed Date: May 14, 2011)

·        Gurle, S. “Scope Creep”, December 2, 2003, [online]. Available from:  http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f03_papers/gurlen/ . (Accessed Date: May 14, 2011)