Learn How to Handle Scope Creep in Projects

Have you ever heard of scope creep? “You know what else I would love to add?” This question is one that gives many freelancers the “creeps”. With just these few words, a simple, easy-to-accomplish project plan can be suddenly changed into the project management equivalent of an M.C. Escher painting. When handling projects, you always want a clearly defined and agreed-upon scope (i.e., what you’re going to do and what you need to make it a success), although change is inevitable in business and life. We all need to be careful about dealing with increasing or changing the scope to avoid nasty surprises. 

Scope creep arises naturally. Of-course every project will face moments when you need to review what you’re doing and potentially adjust course. For example, the client might want a different service for the same price, or the client may not know exactly how to define their requirements expectations, and we all know, “I’ll know it when I see it” is a tough precedent to meet.

What is scope creep? 

It occurs when the scope, products, or expectations on a project are adjusted or expanded from what was originally set and agreed—without being accounted for in additional time or budget. It can affect any fixed scope project. It’s a very common phenomenon, as it can happen both intentionally and unintentionally, coming from any number of the people involved in a project. 

Unfortunately, scope creep can lead to project failure: maybe you don’t hit the deadline, you use out the entire budget stipulated for the project (and more), and all without delivering a satisfactory result. And who wants that?

So how do you handle harmful scope creep, keep your project team agile, productive, and motivated as you handle changes and deliver a brilliant result?

1. Be vigilant and proactive from day one: You must learn to handle scope creep and most importantly say yes or no to new requests as soon as they come in. Adopt this habit at the start of every project—and then stick with it every day until the project is completed.
2. Work to Understand your client’s vision: For a project to end well, it means you must start well. Even before you get to the project requirements, first understand what your client hopes to achieve from the project. What are the priorities? Is the plan too ambitious? 
3. Be transparent in your communication: As soon as scope creep appears, bring it to the attention of your clients and stakeholders. Communicate properly what you do not agree within a polite way. Transparency in communication can go a long way to not only manage but avoid scope creep.
4. Analyze impacts of changes: Work out the effects (both positive and negative) of the changes on the project, and provide solutions, presenting it to your client or stakeholder to move forward.
5. Embrace it: Accepting that changes are bound to happen is a good way to deal with scope creep. When you prepare yourself mentally, you will not be caught unaware. Provide a way if necessary to form a testable, usable result—if that means changing scope, look at ways to incorporate the changes

When handling scope creep, it is not all negative, depending on how you view the situation. Instead of seeing it as a sneaky problem, you need to think of it differently. It is not scope creep —it is change. How you decide to manage that change is what affects the project—not the request to change it. You only need to be careful that you identify it when it happens, especially when it isn’t obvious, and discuss it with your clients before it progresses without any form of re-planning.

Change can actually have a positive impact on the project you are handling. After all, we are all here to develop and provide the best services we can render, and if that means a change of approach, expectations, and requirements, then we, as freelancers, need to lead the way for adapting to this