How to Prevent Scope Creep

Summary

In this video, the project manager discusses the perils of 'scope creep,' a phenomenon where additional tasks are added to a project, potentially derailing its completion. The video outlines a two-step strategy to combat this: first, precisely defining the project scope and documenting both in-scope and out-of-scope items; second, gaining stakeholder agreement and signatures on the scope statement. It also addresses the inevitability of change, suggesting structured change control processes and agile methodologies to manage scope effectively. The ultimate goal is not to prevent scope changes but to control them with proper governance.

Takeaways

• 🚫 'Could you just...' are the three words project managers fear as they often signal the beginning of scope creep.
• 📈 Scope creep is dangerous because it can quickly deplete project resources, impacting deliverability, time, and budget.
• 🔍 The project's progress and resource usage typically follow an S-curve, with resources depleting rapidly after the initial phase.
• 📋 To prevent scope creep, define the project scope with precision, including what is in and out of scope.
• 🤝 Engage with the project sponsor or client to review and agree upon the defined scope, and obtain their authorization.
• 📝 Documenting and signing off on the scope statement provides a baseline for negotiating changes and managing expectations.
• 🤔 Recognize that scope creep can't always be prevented, as changes in the environment and stakeholder needs are inevitable.
• 🔄 Implement a structured change control process to manage requests for changes, weighing the benefits against the costs.
• 🔧 Utilize agile methodologies or hybrid approaches for projects with inherent uncertainty, allowing iterative scope definition.
• 🔑 Good governance around scope changes involves considering the value of changes, ensuring controlled and managed scope creep.
• 🔄 For traditional projects, consider accommodating significant scope changes in subsequent phases or versions of the project.

Q & A

What are the three words that project managers fear the most?

The three words that project managers fear the most are 'could you just', which typically precedes a request for additional work or changes to the project scope.

Why is scope creep considered dangerous in project management?

Scope creep is dangerous because it can lead to a significant impact on the deliverability of a project, potentially causing delays, exceeding the budget, and affecting the ability to deliver the project on time and within the specified quality standards.

How does the resource usage graph illustrate the danger of scope creep?

The resource usage graph, which typically follows an S-curve, shows that resources are used very quickly once the project moves past the initial stage. Adding additional scope at this point can deplete resources rapidly, jeopardizing the project's successful completion.

What is the two-step process to control scope creep?

The two-step process to control scope creep involves: 1) Defining the scope with precision, including what is in and out of scope, and 2) Gaining approval and authorization for the defined scope from the project sponsor, steering group, or client.

Why is it important to document a list of out-of-scope items?

Documenting a list of out-of-scope items is important to clearly define the project boundaries and to anticipate and prevent potential requests that could lead to scope creep.

What role does the project sponsor play in controlling scope creep?

The project sponsor plays a crucial role in controlling scope creep by authorizing and signing off on the scope statement, which outlines what is in and out of scope, providing a baseline for managing scope changes.

What is the significance of getting requirements right the first time in preventing scope creep?

Getting requirements right the first time is significant because it involves excellent requirements gathering and stakeholder negotiation, which helps in balancing different needs and desires, thereby reducing the likelihood of scope changes later in the project.

What is Moscow analysis and how can it help in controlling scope creep?

Moscow analysis is a prioritization technique that categorizes scope options into Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won't-haves. It helps in controlling scope creep by clearly defining the priority of requirements and facilitating negotiations among stakeholders.

How can a structured change control process help in managing scope creep?

A structured change control process helps manage scope creep by controlling requests for change, ensuring each request is supported by evidence of need and a statement of benefits that can be weighed against the costs.

What is the role of agile methodologies in dealing with scope creep?

Agile methodologies, and hybrids between agile and traditional project management approaches, allow for iteration and controlled redefinition of scope, accommodating changes in a structured way without compromising the project's overall objectives.

Why is it not always the objective to prevent scope creep entirely?

It is not always the objective to prevent scope creep entirely because the project environment, stakeholder needs, technology, and other factors can change, necessitating controlled adjustments to the project scope to adapt to these changes effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🚧 Managing Scope Creep in Project Management

This paragraph discusses the concept of scope creep in project management, which is the uncontrolled addition of new requirements to a project that can lead to delays and budget overruns. The speaker emphasizes the importance of defining the project scope with precision and getting it right from the start. They introduce a two-step process to control scope creep: first, by clearly defining the project scope and documenting both in-scope and out-of-scope items, and second, by presenting this documentation to stakeholders for approval. The speaker also acknowledges that sometimes scope changes are inevitable due to external factors, and having a structured change control process or adopting an agile approach can help manage these changes effectively.

05:01

🔍 Strategies for Controlling Scope Creep

The second paragraph delves into strategies for controlling scope creep, starting with the importance of getting requirements right the first time through effective stakeholder communication and negotiation. The speaker mentions the use of MoSCoW analysis, a prioritization technique, to help balance stakeholder needs. They stress the necessity of documenting the agreed-upon scope and having it signed off by stakeholders. The paragraph also addresses the reality that some changes are necessary and suggests a structured change control process to evaluate and manage these changes. The speaker introduces the concept of agile methodologies and their hybrid forms as a way to iteratively redefine scope in a controlled manner. Lastly, they propose the idea of accommodating significant changes through subsequent project phases, thus integrating agile principles into traditional project management structures.

Keywords

💡Scope creep

Scope creep refers to the gradual expansion of a project's scope beyond its original objectives, often without adjustments to time, budget, or resources. In the video, it is described as a major danger for project managers because it can lead to delays, increased costs, and reduced project quality. An example provided in the script is when someone asks for 'just' a small addition, which can rapidly drain remaining resources.

💡S-curve

The S-curve is a visual representation of project progress over time, typically showing how resources are consumed and tasks are completed. It illustrates that resource usage accelerates after initial planning stages, which is why scope creep can be particularly dangerous in later phases. In the video, the S-curve explains how resources are depleted and why adding scope at certain stages is costly.

💡In scope

'In scope' refers to the tasks, deliverables, and objectives that are explicitly included in a project's plan. The video emphasizes the importance of clearly defining what is 'in scope' to prevent scope creep. For example, the project manager must document exactly what the project will deliver and ensure this is approved by key stakeholders.

💡Out of scope

'Out of scope' refers to the tasks or features that are excluded from a project's objectives. The video suggests documenting these exclusions to protect against scope creep by ensuring stakeholders agree on what will not be delivered. For instance, if a stakeholder asks for an additional feature, the manager can reference the 'out of scope' list to avoid adding unauthorized work.

💡Project sponsor

A project sponsor is a key stakeholder who has the authority to approve project scope and budget. In the video, the project sponsor plays a critical role in signing off on the project’s scope. The project manager uses this approval as a safeguard against unauthorized changes or scope creep by referencing the sponsor's signature when declining additional requests.

💡Change control process

The change control process is a structured method for evaluating and approving changes to a project's scope, timeline, or budget. The video stresses the importance of having such a process to manage scope changes. It ensures that any modifications are justified by a clear need and properly assessed for their impact on resources, time, and quality.

💡Requirements gathering

Requirements gathering is the process of understanding and documenting the needs and expectations of project stakeholders. The video highlights the importance of this step in avoiding scope creep, as it ensures the project’s objectives are well-defined from the outset. Proper requirements gathering helps balance different stakeholder demands and prevents misunderstandings about the project's goals.

💡Moscow analysis

Moscow analysis is a prioritization technique used to categorize project requirements into 'Must-haves,' 'Should-haves,' 'Could-haves,' and 'Won't-haves.' In the video, this method is recommended for managing scope by helping the project manager and stakeholders prioritize what is essential and what can be excluded. This prevents overloading the project with non-essential features.

💡Agile methodology

Agile methodology is a flexible, iterative approach to project management that allows for evolving requirements and frequent reassessment of scope. The video discusses agile as an alternative to traditional methods when project requirements are uncertain or change frequently. Agile’s iterative nature makes it easier to manage scope creep by incorporating changes in smaller, controlled increments.

💡Governance

Governance in project management refers to the framework and processes that ensure decisions, changes, and resources are managed properly. The video emphasizes good governance as essential for controlling scope creep. This includes ensuring that any changes to the project’s scope are supported by proper documentation, stakeholder approval, and a clear understanding of the costs and benefits involved.

Highlights

Scope creep is one of the most feared issues in project management as it can significantly impact project deliverability.

The danger of scope creep is illustrated through a graph showing the relationship between project progress and resource usage.

Resource depletion follows an s-curve, highlighting the rapid consumption of resources post-project initiation.

Adding scope after the project's initial stage can lead to resource shortages and affect the project's time and budget.

Controlling scope creep involves a two-step process: defining scope with precision and managing scope approval.

Defining the project scope requires clearly articulating what is in and out of scope.

Documenting a list of out-of-scope items is crucial for anticipating and managing future requests.

Getting stakeholder buy-in through a signed scope statement is essential for managing expectations.

The video discusses the 'autograph Top Trumps' phenomenon where higher authority can override scope agreements.

Having a documented scope provides a baseline for negotiating changes and managing scope creep.

Excelling at requirements gathering is key to preventing scope creep from the outset.

The Moscow analysis is introduced as a valuable tool for prioritizing scope options.

The importance of documenting and signing off on the statement of scope is emphasized for governance.

The video acknowledges that preventing scope creep is not always the objective due to changing circumstances.

A structured change control process is suggested for managing scope changes effectively.

Agile methodologies and hybrid approaches are recommended for projects with inherent uncertainty.

The video suggests that sometimes accommodating significant scope changes through project phases can be beneficial.

The ultimate goal is not to prevent scope creep but to control it with good governance and value consideration.

Uncontrolled scope creep is identified as a killer of good projects, emphasizing the importance of control.

Transcripts

as a project manager there are three

words that we fear more than any other

because our project is going well and

someone comes up to us and says could

you just could you just are the three

words that mean somebody wants something

extra from your project and that opens

the door to one of the most dangerous

things in project management scope creep

so in this video I want to look at how

you can prevent scope creep

[Music]

the reason why scope creep is so

dangerous is easy to understand if we

look at a simple graph

this graph represents the progress of

your project going from the start to the

end of your project it goes from zero to

100% completion it also represents the

usage of your resources be they hours of

people's time materials or budget once

again it goes from zero to 100% and it

typically follows this kind of s-curve

what's important about this curve is

what happens if you subtracted from 100%

to give you the curve for the depletion

of your resources the amount of resource

you have remaining which will now go

from 100 to 0%

the danger of scope creep is that once

you move past the initial stage of your

project you're using resources very

quickly

that means that if someone tries to add

additional scope to your project

you rapidly find that you don't have the

resources you need to accommodate that

change of scope without having a

significant impact on the deliverability

of your project and on your ability to

deliver that project to time and within

budget

therefore scope creep is dangerous and

we must do what we can to control it

the basic approach to control is scope

creep is a two-step process and step one

is to define your scope with precision

if this circle

represents the complete scope of your

project with everything inside the

circle being the things that are in

scope for your project and everything

outside the circle being out to scope

your first job is to characterize that

boundary to define your scope with

precision you must not only articulate

precisely what is in scope for your

project but you must also anticipate

that could you just that lead to things

falling out of scope so document a list

of out of scope items as well the

exclusions from your project

once you have all that documented

second stage of the process is to take

that to your boss to your project

sponsor to your steering group or to

your client show them your documentation

of what you believe is in scope and what

is out of scope and ask them this simple

question if we deliver everything that

is in scope to the budget given us to

the time specified until the quality

standards you require will you be happy

and if we deliver none of the exclusions

will you be happy if they say yes and

get them to sign to show that they

authorized your scope statement

once they've done that then when someone

comes up to you and says hey Mike could

you just you can look them in the eye

inside

I'm sorry I wish I could

I can't because my boss my client my

sponsor has signed to specify that this

is the scope I must deliver

now the thing is I'm not naive I know

there is a tendency within your

organization and many others to play a

game that I call autograph Top Trumps

that's to say my boss's signature is

better than your boss's signature

but even if that happens

because you've done the work of

documenting precisely what is in and out

of scope and therefore what your sponsor

will get for their money and in the time

available you have a firm baseline from

which to negotiate changes to scope

because this other person has a more

senior role than your boss than your

sponsor they can authorize the removal

of items from scope in order to

accommodate their desired changes or

they can authorize the additional budget

or the additional time add those extra

scope items to your project

the second thing I'd say is that in

order to control scope you need to get

it right the first time that's to say

you need to be excellent at requirements

gathering understanding the needs of the

different stakeholders and then

conducting a negotiation among those

stakeholders to balance the desires of

one stakeholder with the needs of

another and the needs of a third stake

holder with the Preferences of yet

another

valuable tools this you can use to help

you do that is Moscow analysis an

analysis of the musts the shirts the

Kurds and the once among scope options

and we have a video describing that in

detail

once you've conducted that negotiation

and recognized that you can please all

the people some of the time and some of

the people all of the time but you can't

please all of your stakeholders all of

the time once you've conducted that

negotiation it's essential then to

document that carefully to make sure

that the requirements are reflected by a

statement of scope and that statement of

scope is properly documented and signed

off

but remember preventing scope creep is

not always your objective because the

world changes the needs of stakeholders

changes the competitive environment

changes technology changes legislation

changes everything changes and to be

dogmatic and to say no we are not going

to change the scope of this project ever

it's just foolish

there are two main solutions to this

problem and the first is a structured

change control process and again we have

videos on controlling change and a

long-form article on our website

change control is the process whereby

you control requests for change and you

make sure that each request for change

is supported by evidence of need and by

a statement of benefits to match up

against the costs

the other approach is to recognize that

some projects are inherently uncertain

at the outset we don't know for sure

what the right solution is going to look

like maybe the problem isn't fully

characterized and that's where the agile

style of project and hybrids between

agile and the more traditional

predictive approach to project

management really come into their own

because these approaches allow us to

iterate and successively redefine our

scope in a controlled way

your objective is not to prevent changes

in scope or scope creep your objective

is to control it to manage the process

and to ensure that there is good

governance around any scope changes and

good governance means a proper

consideration of the value of any

changes you make

a third approach suitable for more

traditional predictive project

management is to recognize that

significant changes of scope can be

accommodated by a second or a third

phase of your project a version 2 of the

product you're producing perhaps

this is a way of incorporating some of

the ideas of agile in to a more

traditional project structure

so the answer to the question how to

prevent scope creep is by careful

definition of scope and careful

management of the approval of that scope

but remembering that preventing scope

creep isn't your prime objective it's

controlling it as with everything in

project management bringing it under

control is what really matters

however you choose to manage it

controlling scope creep is vital

because uncontrolled scope creep

a killer of good projects please give us

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