{"id":12385,"date":"2013-12-10T15:40:33","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T21:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?p=12385"},"modified":"2020-02-24T15:50:20","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T21:50:20","slug":"scope-creep-it-happens-to-all-of-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/scope-creep-it-happens-to-all-of-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Scope Creep. It happens to ALL of us."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The negative\u00a0impact of scope creep<\/a>\u00a0on projects\u00a0is a well-documented fact. Scope changes \u2013 no matter how small or large \u2013 can affect the timeline and cost of a project. Whether it\u2019s new requirements being added or modifications of existing requirements,\u00a0scope creep<\/a>\u00a0is the source of a lot of project management headaches.<\/p>\n

But how does scope creep impact on-going work? Unlike projects, ongoing work typically doesn\u2019t have parameters driven by deadlines and budgets, making it harder to identify. It doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not happening \u2013 it just makes it really hard to understand the impact and do something about.<\/p>\n

Recognizing Personal Scope Creep<\/h1>\n

To get a handle on it, let\u2019s put aside everything we know about scope creep at the project level for a moment and bring it right down to the individual. After all, scope itself is an inanimate thing.\u00a0\u00a0It can\u2019t creep.\u00a0\u00a0Not all by itself, it can\u2019t.\u00a0\u00a0If scope is creeping, it\u2019s because someone is creeping it.<\/p>\n

And that \u2018someone\u2019 is you and me. How many times have you been to the grocery store with the intent of buying just one or two items and left with an entire cart load of extra things you need?<\/p>\n

It happens to all of us, despite our best intentions. And I\u2019ll guarantee that it can happen with any type of work too \u2013 from software development to marketing to construction. That temptation to do a bit more or just make it that little bit better is often too hard to resist.<\/p>\n

At the individual level, this kind of scope creep seems harmless; we can easily convince ourselves that we\u2019re doing the business a favor by going the extra mile. But those numerous small changes add up, costing the business A LOT in missed opportunity.<\/p>\n

If you want to\u00a0improve your team\u2019s overall performance<\/strong>, then first you need to recognize that scope creep is happening. Our marketing team here at\u00a0LeanKit<\/a>\u00a0has been facing this painful truth recently. As a team of ten we realized that if we all keep pushing the parameters of our work just a little bit everyday then we\u2019re ultimately slowing the team \u2013 and the organization\u00a0\u2013 down.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in the moment and all fired up about what you\u2019re working on, the temptation to do more can be overpowering. So here are 5 tips we\u2019ve come up with to try and minimize personal scope creep.<\/p>\n

Keep Your Scope Under Control<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Make sure you\u2019re clear about what\u2019s expected before you start doing the work. Don\u2019t assume you understand the scope; the only way to find out is by\u00a0collaborating<\/strong>\u00a0with the person responsible for approving the work.<\/li>\n
  2. Clearly\u00a0define<\/strong>\u00a0the \u2018definition of done\u2019. It\u2019s OK to share your ideas of how you\u2019d like to make it bigger and better; but then you need to scale it back and agree what makes sense to do now.<\/li>\n
  3. Document<\/strong>\u00a0what you\u2019ve agreed to. We eat the dogfood here, so it\u2019s all captured in the card on our\u00a0Planview AgilePlace board<\/a>. It avoids misunderstandings, keeps us honest and lets everyone else know the scope of the work too.<\/li>\n
  4. Communicate<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0early and often. As you complete stages of the work, check back to see if it\u2019s on track or if you\u2019ve veered off course. No one likes having to do major rework later.<\/li>\n
  5. Hold each other\u00a0accountable<\/strong>\u00a0within the team. If you\u2019ve documented what you said you\u2019d do, then your team members should be willing to ask \u2018So why are you adding whistles and bells?\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For our team it comes down to how much faster our throughout put could be and how much more we could get done if we all stay true to the \u2018definition of done\u2019.<\/p>\n

    It takes a lot of self-discipline, but if you remind yourself that\u00a0by doing less you\u2019re actually doing more<\/strong>\u00a0for your organization it\u2019s not as hard as it seems. Throw in some accountability, collaboration, and a good tool to help you manage it, and you\u2019ll be well on your way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The negative\u00a0impact of scope creep\u00a0on projects\u00a0is a well-documented fact. Scope changes \u2013 no matter how small or large \u2013 can affect the timeline and cost of a project. Whether it\u2019s new requirements being added or modifications of existing requirements,\u00a0scope creep\u00a0is the source of a lot of project management headaches. But how does scope creep impact…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[511],"class_list":["post-12385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-work-collaboration","tag-leankit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nScope Creep. It happens to ALL of us. - Blog | Planview<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The negative impact of scope creep on projects is a well-documented fact.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/scope-creep-it-happens-to-all-of-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scope Creep. 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