Defining Project Scope and Expectations to Dissuade Scope Creep

Without a clear definition of project scope, creative minds will find ways to define it in their own image. We all look at priorities, needs, and wants differently. What might seem to be a reasonable ask or change can blow up like a balloon if you are not careful. For example, I was once part of a project in an organization deemed the "Zero Downtime Initiative." This project aimed to identify and eliminate any possibility of software, hardware, or network failures causing customer outages. This is a noble cause (as any customer would agree). However, the project wasn't scoped for the effort before it began. Instead of utilizing a project SOW and plan, the CEO started the project with a directive: go forth and get to zero downtime by the end of the year.

Each product team scrambled to determine where this initiative fit into their packed schedule. Was the directive a priority, and how could they get around it if not? In addition, there was no designated budget to draw from and no apparent consequence for missing the deadline. Some teams used the directive to replace tens of thousands of dollars in antiquated hardware, while others felt all customer outages were the customer's fault, so they could do nothing. Networks were load-tested until they broke with the excuse that the outages were justified in the initiative's name. As the end of the year came and went, and outages remained, it was clear the efforts to reach zero downtime were beyond what the CEO hoped.

The following year, the Zero Downtime Initiative was no longer on the lips of the CEO or any other stakeholders. Instead, a new project was created to implement problem-management processes throughout the company. A problem management process is used to investigate and prevent downtime reoccurrence. It includes defining a change control process for enhancing software, hardware, and networks prioritized within each product team. It was clear that a lesson in scope and task definition was learned. This new project was scoped as a 5-year initiative broken into multiple phases, and the budget, steps, and tasks were socialized throughout the organization.

A primary reason for scope creep given by forbes.com is poor or undefined scope (Rudder et al., 2022). In my Zero Downtime example, the CEO's directive completely lacked a scope definition. Without communicating the project expectations and limits, you cannot expect your team to know or adhere to them. In addition, scope creep can be caused by a lack of prioritization and too many decision-makers calling the shots (Rudder et al., 2022). People do not always ask for clarification when they lack direction. Some will set their own priorities and take control, while others may float along as if no information means no attention is necessary. In the following year, the Problem Management initiative exemplified the proper way to approach decreasing outages. A project manager worked with stakeholders to define specific project tasks, efforts, costs, and priorities. If I were working on this project as a PM, I would also be sure there was a RACI chart. The RACI would clearly illustrate who can and cannot approve change requests to avoid a decision-maker free-for-all.

Another reason the scope of the Zero Downtime project was out of control was an unrealistic project objective: zero downtime by the end of the year. Setting a specific date on a project that hasn't been scoped is risky. Although there are times that the deadline cannot move, a project manager will still need to determine the scope to know if the ask is achievable or needs to be negotiated (Martins, 2023). As was demonstrated in the Problem-Management project example, the goal was no longer zero downtime but instead implementing a new problem review process over five years and in phases. That is a big difference in achievability.

In addition, the socialization of the Problem-Management project plan was critical to the project's success. As a project manager, I would improve on this by creating a communications plan that allows stakeholders to indicate how they prefer to be communicated to and shows when and how they would receive updates. Although understanding the initial plan was helpful, additional communications in the form of updates and statuses to each stakeholder would improve their ability to prepare for future involvement. It also lets stakeholders know who to contact for scope-change requests, concerns, or questions. A best practice in project management is to communicate continuously. The PM should work to set expectations at the launch and all the way through to project completion (Walden University, LLC., n.d.).

Big ideas and goals can be great drivers for improvements, but achieving those big ideas takes careful planning, including estimating the work involved. Setting scope expectations will help a project manager define timelines and determine risks. Planning and adding guardrails around project scope will also help stakeholders know how to request scope changes and the process in which they are reviewed (Martins, 2023). Although the CEO in this example had good intentions, his directive failed. Thankfully, he later engaged project managers to set realistic goals and define a new project plan, including an achievable timeline and scope. The new Problem-Management process is still in use today and is continually improved upon to reduce customer downtime.

References

Martins, J. (2023, January 12). 7 common causes of scope creep, and how to avoid them. https://asana.com/resources/what-is-scope-creep

Rudder, A., Maine, K., & Watts, R. (Ed) (2022, August 25). Scope creep: Definition, examples, & how to prevent it. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/scope-creep/

Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Monitoring projects [Video file]. https://waldenu.instructure.com