Scope creep refers to the adding extra scope to the project beyond the agreed scope without considering its impact on the other project elements such as time, cost, etc. To illustrate, imagine that you are the project manager of an industrial project and the project is progressing ahead of schedule and under budget. The customer is asking you to add a new feature that is not part of the project’s requirements which can be done in a very short amount of time. Adding this feature without evaluating its impact on the project schedule, cost and on any other project element would be an example of a scope creep.

How To Avoid Scope Creep?

No extra scope should be added to the project according to the request of any project stakeholder. Whenever there is a request for a change, the project manager should first evaluate the impact of the change and identify the options to deal with the change. Next, these options and their impact on the project should be presented to the appropriate project stakeholders. If the stakeholders approve the impact of this change (such as extra costs or project delays), the change can be implemented by the project manager only with an approved change order.

What Are The Causes For Scope Creep?

The number one cause for scope creep is the poorly defined project scope. Without defining the limits of the project’s scope, project team members may misinterpreted the project scope and work on requirements that are actually not part of the project’s scope. Following are some of the typical causes of scope creep:

• Requests from the project sponsors
• Poorly defined project scope
• Poor communication among project team members
• Poor implementation of the change control procedures
• Unclear project roles and responsibilities

Why Should The Project Manager Avoid Scope Creep?

Scope creep should be avoided regardless of its cause. Scope creep results in increased project costs, duration and risks without providing any promised benefits. By allowing scope creep because of the customer’s request, the customer may get into the expectation of requesting additional extras in the future without providing any extras in exchange. For those reasons, project managers should always  ensure that the project team works on the agreed project scope, nothing more, nothing less.

PMP And CAPM Exam Tips On Scope Creep

Scope creep is in the scope of the PMP and the CAPM exam. For that reason it is recommended to know what scope creep is and how you should deal with it.