Project management is a job that never ceases. In the IT world, projects are in a constant state of flux as goals shift, requirements change, and resources are reallocated. While some believe the majority of project management work takes place during the initial planning stages of the project, the reality is much different. One of the main contributing factors for making project management such a nuanced and difficult task is scope creep.
What is Scope Creep?
Defining a term requires that we break down the phrase and define each part of it. Scope, or project scope, is made up of the requirements of the final product being worked on during any given project. Scope is both what the project will produce and the work required to produce it.
Scope creep (often called requirement creep, kitchen sink syndrome, or feature creep) is when the project’s scope continues to grow and change as the project is carried out. Scope creep can be caused by a number of different factors and is nearly impossible to eliminate altogether due to this. However, managing scope creep is one of the most important aspects of the project management role.
Is Scope Creep Bad?
This may seem like a question that could be answered with a single word, but the reality is that scope creep is not inherently bad nor is it entirely avoidable. As a project moves from the planning stages into the execution stages, it’s natural for some scope creep to occur. After all, even the most well-defined and researched project plan is not going to be created by someone who can foresee the future.
As the project is carried out, requirements can change due to a number of uncontrollable environmental factors depending on the nature of the work. What’s more, projects naturally evolve over time as new discoveries are made and better solutions are created. Some scope creep should always be expected on any project, but that doesn’t mean scope creep should go unchecked.
Rampant scope creep can cause projects to become delayed, go over budget, or bloat to completely unmanageable levels. New ideas grow on trees, but software engineers and developers certainly don’t. It’s all too easy to keep adding more features as you realize the project you’re working on could be made even better. This can create a situation where the project extends past its original purpose into a completely new beast. While allowing for some scope creep is important, letting it run rampant can quickly lead to disastrous results.
