Scope creep in project management: Definition & fixes

Picture this: you're hard at work on a project and its deliverables. Suddenly, you get an ask to add another deliverable. It wasn't in the original plan, but it's easy enough to do, so you agree. Then, after a few days, another email. Suddenly, instead of being on track, your project is delayed and unsuccessful.

What you're experiencing is scope creep, and it can happen to the best of us. In this article, you'll learn all you need to know about what causes scope creep, how to spot it early, and how you can avoid it.

What is scope creep in project management?

Scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of a project's requirements beyond its original plan, often happening gradually without formal approval. In project management, your project scope defines the requirements and deliverables captured in your project plan, roadmap, or brief. When new tasks and deliverables exceed the preset scope without corresponding adjustments to the timeline or budget, scope creep occurs.

What's the problem with scope creep?

Sometimes, scope creep is harmless; it might manifest as an extra deliverable or two that, while cumbersome, don't alter the project in any significant way. Notable scope creep can undermine your project's success by diverting attention from your objectives. Time spent on these added asks and deliverables is time not spent on your project's actual objectives.

Scope creep vs. scope change

Understanding the difference between scope creep and scope change helps you manage projects more effectively. Here's how they compare:

What causes scope creep?

No one ever wants to see their project fail or lose sight of its original objectives. Here are the most common causes of scope creep, and how you can prevent them.

1. No project scope

Without a defined project scope, you can't align or communicate your work to everyone involved. If you're working with an outside team or agency, you also lack documentation to reference when stakeholders try to add new elements.

How to fix it: Define your project scope at the start. Include key documents such as:

• A statement of work

• A work breakdown structure (WBS)

• Your project plan or brief

2. Poor communication

Once you have your project scope, share it. If you don't distribute the document early, stakeholders won't be able to give feedback before requests spiral out of control.

How to fix it: Include your project scope in early project documentation, like your project plan or brief. Early stakeholder engagement creates allies against scope creep and ensures misalignment gets resolved before work begins.

3. Unclear project objectives

Your project objectives define what you're aiming to deliver. When objectives are clear, your team knows exactly which tasks contribute to success and can focus on high-priority work.

Without clear objectives, team members may not know what to prioritize. They might end up working on tasks that don't move the project forward.

Example of an unclear project objective: Improve our company blog to feature stories our readers love.

Example of a clear project objective: Craft at least five different types of blogs in Q1, including, but not limited to, customer stories, tips, new product features, team spotlights, and thought leadership. Closely monitor engagement on each new blog post to determine the top three categories to continue honing in future quarters.

4. Unrealistic project objectives

OK, so maybe your project objectives are clear, but if they're not something your team can realistically achieve within the time (and within the scope of your project), then your project will inevitably either fail or experience scope creep.

Make sure you're able to achieve your objectives within your project constraints, including time frame and available resources. Check your project objectives against your scope and project schedule to ensure you can ultimately deliver a successful project. If your project objectives and scope aren't aligned at the beginning of the project, managing scope creep becomes nearly impossible.

5. Too many stakeholders

It's really hard to steer a project when everyone is trying to grab the wheel. Without a clear project owner, your work and scope can get muddied.

Though you'll have various stakeholders and collaborators on the project, ensure every team has a project lead who's directly responsible for driving the work forward. To build additional project roles, consider creating a RACI matrix. RACI stands for the four main roles in project management:

• Responsible. This is the person who is driving the project. They'll make most of the on-the-ground decisions.

• Approver. Sometimes, you may need approval from a stakeholder or a group of stakeholders. Your Approvers might set the budget, objectives, or tone, among other things.

• Consulted. Consulted stakeholders are people you might check in with to get their opinion, insight, or guidance. Though the Responsible & Approver roles have final say, the Consulted role is usually an expert in the field.

• Informed. This is anyone who needs to know about your project. The Informed role might include your project team, cross-functional stakeholders, or executive leaders.

6. Ineffective change control process

Even with clearly defined roles, you still need an effective change control process. Change control guides how foundational project elements, including scope, can be modified.

A strong change control process typically includes:

• Submission: A formal process for stakeholders to submit change requests

• Review: Evaluation by the project manager and key stakeholders

• Decision: A system to accept, deny, or defer changes

This process lets you maintain control while still allowing flexibility when changes are truly necessary.

7. Last-minute customer feedback

Customer feedback is essential for customer-facing work, such as new products or marketing campaigns. But late feedback can completely change your project's scope, timeline, or objectives, forcing you to start over with new requirements.

How to fix it: Collect customer feedback early and often. Use an Agile project methodology that incorporates real-time feedback, or try our free user research template to build regular feedback into your process.

Examples of project scope creep

Scope creep can affect any project at any time. Here's how it might show up in your work:

• Shifting deadlines: Your team lead keeps extending deadlines and requesting more features without clear specifications. When requirements remain vague and deadlines remain flexible, scope creep takes hold.

• External disruptions: Changes outside your control, such as economic conditions or a natural disaster. The resulting uncertainty leads to "wait and see" delays that expand the scope.

• Resource constraints: You're tasked with the same workload but fewer resources. As you scramble to keep up, project goals slip and scope creeps.

In software development, it's common to use Agile methods for project management. Agile projects are more flexible and adaptable, which makes them ideal for software development. But it's also much easier for scope creep to take hold. When using any flexible project management approach, you'll want to put processes in place that help keep work on track and focused, preventing scope creep.

Why is it important to establish project scope?

When you establish a scope management plan, you're creating a common understanding between you, the project manager, and all of your project stakeholders. Without a defined project scope, you won't have a clear, pre-approved control over what is and isn't included in your project deliverables. This can lead to misalignment and misunderstanding.

How to identify project scope

To prevent scope creep, you need a clearly defined project scope. Scoping your project simply means writing down parameters you've already established in documents like your project brief.

Follow these five steps to identify and establish your project scope:

1. Start with the "why." Why are you and your team working on this project? What do you hope to accomplish? Knowing the size and scope of what you intend to achieve will help you define your project scope.

2. Bring in your project objectives. Your project objectives and project scope are tightly linked. Your project objectives define the aim of your project, and, in turn, they must fit within your project scope.

3. Write down your project scope. Remember, this doesn't have to be very long. Your project scope is a place to clearly outline your project deliverables and how they relate to your project objectives. Feel free to use bullet points, too.

4. Review your project scope. Make sure you get buy-in from stakeholders and that everyone is aligned on the project deliverables, objectives, and scope.

5. Make adjustments if necessary. If you weren't aligned in step four, take some time to rewrite your project scope. Before finalizing it, surface the document to your stakeholders again, to ensure buy-in.

The benefits of preventing scope creep

Scope creep does more than lengthen project timelines. The confusion and frustration it causes can make your team feel disengaged. Here's what you gain by preventing it:

• Reliable delivery: You're more likely to stick to deadlines and produce what you promised.

• Focused work: Without constant disruptions, your team can stay in the flow state and be more productive.

• Customer satisfaction: High-quality, focused work leads to better products and happier customers.

How to fix scope creep

OK, you've already gotten started on a project, and you're worried about scope creep: now what?

If you feel scope creep coming on, there are a few things you can do:

1. Resurface the project scope. If project stakeholders are pushing for new deliverables, remind them of the project scope and what was included and what wasn't. Hopefully, that will help the entire project team realign on the project's requirements.

2. Try a change control process. Ask the requester to submit their change requests through the change control process you've set up. Then review those requests with your project stakeholders and decide whether each is worth altering your project scope for.

3. If the scope changes are accepted, consider de-prioritizing another deliverable. Is there anything you can delay or cut altogether to make room for this new work?

4. If there isn't a way to de-prioritize any currently-planned work, take a look at your project resources. Use your resource management plan to identify resources you can leverage to achieve your project objectives.

To do all of this and maintain clarity on your project scope, objectives, and plan, use a work management tool like Asana. With Asana, you can manage your entire workflow and share it with your entire project team, so everyone's on the same page.

Manage scope creep with Asana

Some people might say, "Hey, scope creep happens." And for many of us, it does. But you can also prevent it. With a clear project scope, visible project plan, and easy-to-use work management solution, you can hit your project objectives without going outside of your project scope.

Ready to take control of your projects and keep scope creep at bay? With Asana, you can define project scope, track deliverables, manage change requests, and keep your entire team aligned in one place. Get started today and see how Asana helps teams stay focused on the work that matters most.

Frequently asked questions about scope creep