Preventing Uncompensated Scope Creep

If you, as a student or young practitioner, are the manager of a project or a portion of a project, you can, as you prepare the PP and then get the project underway, prevent many USC incidents. Ten suggestions follow that will help prevent USC. Most are simple to understand while requiring self-discipline to consistently apply. These tips are offered, smorgasbord style, for your consideration. Select and apply the tips that will benefit you, your team, and those you serve. 

Our principal purpose, early in the process of pursuing a potential project or as we start to prepare the PP, is to discover what the other person and/or organization really wants and, eventually, what they need. For a detailed treatment of this important topic, refer to the section of Chapter 7 titled Strive to Understand Client, Owner, and Customer Wants and Needs.  

The important process of preparing and using, both internally and externally, a PP is amply discussed in Chapter 5 and need not be repeated here. Not having a PP essentially guarantees potential USC situations. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Slowly, and surely, like the snail mentioned earlier, scope creep scenarios will arise because everyone is not on the same page or you missed necessary tasks and/or deliverables. The only remaining issue is will the cost of the added services or products, or perhaps a reduced schedule, be compensated or a gift to the client, owner, or customer And the question will have to be answered frequently because, in the absence of a PP, the probability of USC rises. 

As project manager, you may be reluctant to raise the issue of client, owner, and customer responsibilities. After all, you are here to be of service—and you and others in your organization like to talk about full service. However, consider three benefits of defining the responsibilities of those you serve, from the perspective of avoiding USC. 

The first benefit is psychological. Most clients, owners, and customers want to be meaningfully involved in certain aspects of their project. For example, their retaining of a consultant does not usually mean that they want a hands off approach. 

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Often, discussions of Scope lead to the possibility of uncompensated scope creep (USC), that is, work outside of the initially agreed-upon tasks that is requested or expected without compensation. An understanding of the project s Scope by project team members will reduce the likelihood of internally and externally-driven USC. Preventing and resolving USC, which is an important aspect of project management, is addressed in detail in the next chapter. 

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