![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Is-the-Definition-of-Project-Scope-.png\")
<\/p>\nIn an ideal world, project managers put together a realistic timeline of project milestones that the whole team can complete with no changes to the deliverables during (or after) completion. However, as much as we prepare for any anticipated challenges along the way, project lifecycles never really go as planned, and the project manager is placed in a position to pivot direction, adjust schedules, communicate the updates with the team, redistribute workload, or even reset project expectations for everyone involved. With that many moving parts, it\u2019s easy for scope creep to occur: the project evolves into something different from what it was originally. <\/p>\n
Scope creep in project management happens frequently, especially if guardrails aren\u2019t set in the beginning stages of the project with the customer. Changes during the project can cause major disruptions to workflow, with the team constantly asked to shift directions in order to achieve the requested outcome. This can inevitably cause inefficiencies, breakdowns, and delays in delivering a new project outcome. <\/p>\n
However, there are ways to prevent this scenario from occurring. It\u2019s important that project managers recognize what causes scope creep, how it can affect the work and the team, and how they can best manage scope creep when it happens. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s first define scope as it relates to a project to better understand how we can apply this to project management. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Project scope is an extensive planning process that involves some moving parts: <\/p>\n
Typically, a project manager orchestrates this entire process, carefully arranging timelines, working around schedules, and ensuring timely delivery of the project outcome. A project\u2019s scope can also inform the project manager of any potential roadblocks or challenges that could impact the entire team. <\/p>\n
Now that we understand project scope, let\u2019s get into the definition of scope creep in project management. <\/p>\n
To define scope creep in project management: it is when the requirements of the project exceedingly increase during the project\u2019s lifecycle, resulting in changes to normal procedures or different deliverables than initially planned. This can throw a wrench into the timeline, resources, milestones, and intended project completion date as the team tries to navigate around the change requests. <\/p>\n
Project managers need to be mindful of each new request as it comes in, ensuring that the changes are manageable and within scope. If not, a further discussion needs to be initiated in order to avoid the negative effects of scope creep and keep operations running smoothly.<\/p>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Are-The-Causes-Of-Scope-Creep-In-Project-Management-.png\")
<\/p>\n
There are a few reasons why scope creep in project management occurs: <\/p>\n
Ineffective communication to stakeholders and internal teams – <\/b>Lack of communication is one of the common reasons why scope creep occurs in project management. This usually leads to two kinds of miscommunication issues:<\/p>\n There are numerous contributing factors as to why an organization\u2019s internal process management may be inefficient. And they can certainly vary from long-term adjustments to quick fixes. But if unchecked, these can result in consistent scope creep, which can produce unwanted consequences. <\/p>\n<\/ul>\n Scope creep is typically a result of poor communication<\/a> and a lack of guardrails. To protect the bottom line and the team, it\u2019s important to understand how scope creep can impact your organization. <\/p>\n Scope creep in project management can have varying degrees of impact on your team and your organization\u2019s output. Let\u2019s take a look at some effects of scope creep. <\/p>\n Changes to the schedule <\/b>– It\u2019s common for changes in a project\u2019s timeline to shift according to unexpected situations internally and externally. A well-informed, swift, and empathetic approach to decision-making<\/a> on behalf of the project manager can lead to a gentle adjustment to the timeline, while still meeting milestones in a realistic manner. However, there\u2019s a point where changes to the schedule can often delay the production workflow, causing a whole restructuring of the project\u2019s timeline and a shift in resources. For example, a stakeholder decides to introduce their own team to the intended deliverable by the end of the week. While the expediency of project completion was not anticipated, the resources at your organization are able to meet this deadline. After the team has achieved this and submitted the intended product, the stakeholder takes longer than expected to provide relevant feedback to see if it has met expectations. After a few follow-ups, which has already caused multiple shifts in the timeline, the stakeholder finally responds past the time their feedback was due that they would like to make some adjustments by a certain date. This triggers a variety of action items for the project manager:<\/p>\n Changes in the schedule can cause a ripple effect that reverberates across the whole team. The project manager puts in additional work to reorganize and construct a new timeline based on late feedback from the client. Accommodating this request can be considered out of scope for the project, leading to higher levels of stress for the staff.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Resource allocation – <\/b> One of the effects of scope creep involves the availability of required resources. If the scope of the project were to change exponentially, the resources needed to implement the request may not be sufficient at the time. So the project\u2019s change could potentially max out your resources. This poses a huge problem in project management as resource allocation and resource leveling <\/a>are two important techniques that keep a project\u2019s momentum moving in a positive direction, using appropriate resources equally without over or under-scheduling available resources. Resources would include factors such as:<\/p>\n Balancing all these components in project management takes a fair amount of organization and forward-thinking, but scope creep has the potential to completely off-balance the team and the production schedule, ultimately affecting morale and the quality of the final project. <\/p>\n<\/ul>\n Team burnout – <\/b>Burnout is an unintended effect of scope creep that can slowly chip away at your staff\u2019s morale. If improperly managed, scope creep can cause your team to burn out quickly. Frequent change requests can lead to confusion, frustration, and overwhelm with your team, 3 emotions that can heavily impact your staff\u2019s desire to continue with the organization for the long term. According to the APA<\/a>, American workers alone saw a heightened rate of burnout in 2021. The APA\u2019s 2021 Work and Well-beibng Survey of 1,501 adult workers revealed that 79% of employees experienced work-related stress months before the survey was conducted. 3 in 5 employees have disclosed that work-related stress caused a lack of motivation, energy, and interest with even more participants agreeing that they\u2019ve experienced physical and cognitive fatigue.<\/p>\n These are alarming statistics among the workforce, and scope creep can contribute to the risk of burnout as it\u2019s an added level of stress that negatively impacts your employees.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The effects of scope creep can be tremendous in the workplace, even if it\u2019s not immediate. It\u2019s important that a highly skilled project manager is at the helm throughout the project\u2019s lifecycle to ensure the team has the best chance of success and can realistically (and professionally) pivot around certain demands outside the original project scope. This allows for more creative problem-solving and flexibility when it comes to change requests. <\/p>\n So how can a project manager effectively determine a project\u2019s scope to make the best decisions for the staff while avoiding scope creep? Here are seven ways to prevent scope creep:<\/p>\n 1. Know what you need to get done – <\/b>The first step in determining a project\u2019s scope is a firm understanding of what the project needs to accomplish and who it will impact:<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
![\"Effects](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Effects-of-Scope-Creep-In-Project-Management-and-how-to-prevent-it.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Effects of Scope Creep In Project Management (and how to prevent it!)<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Team-Burnout-.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-To-Avoid-Scope-Creep-In-Project-Management-.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>How To Avoid Scope Creep In Project Management<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Communicate,](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Communicate-Communicate-Communicate-.png\")
<\/p>\n