Author: Mike Urgo
As defined by The Project Management Institute: Scope creep is “Adding additional features or functions of a new product, requirements, or work that is not authorized (i.e., beyond the agreed-upon scope)”. 1
I hope you enjoyed that flashback to grade school.
In truth, most leaders in business and IT know WHAT scope creep is. The constant challenge leaders are faced with is how to stop it. The challenge within that challenge (think Inception, but instead of dreams, it’s challenges) is that every project or initiative is different, and industries and company cultures are different too.
So how can we look at this challenge within a challenge wholistically or at a macro level?
In my opinion there are two areas of focus that combat scope creep at a high-level and can be applied at any organization.
Establishing and maintaining positive genuine relationships with all stakeholders
Spending quality time completing discovery and planning.
Now, I know there are many other factors and ways to address scope creep. But stay with me.
I talked about discovery and planning in Episode 8: Measure Twice, Cut Once and this is an expansion of that. I wish I had an exact metric. But thinking back to the numerous projects I have led or been a part of, most of the change requests I received also included the statement below in more words or less:
No one asked me about that!
OR
I DEFINITELY talked about that in a meeting and YOU GUYS missed it.
Discovery and planning should be more than just order taking. Teams should be striving to know everything about the need. This goes beyond what I discussed in Episode 4: Thankful for Good Requirements. Requirements are important and getting them right is important. However, if we want to avoid scope creep, we need to have a deeper understanding beyond the requirements.
For example, earlier in my career, I would build and deliver reports for internal use out of ERP and HCM systems. When I started, I would ask what the requestor wanted, then build it and deliver it. The challenge? For the next few months, I had to work multiple enhancement requests on those very reports, because they “forgot” things. The truth is, if I was building a report for an HR executive, it would probably solve a problem that made up less than one percent of their day-to-day responsibilities.
I realized that the problem wasn’t THEM not knowing what they wanted. It was ME not taking the time to get to know them, the large picture they are trying to solve and working as a partner WITH THEM to solve the problem. So, instead of asking: what fields do you want, or what filters do you need? I started the conversation with:
How are you doing?
What problems are we trying to solve?
How can I make this easier for you and your team?
I went from building something that COULD work to building something that I knew was going to solve their problem. I also was able to build in scalability when appropriate so then the solution would grow with their needs.
This method of thinking when applied at a larger scale takes time. For something like an enterprise transformative project, taking the time to build those relationships and understanding the big picture takes time. The time needed from stakeholders is the most difficult part to obtain. I have been able to overcome those objections by being proactive in the relationships within the business. I also make a point to not only explain the benefit of avoiding scope creep but use tangible examples (both good and bad) to illustrate the benefit in investing the time up front.
The key is working the best you can to develop relationships with people outside of the specific world of designated work roles. If the only time you talk to executive stakeholders is when you are delivering them a status that is good or bad, you will create a stigma for yourself. Typically telling someone their project is delayed is going to stick with them longer than letting them know everything is on time. You can quickly create the image of the person who just messes things up or is the one who brings the bad news.
Instead, get to know your stakeholders, let them get to know you. Illustrate to them that it’s your job to make sure things go smoothly and that their success is your highest priority. It’s my experience that you will find that with those relationships, you create a mutual understanding of each other and what they need. This quickly translates into better requirements and cuts down on scope creep.
Want to know more about how this type of thinking can have a positive impact on your organization?
Schedule a call to see how I can help you or perhaps you are an organization that is a good fit for my next full-time career move.
https://calendly.com/mjurgo
The ability to take the time to understand your organization, your people, your processes, and translate to technological solutions is what makes Intellectual Nebula so effective!
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1 Larson, R. & Larson, E. (2009). Top five causes of scope creep ... and what to do about them. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009—North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
