Changes to scope can be either uncontrolled, resulting in scope creep, or controlled, resulting in documented changes to the project requirements.
Managing scope creep boils down to controlling those changes in scope via a change control process. This involves:. In short, all changes are processed, documented, and communicated properly. Consider a company that is launching a new type of phone case next month. The company has meticulously planned the product launch from start to finish. However, over the course of development, the CEO and exec team decide they want to add a ring light, battery pack, and other elements to the case.
In a particularly famous real-world example of scope creep, we look to Denver International Airport DIA and its experience with attempting to create a fully automated baggage handling system, which was plagued by scope creep that involved over 2, design changes.
These design changes were, in part, a result of not including relevant parties in the planning stages and ignoring fundamental project concerns.
We all know an outright rejection or denial of a client's request isn't advisable. And most of the times you may not be even aware of what does a scope change request entails.
It might be a fairly simple ask and not impact the scope. The best thing to do upon receiving an unexpected request is to respond with — "Let me assess and estimate the time and cost implications of the requested change". You will easily ward off any client personnel who is neither serious nor committed to the project with these words — assess and estimate!
On the other hand if they are serious, they would definitely like to take a look at your assessment and make an informed decision.
And if they decide to move forward, you have an opportunity to generate additional revenue and invoke your change management process.
The significance of a robust Change Control process cannot be emphasised enough. When the change is requested, there is a series of approvals that are triggered. This leads to enhanced attention on the requested changes and the required focus to decide if it is needed at all.
Well, it will curb scope creep is one aspect but the important thing is it leads to a good review of the original plan and assessment of. Penalties are an aggressive approach deployed by the client and service providers alike to ensure both hold their end of the bargain. With penalties baked into a contract ensures both parties are always diligent and never lose sight of the goal.
Penalties trigger a competition, fierce at times where both strive to achieve the same goal. And it goes without saying, all unwanted and impulsive requests are out of the door right away. To that effect, let us deploy the right tools as illustrated above and at our disposal to ensure that things never come this far in our projects!
We're committed to your privacy. Orangescrum uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content, products, and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, check out our Privacy Policy. Please enter your email. Join 6, project managers to get practical and actionable insights on project management. Thanks for your interest. We have sent the tutorial to your email, please check. Here are just a few examples of how you can use Planio to help reduce scope creep and keep your project on track.
First, task management in Planio helps you break large projects down into actionable tasks. This way everyone knows what specific tasks are assigned to them, what needs to be completed to hit your project milestones, as well as priorities and workflows. Next, you can use built-in time tracking to log time spent on issues and tasks and compare it to your schedule and estimations.
As a project manager, you can view a list of all tasks with their corresponding estimated and actual time spent on them to make sure nothing falls behind. Lastly, Planio was made for Agile teams and makes it easy to do regular sprint planning and retrospectives. This way, you have a clear vision of how the project is progressing and what might be causing the scope to creep. With all your issues already in your product backlog, planning future sprints or project milestones is as easy as dragging and dropping them into a new sprint.
In project management, a change control process is your workflow for ensuring each proposed change is adequately defined, reviewed, and approved before making its way into your task list. In its simplest form, a change control process involves 5 steps:. Planio tasks are a great tool for tracking change requests, especially from customers. Using the Planio Help Desk, customer requests can email you directly and all of their information will be transferred into an issue.
We already spoke about the importance of task management and making sure each task is clearly defined, prioritized, and assigned. One of the easiest ways to do this is with daily scrum or standup meetings. These are short, check-ins where you focus on three questions:. Project management is about managing people as much as time and resources. Even to your boss, manager, or an important project stakeholder. Saying no to people in power is never easy.
You and your team want to deliver the best possible outcome for each of the stakeholders plus the end user. For this reason, ensuring your project scope is accurate at the outset is always the best option. If scope changes do occur, try to ensure they come early in the project to avoid unnecessary budget overrun.
Scope creep happens when changes are included in the project scope of work without a proper change control process in place. Unfortunately, for many project managers, scope creep is still a real issue.
To avoid scope creep and stay on schedule, follow these tips:. To stay on top of the work, avoid scope creep, and manage changing requirements, project managers need a software solution that offers change management features, schedule impact analysis, and allows you to perform proper scope, resource plan, and schedule control. To find out for yourself how Safran Project can improve project planning, as well as execution, request your free trial here.
Products Core Products. Planner The quick and easy tool to plan a project. Risk Manager Safran Risk Manager allows project controls professionals to work collaboratively. Companion products. Cloud Services.
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