New project managers appreciate the pliability of Agile, as it offers opportunities for changes to occur without causing the project to combust. While Agile Methodology compensates for much of the changes that happen during a project, Agile projects are not immune to scope creep.
In Agile projects, the scope is much less defined at the beginning, as it may not be fully known or it inherently changes often [1, p. 232]. It is important that during project scope management, the team develops a process to meet the validation standards distinctive to the project [1, p. 224]. This process helps guide the acceptance of the project’s deliverables and allows the client to receive what they expect within a reasonable timeframe and budget [1, pp. 224-226].
Unfortunately, even the most robust validation process is not a foolproof solution to completely prevent scope creep. Realistically, things happen. It is how well we handle those “things” that can make or break the success of a project. Today, we are going to explore what scope creep is and how to prevent your projects from being consumed by it.
Scope: The Walls of a Project
First, we must briefly address scope itself. It is imperative to know what defines the baseline of project scope before we recognize when the project is going haywire.
Scope describes the entirety of the work involved in creating products in a project, and the processes to complete them [1, p. 203]. To define scope, the team creates a project scope statement. In Agile projects, this compiles the project’s deliverables, the project’s user stories and the acceptance criteria to define completion, among other aspects of the project [1, p. 211][3]. For example, if a deliverable is defined for the team to "create a new feature," and one of the requirements for completion is to "implement an update to all user permissions allowing use of the new feature," both aspects will be expressed within the project’s scope statement.
Graphic: Anthony Mersino | Reference: [5]
Scope Creep
When the project scope goes beyond the original project scope statement, this is when scope creep settles in. Scope creep at its very core is when the scope of the project expands without any adjustment to the timeframe or resources available [1, p. 225][2].
It is worth noting that scope creep is not immediately a bad omen to a project. If managed correctly, the project still can get completed successfully [1, p. 225]. In fact, it may even be necessary to deviate from the original project scope, such as when a particular deliverable is found to not be of benefit to the user [4].
Where scope creep becomes dicey is when it gets so out of hand, it busts projects at their seams. An example of this occurred in 2001, when McDonald’s Restaurants aspired to create a program that connected its headquarters with all of its restaurants to view operations in real time. After millions of dollars were spent, the company acknowledged that the project was too large and ended it [1, p. 225].
Graphic: Allison Dunny | Reference: [3] | Created using LucidChart
Causes of Scope Creep
Like the incident with McDonald’s, the cause of scope creep could simply be the objective of the project being too difficult and expensive to reach finality. Other causes can be found within the project or the team itself. Some of these causes are easier to resolve than others. Listed below are four common vulnerabilities that are exploited within a project.
No or Ill-Defined Project Scope Statement: If the requirements of the project and its deliverables are not clearly established, teams are immediately unsure of exactly what they need to accomplish or how to go about accomplishing specific tasks. The team may also create a product that completely misses the objective, thus wasting time and resources [3].
Faulty Product Backlog: The product backlog contains the requests of the product owner. If project managers allow it, the product owner may attempt to have all items on the product backlog developed without need. Product owners may also attempt to have new requests brought to the forefront without any recalibration of priority [3].
Lack of Prioritization: It is important to identify what tasks need to be done first to efficiently reach project completion. If tasks are done at will, this can delay other tasks of the project, and may cause important features to go unfinished. Lack of prioritization also leaves the door open for new tasks to take precedence [3].
Breakdown of Communication: Within the team, if members fail to communicate complications during product development, this can lead to larger scale issues, such as stretching the budget too far or dramatically delaying the timeline. The same holds true for stakeholders. Project stakeholders, if allowed, can remain uninvolved in giving important feedback during notable milestones in a project. They remain uninvolved until they decide to change a crucial aspect of the project, wasting time and resources [3].
Graphic: Allison Dunny | Reference: [3] | Created using LucidChart
Plan of Action
As a project manager, it is essential to have strategies that plan for or act against scope creep when it does arise. Projects of any complexity are prone to scope creep. The causes listed previously can send projects into a tailspin, if not careful, but they aren’t the explosive devices they initially appear to be. With proper management, they can be mitigated as follows:
Make a Project Scope Statement: Define the known deliverables that the team will work on during each sprint. Be sure to indicate the goals, the timeline, the priorities, the acceptance criteria, the pricing, and any additional resource cost [3].
Be Attentive to the Product Backlog: Distinguish between what is valuable to the user and what isn’t. It is important to keep in mind the main objective of the project, and which aspects can wait. Remove requests that are not relevant to the project scope, incorporate new requests of similar scale that are relevant based on stakeholder feedback, and reprioritize tasks as this list updates [3][4].
Prioritize With Your Team: Make sure your team is included in all planning to help avoid teammates from misconstruing what must be completed during each sprint. This also allows the most valuable aspects of the project to be completed first. To assist with this, prioritization tools can be incorporated such as a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or Gantt charts [3].
Plan Communication: Collaborate with project stakeholders and your team often and consistently. It is best to administer a communication plan up front both with your stakeholders and your team so that there is no confusion on expectations. Scheduling a meeting and having a conversation is critical to keeping everyone in the know and discussing all aspects of the project’s progress thus far [3].
Final Thoughts
Scope creep is not the project manager’s best friend during a project. In fact, when scope creep shows up, it is the unwelcome uncle that makes everyone uncomfortable. It is usually a sign that something was not established properly or thoroughly during the definition of the project scope. It can also mean that there is a disconnect within the communication of the team, or that there is an irrelevant item on the product backlog.
Whatever it may be, the project manager must actively ask whether the task at hand or the task that arises is worth delving into [4]. One thing is for certain, scope creep does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it is up to the project manager and their team to set boundaries before the first task is started and to ensure that everyone agrees to uphold them until it is necessary not to.
References
[1] K. Schwalbe, et al, Information Technology Project Management, 9th ed., Boston, MA, USA: Cengage, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://ebooks.cenreader.com/#!/reader/b2aef31a-bf2f-4c23-a0fa-63a64a662287/page/758a39896cdf87baf7a6aadddffd418f Accessed February 5, 2024.
[2] M. Sliger. “Goodbye, scope creep—hello, agile!” Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2010, Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, October 2010. [Online]. Available: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/project-scope-creep-agile-methodologies-6552 Accessed February 7, 2024.
[3] T. Tamilchelvan. “Agile Scope Management: 4 Causes of Scope Creep and How to Combat Them” Medium. October 16, 2019. https://medium.com/project-managers-planet/agile-scope-management-4-causes-of-scope-creep-and-how-to-combat-them-3ed6cdab4462 (Accessed February 9, 2024).
[4] D. Bagina. “Managing scope creep in Agile projects.” ScrumMastered. January 23, 2023. https://scrummastered.com/blog/managing-scope-creep-in-agile-project/ (Accessed February 9, 2024).
[5] A. Mersino. “Why Scope Creep is Complete Bullshit.” Vitality Chicago. December 5, 2023. https://vitalitychicago.com/blog/why-scope-creep-is-complete-bullshit/ (Accessed February 12, 2024).
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