For those of you not familiar with managing projects, there’s a concept called “scope creep”. Typically, a project will identify a goal to accomplish with a defined start and anticipated stop date. Scope creep occurs along the way when additional parties continue to request additional tasks be performed along the journey to completing the final goal.

One example, let’s assume the project to to build a house. A project will focus on laying the foundation, building the house, and installing building systems (i.e. air conditioning, electrical, etc.). Over the course of the project, someone asks if you can install a garden in front the house. After a garden, the request is to install a main walk to the house with side lighting. The next stops may be an outdoor sprinkler system, additional street lighting, a backyard bonfire pit, etc. It’s easy to see how these additional requests can severely cripple the budget and time constraints of the main project.

The best defense against scope creep is to raise the awareness of the project team to the possibility of scope creep on every project. All additional requests should be deferred to the project management staff, documented, and evaluated. If you’re not the project manager, it’s simple to inform the requester that the resources required to perform the additional work needs to be approved by your project manager. The quick resolution is to defer all additional requests to the project manager. However, what if you are the project manager?

The powers of a project manager can vary tremendously from one project to another. The generic response is to review the request in terms of time, money, and how does it contribute or impact the existing project. Some projects may allow the project manager to approve or reject small changes, while most projects require some form of client intervention. While most requests may be approved or rejected, some of them will become their own separate project.

-M