The project which I am currently working on at work has experienced a major amount of scope creep over the months, and it seems to be continuing. It seems as though once one change is allowed, then the changes, or “scope creep” continues to happen over and over again. This has affected both the schedule and the budget. While the end delivery date has remained the same, the intermediate timelines of individual portions of the projects have been moved and juggled around. In terms of the budget it seems as though we (the company I work for) is making the changes requested by the client at our expense. Although I am sure there were funds held aside for this very reason. I cannot say for sure, but only speculate from what I hear and see.
I am actually part of the team that is in charge of implementing these changes. While they are value adds to the web-based courses, these changes come a great expense across the board. To make it even more frustrating these changes in scope would have quite easy to do early in the process, these changes were even suggested by IDs and team leads early on; however since they were over-and-above in terms of interactivity level, we were told to incorporate our ideas. In some cases, we were told they were not possible to do on our system. However, now that the client wants the changes and our company wants to try and secure future business, they are willing to implement what the customer wants at great costs.
Scope creep is something that should be expected to occur in any project. As a project gets involved new things come up, and a PM should know this and have a change in scope ready (Stolovitvh, Video). The PM needs to be prepared, and have his or her team prepared for what might arise. This can be eased through good communication and building a solid relationship with those working on the project. "Avoiding scope creep is not possible." However, monitoring it, controlling it, and thereby reducing some of the pain is possible" (Portney, et al., p. 347). This is why it is imperative to create a sound Statement of Work, project scope, schedule (with wiggle room), budget, communication plan, and close-out checklist. In other words, have a plan in place follow it and communicate it to your team.
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stolovitch. Monitoring Projects. Video Retrieved February 9, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4744643&Survey=1&47=6447409&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
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ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThe important part of planning is that there will be change and change needs a plan also. Scope creeping is a part of most projects so having a contingency plan in place is crucial. Dr. Stolovich also talks about having a 20% contingency plan in place. This reserve will allow for mistake, additions and unforeseen events.
Stolovich, H., Monitoring Projects Retrieve February 14, 2011 Laureate Education, Inc.
Good example, Jennifer. This type of "scope creep" is common on training development projects. The best thing we can do as project managers of these types of projects is to implement and hold fast to a change management plan (Portny, et. al., 2008). If the client/stakeholders agree to that upfront and if the PM implements it when change begins to creep in... then it is possible to manage it. I agree with everything you've said here, in terms of how to best prepare for the inevitable change that comes with most projects. Building in a contingency plan or a buffer that allows you extra time to "spend" or add in where needed is a great way to keep the project schedule on track.
ReplyDeleteReference
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.