As any project manager will tell you, in an ideal world the scope of a project will remain fixed, that is predictable, unchanging and perfectly in alignment with the original plan. (We can all dream!)
Reality, however, is much messier. There are often numerous moving parts, priorities that shift and all kinds of human variables that need to be accounted for. Scope change is challenging in whatever form it crops up. It can occur in the form of scope creep, or due to adjustments that are sanctioned. It can race through your timelines and budgets and it can create strain in your client relationships whilst threatening the success of your project.
Those initial estimates you make in your project plan, no matter how diligent you are, will rarely match your final totals and this can result in some serious issues.
At every step of the way, then, it is important to follow practical, tested strategies to keep your project on course as much as possible to enable you to deliver the end result with confidence.
Write a clear scope statement
Your scope statement creates a boundary regarding the limits of your project. If it is not written clearly, or if it is insufficiently detailed, then the project team will not know the boundaries. And there is the possibility that the team might misinterpret the strategy designed to achieve the project objectives.
Communication is key here as there really is no substitute for a clear, detailed scope statement.
Define requirements
In some industries, for example IT, the requirements of the project are usually at the heart of the project with a Requirements Traceability Matrix used to track the requirements of the project throughout its lifecycle. Yet in all industries requirements are an important and underlying element that supports your scope statement. It doesn’t matter what the established norms might be, if you want to avoid scope creep then the requirements of the project must be known to the project team.
All the requirements of the project should be communicated to the project team on a regular basis to ensure that all of them are being met in a timely manner. This will allow for small changes to be made, if necessary, due to factors such as delays from suppliers.
Maintain strong communication
Scope creep tends to be inversely proportional to the amount of communication that takes place between the project manager, the project team and all stakeholders. When the project manager is not communicating the requirements and expectations of the project in a timely manner it is easy to add tasks to the project and advance an agenda.
This is where regular meetings can be helpful as a way of checking in with the project team to identify issues before they become major problems. Face to face meetings can be a good idea, especially on complex projects. However, technology can also play its part by facilitating virtual meetings.
Regular status updates are also an important part of the foundation of good project management. They should include:
- Project Overview – A brief summary of the project and its goals
- Current Status – Overall health (e.g., On Track, At Risk, Delayed)
- Milestones & Progress – Completed and upcoming tasks or phases
- Timeline/Schedule – Updates on deadlines and any shifts
- Budget Status – Current spend vs. budget, any variances
- Risks & Issues – Current risks, blockers, or issues, with mitigation steps
- Next Steps – Immediate actions and plans for the next period
- Key Decisions Needed – Any approvals or input required
Create realistic estimates
There can be a tendency in business to estimate project costs on the low side, particularly at the beginning to win the work. Or simply because of optimism bias where people expect better than average outcomes. In a project context, optimism bias leads to underestimation of the cost and completion time of planned tasks and overestimation of their benefits. However, higher project costs during the execution of the project may also creep in with the aim of providing a higher-quality product. This can cause frustration for project managers who will then need to deal with the resulting scope creep that can result from this situation.
This is where strong project management skills can come into their own, although there is really no good substitute for realistic project estimates in the first place.
Monitor external influences
Plenty of projects run smoothly until an external occurrence causes an issue. In some cases, this is something you cannot plan for such as flooding at a construction site. However, it is more likely to be something you can plan for such as a stakeholder who changes what they want from the project or a reduction in the budget.
It is important for a risk register to be prepared as part of the project planning phase. This is a list of all the main risks that might affect the success of the project. This risk register can be analysed and then prioritised in whatever way is most appropriate to the project. However, it is always important to monitor external influences that can cause issues for the project.
How to manage scope change
There can, of course, be occasions when scope change is necessary. If, for instance, when a change to the scope will add value to the end product of the project.
If the market needs have changed and something that wasn’t anticipated at the start of the project is now required, then scope change is also necessary. Return on Investment may also be an acceptable reason for scope change, as is an impact on the schedule or cost – both of these can have an impact on the budget and end result for your project. Product liability and risks should also be considered. These are risks you might not have anticipated or the reductions in known liabilities that may be worth the cost.
It is rare to be able to eliminate project scope completely.
