Spotting Scope Creep

Even if it comes from you...

     Often the project manager acts as instructional designer as well.  That is often true in my case and, unfortunately, I am the worse offender of scope creep.  Currently, I am working on a project, mapping the middle and high school science program.  We agreed early on to complete the mapping, common assessments and list of required resources as a part of the Science focus this year.

Here is how it begins:

     "But, wouldn't it also be great if we then designed a new Science Fair initiative?  It all makes perfect sense as we are using a new set of standards that require inquiry, problem solving and critical thinking through the scientific process. Its part of the mapping, in a round about sort of way.  Then, the 6th grade teacher says, 'Oh well, I can pilot it this year and work out the issues before we go full school."

Factors sparking scope creep:

     In our case, scope creep emerged from a desire to do more.  The excitement surrounding the possibilities of the new curricula got the better of us and we were off.  Portny et al (2008) describe "the natural tendency of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project's output as the project progresses" (p. 346) as "common".  Another factor leading to change was the perceived need to differentiate in a tangible way the old curricula from the new; to demonstrate the extent of the work done.

Problems that emerged:

    The initial mapping went very well.  We were on schedule and excited about the progress made.  The moment we began to tackle the specifics of the implementation of the curricula and particularly the extent of the Science fair, the excitement quickly turned to frustration.  The teachers working on the curricula were not meeting the deadlines of our project schedule primarily and were requesting additional time to work on the project.  We had allotted in our budget for 3 days where the teachers would have substitute coverage.  Three days were no longer sufficient so we were over budget, over time and the "client", the Head of School was wondering what went wrong.  Luckily, we had shared our ideas with him and he was equally excited by them.   "A major source of trouble with changes is typically that the project manager...adopts an informal process of handling requests for change" (Portny, et al, 2008, p. 346).  That is certainly what happened with us!


In the end:

     The Science fair details were postponed until the following year and the specifics of instructional strategies were tabled until the main assessments could be completed.  We were back where we started, but not without our bruises in the form of unpaid overtime, unnecessary frustration and a compromised quality of assessment materials.

What we learned:

1. Be specific from the beginning.  Ensure that all stakeholders are on board with the project's outcomes and personal responsibilities.  Have the initial process formalized by placing everything in writing and having stakeholders sign off.
2.  Have an ideas portion of the project.  Inevitably, you will come up with ideas to expand or/and enhance the project you are working on.  Write them down.  Place them as suggestions for projects later on.  Do not discard them; they are also very valuable to the process.
3. But, make sure you do NOT make these a part of the existing project.  Make it your goal to stick to the objectives, timeline and budget you agreed to at the beginning.

I love this quote attributed to Mark Skaife, a well known motor racing driver, "There was a bit of youthful enthusiasm going on.  But they were all way too deep and I came out in a second."  Wish I had!  Next time.

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.