Week 6 - Analyzing Scope Creep
 |
| Photo by Mikhail Nilov at Pexels |
Analyzing Scope Creep
Scope Creep often occurs when there
is enthusiasm about what is being planned. The desire to deliver an effective
program or an outstanding event that looks good and runs well can quickly develop
into scope creep. Stakeholders' “what if we…” proposals are not intended to increase
the budgetary needs or to extend the timeline; however, that is often the
result when one expands the scope of a project.
The Plan
A school movie night was planned
to fundraise for supplies. The project leaders and seven volunteers attended the
kickoff meeting. The meeting was opened with the presentation of the idea and purpose
for the movie night. The plan was simple, and the objective was to raise money
without spending too much. The movie night would be held in the school hall, where
admission would be free. Funds would be raised
from the sale of drinks and popcorn. The movie would be projected onto a stretched
white sheet, creating a large screen that would cost nothing because both the
projector and the sheet were available for free. The school owned a popcorn
machine, mitigating the costs for the planned snacks. Popcorn seeds, oil, seasonings, and beverages such as water, soda, and juice would all be purchased for sale. Once the plan was presented, the volunteers were
invited to share their thoughts concerning the plan. The plan was accepted as an
excellent way to raise funds; however, the keenness to contribute resulted in a
flow of ideas that increased the original plan into a significant event.
Scope Creep Example
A suggestion was made to increase
the screen size to ensure everyone could see the movie from their seat. One of the volunteers knew a guy who rented
screens, and they would check to see if it was available. Next, it was suggested that in addition to popcorn,
various types of candy and bags of chips could be sold. Another suggested having flyers made to
advertise the fundraiser. Having flyers made would lead to more people
attending; therefore, it was suggested that speakers be rented to ensure
everyone could hear the movie. All the ideas were considered significant, and
excitement increased at the prospect of such a fun event. By the end of the meeting, the budget for the
event had inflated, reducing the fundraising profit.
The Issue
Scope Creep is defined as “adding
features and functionality (project scope) without addressing the effects on
time, cost, and resources, or without customer approval” (PMI, 2008, p.448). In
this case, the fundraising movie night objective was not considered. The purpose was to raise as much funds as
possible by spending as little as possible at the onset. There was no thought of
the budget increase as each great suggestion produced additional expenses. Ultimately, the event’s budget was more
extensive than expected, making it less of a fundraiser.
What Should Have Happened
There is an argument that if the leaders
approve of the changes, it is not Scope Creep (Larson & Larson, 2009). I
disagree because, although the project leaders were in the meeting, the onslaught
of ideas was overwhelming, and the excitement of having the event overshadowed
the actual objective. The leaders had no control over the volunteer's
priorities, which focused on creating a fun social event and not fundraising. In this situation, to deal with Scope Creep,
the leaders should have revisited the plan's objective by highlighting the
event's purpose (Walden University, n.d.) in hopes of refocusing the volunteers.
In addition to refocusing the volunteers, the leaders should validate their
ideas by suggesting they be used in another project (Walden University, n.d.).
References
Larson, R. & Larson, E. (2009). Top five causes of scope creep
... and what to do about them. [Paper Presentation] PMI® Global Congress, North
America, Orlando, FL. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/top-five-causes-scope-creep-6675#
Project
Management Institute. (2008). A guide to the project management body of
knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (4th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.works.gov.bh/English/ourstrategy/Project%20Management/Documents/Other%20PM%20Resources/PMBOKGuideFourthEdition_protected.pdf
Walden
University, LLC. (Producer). (n.d.). Project management concerns: ‘Scope
creep’ [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting.