Scope Creep in Project Management 

A study done by Geneca shows that around 75% of the ERP Projects do not meet the objectives. This is a very high percentage considering the fact that Project Managers are there just to handle these projects. There could be different variables contributing to the failure of the project – majority related to the triple constraint.

Scope is one of the components of the triple constraint that somehow “creeps” in such a manner that things quietly get out of control and definitely it has an impact on Time and Budget too. It is often experienced that stakeholders who are really close to the project teams or who are friends with the team members look for “small” favors with regards to the scope of the projects. These “small” favors could prove to be very costly if not handled in a proper manner and may ultimately lead to the failure of the project.

As Project Managers it is our job to address any change, be it a very small one, through the Change Control Board (CCB). Any change highlighted by Business or Clients has to be taken back to the Project Team where the impact of any such change along with the alternatives should be evaluated. Once this evaluation is done it should be communicated to the initiator and if they still want it to be implemented they must be asked to route it through the CCB.

Once the change request becomes official it is the job of the Project Manager to present the impact analysis to the CCB. Necessary approvals must be taken with regards to budget, timeline, resources and/or any other item before starting work on any change. No work should be done on the change request unless CCB has approved it - document everything in the Change Register.

Almost every project goes through the issue of changes in the Scope. At the beginning of the Project the team should be clearly communicated not to handle any such requests on their own since these favors could prove to be very costly for the Project.