Tag: Scope Creep

You’ve just read through the specs for your team’s newest project, but you are completely and utterly befuddled because the scope is so incredibly vague and potentially nebulous. To say there’s room for interpretation is putting it mildly, as Nostradamus’ quatrains are more clear-cut and straightforward than these specifications. You’re left with far more questions than answers and that’s a bad place to be—especially since those specs are intended to serve as a precise roadmap for this software development project.

Your software project started out on a smooth path, with a reasonable budget and timeline, but over time, things changed. The scope evolved in some dramatic ways, so now the budget and timeline no longer suit the original endeavor. This is what sits at the core of scope creep. It’s a stealthy process that tends to go unnoticed. Even more frustrating: it could have been avoided in the first place. But to prevent scope creep, it’s vital that you understand its primary causes. Only then can you implement measures that will streamline operations, while preventing uncontrolled shifts impacting nearly every aspect of your project.