What is the best way to manage scope creep?

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Scope creep happens when a project’s completion requirements increase past the planned project requirements. When this happens, the project runs the risk of being completed late, over budget and lacking in quality. In this guide, we look at what scope creep is, some examples of scope creep, how to prevent scope creep from happening and how to fix it if it has already gotten out of hand.

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What Is Scope Creep?

Every project should begin with agreed-upon project requirements, including a project timeline, budget, boundaries and incremental and final deliverables. When a project’s requirements go beyond those included in the original plans without authorization or control measures, the project enters into scope creep. Scope creep may happen due to added features, funding, resources or personnel needed to complete the project in a satisfactory manner.

Real-World Scope Creep Examples

Denver International Airport’s (DIA) automated baggage-handling system and Boston’s “Big Dig” construction project both experienced massive scope creep. Both projects finished over a year late and millions or billions of dollars over budget. Below, we take a closer look at each project, what went wrong and what could have been done to prevent damaging scope creep.

Project: DIA Automated Baggage-Handling System

Denver International Airport (DIA) undertook the extremely progressive project of creating a fully automated baggage-handling system in the 1990s. After scope creep plagued the project, the system was finished 16 months past its planned completion deadline, $569 million over budget and without the required features to make it functional. Ultimately, the airport had to revert back to a manual labor system and abandon the project altogether.

At DIA, scope creep occurred because project leads ignored key stakeholders who had expertise in the field and warned that the project was overly complex, unlikely to work and was missing key required features. Thus, no detailed project requirement document drove the project from day one, creating the need for over 2,000 design changes to incorporate key features and reduce the system’s complexity.

Project: Boston’s “Big Dig” Highway Construction Project

The Boston Big Dig is the largest highway construction project in the United States. The plans for the project began in 1982 and the project was scheduled to be completed in 1998 for a total estimated cost of $2.56 billion. However, scope creep overtook all of these goals. In the end, the project was completed in December 2007 (nine years late) and the final project cost was $14.8 billion, more than $12 billion over budget.

According to NASA, instead of bringing all stakeholders together for a consensus on scope requirements, designers and contractors were consulted separately. Further, instead of a centralized decision-maker, sub-teams were accountable to different leads, resulting in conflicting plans and scope change requests. In the end, much of the scope creep could have been avoided with a requirements and change management plan everyone agreed to.

5 Common Causes of Scope Creep

Scope creep can occur for an endless number of reasons. However, the most common reasons include ill-defined scope requirements, too many decision-makers, a poor or missing change control process, poor task prioritization and unchecked client requests. Below is a closer look at each of these risks and tips on how to prevent or solve them.

Ill-Defined Project Scope Requirements

Stakeholders cannot be expected to adhere to an undefined scope. Create a document that defines the project’s requirements, including its budget, resources, goals, tasks, deliverables and timeline requirements. Use charts, diagrams, checklists and other visuals to create an easily consumable and understandable document. Present the document to all stakeholders, both to those who will implement it and those who must be satisfied with the project’s results.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

If all stakeholders who execute a project are decision-makers, your scope approval process is likely to be plagued with conflicting plans and change requests, creating unmanageable scope creep. To prevent this, in your change management plan, clearly define who the project’s final decision-maker or lead is, who can approve scope change requests (and who cannot), who is to be only consulted on change requests and who must only be informed of them.

Lack of Task Prioritization

With some projects, if all ideal tasks and features were incorporated, the project is likely to be unreasonably long or expensive to execute. It is important to balance final deliverable quality with time, resources and budget limitations. This should be done through task prioritization.

To implement task prioritization, in your project’s requirement documentation, consult with all stakeholders to decide which tasks or milestone deliverables are most important and which are nice-to-haves. Then, if scope creep threatens the project, refer to this prioritization list to cut unnecessary tasks or deliverables and, thereby, reign in the project’s scope.

Poor or Missing Change Control Process

A change control plan is an essential document that clearly defines the request, approval and denial process for scope change requests and who can implement them. It also ensures that all scope change requests are complete so they do not continue to grow via additional requests after approval. Without this document and without ensuring all stakeholders and project executors understand this document, change requests are likely to get out of control.

Unchecked Client Requests

Clients are likely to make as many requests as are tolerated to get the most out of their project investment. This is just good business. Without a way to limit or at least make sound decisions around these requests, they run a very high risk of derailing your project and, ultimately, sacrificing a quality, timely and cost-effective final deliverable.

As such, make sure all your project executors know if they are authorized to approve change requests or not, the parameters for doing so and how to deny client requests if necessary without alienating the client. By putting together a change control plan, then thoroughly training project executors and the client around its content and stated process, unchecked client requests are less likely to be a significant problem.

How Do I Prevent Scope Creep?

Preventing scope creep requires a careful management process. Not all scope creep is bad but all scope creep must be tightly controlled to ensure it does not have a negative impact on the project’s outcome. To do so, create a work breakdown structure and Gantt chart of your project requirements. Then, carefully write a scope change management plan. Finally, review and gain agreement from all stakeholders surrounding these documents and plans.

Here is a closer look at the steps to prevent scope creep:

1. Outline Project Requirements and Prioritize Project Tasks

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a document that takes a large project and breaks it into manageable chunks or deliverables. Simply put, it documents the scope of the project, its resource allocation and its deliverables. For easier scope management later, deliverables are listed in the order they must be completed, then prioritized based on resource allocation and, finally, assigned work packages with tasks that must be completed to create each deliverable.

Write Your Deliverables

To begin creating your WBS, first list the primary milestones you must accomplish to ultimately complete the project. Then, convert each milestone into a deliverable instead of an action—”blog post published” instead of “publish blog post,” for example. Milestones in a sales campaign may be written as:

• Define the campaign’s audience
• Write and publish a targeted blog post
• Write and publish a targeted lead magnet
• Create an automated and personalized email sequence for lead conversion

Now, convert each action into a deliverable, such as:

• A defined audience
• A targeted published blog post
• A targeted published lead magnet
• An automated and targeted email sequence

Prioritize Your Deliverables

To prioritize each of these deliverables, mark the time or resource percentage each will use. For example, if the most important part of your marketing plan is the email sequence that funnels qualified leads through the sales pipeline, you might spend 50% of your time and resources on this deliverable, 20% on your targeted lead magnet, 12% on creating and publishing a targeted blog post and 8% on defining your audience.

Create Deliverable Work Packages

Finally, write the smaller tasks that go into creating these deliverables in a separate document (called a “work package”). Link the work package to its corresponding deliverable. For the deliverable “a targeted published blog post,” for example, the work package may say to interview key sources, research keywords to target, create an outline, write the blog post, finalize optimizing the post for search engines and, finally, publish the post.

Create a Visual Work Breakdown Structure

A WBS is most easily consumable if put into a visual chart. A simple way of doing so is through a free Canva account and many project management software offer WBS templates. To find a template via Canva, simply sign up for a free account, then search “Work Breakdown Structure” using the search bar titled “What Will You Design?” Click on your template choice and use the left-hand design menu to add your own content.

2. Create a Project Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a visual timeline of your project broken down into all the agreed-upon tasks your team must complete to finish the project. This chart is critical for managing scope because it clearly shows what the agreed-upon tasks/deliverables are and, by extension, what they are not. It also shows the deadlines your team must meet to complete the project on time. Going beyond these tasks constitutes scope creep.

The beauty of this chart is that it is visible and constantly referred to by all team members. With all eyes on this chart, changes are immediately visible. Any task deviations from this Gantt chart should be addressed as a scope change. After all, even a slight change in the end date of one task can mean a delay in the deadline or a change in the budget for the entire project.

Refer to your WBS to chart your project’s timeline based on individual tasks’ beginning and end dates, then, ultimately, the project’s beginning and end dates. Be sure to chart not just your deliverables but the tasks in the work packages attached to each deliverable. Color code or otherwise highlight milestones (deliverables), task priorities and dependencies (tasks that rely on the completion of other tasks to begin).

Pro tip: Use project management software to create your Gantt chart. When you do, you can tap into an intuitive interface to easily create your chart, then adjust the settings to clearly alert you to changes made to your chart as scope changes happen.

3. Write a Change Management Plan

A change management plan is a document that depicts the steps a team will take to identify a scope change request and manage it. It includes sections that outline how change requests will be submitted, the tools used to manage the process, a list of the people who are authorized to implement or deny requests, how change requests will be evaluated and then denied or approved, applicable fees and cutoff points for submitting change requests.

Answer the following questions to create your scope change management plan:

Roles

The following questions will help you select the people to serve on your change management control board:

• Who is involved in the change management plan?
• Who can submit change requests?
• Who will receive them?
• Who will review them?
• Who will approve or deny them?
• Who is not authorized to receive, evaluate and approve or deny requests?
• Who is to serve as consultants in the evaluation process?
• Who has the final say in indecisive moments?

Tools

Answer these questions to develop the tools to manage scope change requests:

• Which form will be used to ensure change requests are consistent and offer all needed information for the evaluation process?
• What (if any) fees will be applied to ensure only necessary change requests are approved?
• What change tracking log will be kept to record changes and their execution?
• What checklist will evaluators use to approve or deny a request?

Timeframe Parameters

Answer these questions to put parameters on your evaluation process and keep scope change requests processing efficiently:

• In what time frame must requests be evaluated, then approved or denied?
• At what point in the project is it too late to request scope changes?

Scope Change Communication and Collaboration

Explain the communication and collaboration process should scope change requests be approved or denied. To do so, answer these questions:

• How will approvals or rejections be communicated?
• How will team members collaborate to implement approved scope changes?
• How will the communication and collaboration process be made visible team-wide?

4. Get Scope Approval From Stakeholders

Present your WBS and Gantt chart to all stakeholders, project sponsors and/or clients to ensure you accurately captured the project requirements and timelines. Decision-maker stakeholders should come together to carefully review these documents and suggest changes as appropriate. Then, once a consensus is reached that the requirements and timeline are complete and satisfactory, all should sign and date the document.

5. Review Change Management Plan With Stakeholders

With a signed and dated WPS and Gantt chart, drive home the importance of sticking to the plan while leaving room for the flexibility any project needs to succeed. It is unrealistic to assume that no changes will be made to this finalized project plan. So, in the same stakeholder-wide meeting, present your scope change management plan.

Highlight the consequences for requesting changes and the process for evaluating change requests, then approving or denying them. Communicate that fees are applied so only necessary change requests are submitted, thereby improving efficiency and ensuring an on-time, on-budget and high-quality project completion. Walk stakeholders through how to use the change request form and how the evaluation checklist and change log will be applied.

6. Train Project Executors on Scope Change Process

Creating a change management plan is only helpful if those who must implement it know how to do so. In a separate, internal-team meeting, review your plan with team members while highlighting who is authorized to approve scope changes. Explain the risks posed by scope changes, including the negative impact to project success. Show them how to remind requesting parties of scope change risks, the approval process and your scope change fees.

5 Ways To Fix Scope Creep

When it comes to scope creep, prevention is key. However, if you are experiencing excessive scope creep, there are ways to get back on track. These include leaning on your change management plan or adjusting your project requirements plan (if you have them). You can also request funding for changes to reduce unnecessary change requests, guard against people-pleasing with proper training, regroup and/or sign up for project management software.

Here’s a closer look at ways to fix scope creep:

1. Lean on Your Change Management Plan

Your change management plan can help you prioritize what requirements are important and which should be nixed if scope creep is getting out of hand. It can also give you tools—such as a final decision-maker, fees, checklists and a change management control board—to lean on when indecision threatens to make scope creep worse.

2. Request Funding for Scope Changes

One tool we recommended adding to your change management plan is change request fees. Clients are less likely to ask for exorbitant changes if they know a fee will come with approval. In addition to the fee, however, be sure to ask for more funding and resources to accommodate the change, thereby preventing scope creep from derailing the budget or resource availability for other project requirements.

3. Guard Against People-Pleasing

It may seem as if your team is “going above and beyond” and, therefore, offering competitive services when adding bonus features to a project. But, in reality, they are risking late and over-budget project completion. Train team members to identify scope creep and respond to it properly. They should always process scope change requests, whether from the client or internal team members, through your change management control board.

4. Sign Up for a Project Management Software

Consider signing up for project management software. Such software offers tools to process change requests via authorized team members, such as change request forms and automated task assignments. It also offers tools for monitoring scope creep, such as Gantt charts that update in real time so you know if your project remains on track after change approvals. Alerts also help you decide when to regroup to get back on track before irreparable damage is done.

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5. Regroup

If your project is over budget, is unlikely to finish on time or is experiencing quality hits from scope creep, consider regrouping. Bring all stakeholders together to review your original project requirement plan, come to a consensus and get on a more reasonable track to completion.

In your meeting (or series of meetings, if necessary), adjust your requirements plan. Eliminate project features that are not priorities to make room for new features. Ask for further funding if additional required changes will push the project over budget. Adjust your project timeline to reflect a reasonable completion date on which everyone can agree. Then, record the updates in your project management software and continue on with a consensus of expectations.

Bottom Line

If properly controlled, scope creep doesn’t have to derail your project and can even lead to a better project outcome. But, it must be managed. To manage scope creep properly, implement a clear project requirement plan, Gantt chart and change management plan. Lean heavily on these plans to keep scope creep in check. But, if scope creep becomes unmanageable, don’t be afraid to regroup, retrain and even request more funding to get your project back on track.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Scope creep is when a project’s requirements increase after the project has begun, requiring more work or resources to produce a satisfactory final deliverable.

What is an example of scope creep?

An example of scope creep is when a client’s needs change. A freelance writer, for example, may deliver a white paper they’ve written per the client’s requirements only to receive a request that additional unplanned sections be added to the deliverable. In another example, customers may ask for large changes to a product’s features after the product design has already been decided. In the end, such projects require more time and resources to complete.

How does scope creep differ from gold plating?

Often, scope creep occurs as a result of extra features being included in a project at the request of the client, causing delays and added expenses, among other issues. Gold plating occurs when extra features are added to a project internally and not at the request of the client. Gold plating occurs sometimes to appease management or to make the project more appealing to the client. It can also sometimes be used to draw attention away from other issues related to the project.

How can you avoid scope creep?

You can avoid scope creep by clearly defining a project’s requirements before project initiation, ensuring all stakeholders agree on these requirements, clearly communicating the scope creep risks, creating a clear scope creep management plan and training stakeholders to execute this control plan. Other ways companies avoid scope creep are by saying “no” to change requests or adding additional fees to the project’s price for scope increases.

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