What is scope creep in project management?
The easiest way to describe scope creep is to say that it is adding features and requirements that are beyond the agreed-upon product scope. Both parts of this definition are important because project scope’s change or expansion is not necessarily the same as scope creep. On the contrary, change is a completely normal thing in project management. The scope creeps when changes are not agreed on, and the increase in project requirements is uncontrolled.
A definition provided by the PMBOK® Guide (5th edition) states that scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources. This description emphasizes a crucial factor that should help you imagine the potential consequences of scope creep. I’m talking about how these new features in the project scope are not adjusted to the timeline, resources, or budgets. It essentially means that any (or all) of these variables could go very wrong and sink your project.
Now that we’ve defined scope creep let’s discuss its main causes.
What causes scope creep in project management?
Scope creep is likely to be caused by a combination of the following factors:
Poor project scope. This is usually the main factor that contributes to scope creep. When your project’s scope is vague or non-existent, how can you control it? Having a clear scope statement is not the ultimate solution to this challenge, though. You need to validate the scope and sign it off with all project stakeholders.
Yet another problem may occur when you don’t consult the requirements with the right people on your team. For example, some requirements may turn out not to be technically viable even when your scope is clear, and your client has greenlit it. This is why it’s essential that you:
- gather project requirements from all stakeholders,
- analyze the requirements (and their consequences),
- discuss the requirements with your team,
- create a clear scope statement and a work breakdown structure (WBS),
- get your scope signed off by all stakeholders.
Want to learn more about this process? Check out our guide to project scope management. It will help you with managing scope successfully.
Scope creep is also likely to happen when you don’t have established procedures on dealing with change requests. Or perhaps you have set some change control rules, but the stakeholders aren’t aware of them. In the next section of this blog post, we’ll talk a bit more about managing changes so that they don’t derail your project.
One of the less expected causes of scope creep is when your team members are directly influenced by the client to add a new feature or expand an existing one. Such external pressure can be difficult to notice for project managers, especially if team members don’t communicate it transparently.
Yet another possible danger is when stakeholders show varied involvement in the project. Imagine a situation when your client is not paying that much attention to the project scope during the requirement gathering stage. Perhaps they are busy with other things or simply aren’t really engaged in the project. Once they see the first results of your work, however, they suddenly become more involved and start to come up with new features or redefine project goals. You can imagine how this could easily lead to scope creep.
Finally, we have to mention external influences, which are often out of your control. It’s difficult to get ready for unexpected scenarios, but, as a project manager, you should have some contingency plans prepared. They will help you to manage changes even if they take you by surprise.
As you can see, there are many possible causes of scope creep—our list is definitely not exhaustive. What you need to keep in mind is that scope creep will also happen due to a combination of different factors. That’s why it’s useful to know how you can potentially avoid scope creep whatsoever.