Keep projects under control

 

Managing scope creep and your stakeholders…..

Always get clarity on the scope of the project before you start. Get this from the sponsor to understand the parameters and overall objective and validate it with other key stakeholders. Make sure expectations are clear, requirements are understood and what is “in and out”.

The acceptance criteria should be set out alongside a milestone plan detailing all deliverables.

Scope creep is not the end of the world….as long as it is managed effectively and an impact analysis is always carried out with a clear audit trail of decisions made. A change in scope may not mean failure but it will inevitably affect the time, cost and quality aspects so make sure a thorough cost benefit analysis takes place to understand if it is worth altering the path of the project.

A change control process should always involve the sponsor AND other key stakeholders.