If you are a Scrum Master, chances are you have encountered a project that became complicated along the way but started out with a definite plan. This becomes difficult for project teams because they will not be able to achieve the result within a particular time period. This situation is known as ‘scope creep’. It can lower the possibility of the project’s success and create unnecessary turmoil in the project team.
Generally, scope creep occurs when a problem is caused by new works or ideas introduced into the project without any modifications in the budget, timeline, or assigned resources. Therefore, it is necessary to have a fact about what scope creep is and how Scrum Masters tackle that problem in their practice.
Continue reading to find out how to make your clients happy, keep your team on track, and maintain the project on course.
Overview of Scope Creep
Scope creep is a condition where the goals and tasks of a project depart from the intended plan. Scope creep may increase above the initially defined scope even when the factors such as resources, time, or budget do not change.
For example, the major cause behind delays, a rise in costs, and chaos among project team members occurs when new requirements or features are added during the project’s lifecycle without prior planning or a proper strategy in place to cope with the increased burden.
The unexpected expansion in the size of a project would bring problems to the team executing the project in a particular time frame and with a given amount of money. Change in the interests and requests of the clients in a big project, disagreement, and a lack of good communication between people are the main causes leading to scope creep. As a consequence, the project team could encounter different issues like barriers, overspending, or the project taking longer than expected.
It is vital to note that a project is always subject to changes, partly due to changing customer needs with time. Therefore, a project manager should know about the methods that can assist in controlling the scope creep or solving the issues that arise when the scope is modified. Enrol in the CSM certification to learn how to control scope creep as a Scrum Master.
Techniques Used by Scrum Masters to Manage Scope Creep
It’s important to keep the project within the specified budget and on track by managing project scope creep appropriately. A few effective strategies used by Scrum Masters for managing scope creep are as follows:
Draft a Clear and Precise Project Scope from Scratch
It is greatly beneficial for the Scrum Master to set the project goal from the very beginning – by arranging a project’s timelines, deliverables, and goals to meet the requirements of the stakeholders accordingly. The things that need to be put into the project, as well as those that should not be included, should be listed out explicitly in the project scope. This will make Scrum Masters aware of the expectations and needs of customers or stakeholders, and at the same time, save them from including features that are deemed unnecessary in the future.
For example, while creating a website, make sure to highlight the specific timeline, features, or number of pages upfront. Requests that are made beyond this can be categorised as scope creep.
Clear Communication
Scope creep is avoided by Scrum Masters by establishing a transparent and regular chain of communication among the stakeholders and the project team. To fulfil new requests or resolve any issues, Scrum Masters conduct meetings frequently. It helps them to review progress.
For example: Engage with stakeholders regularly – this helps to ensure everyone involved in the project is on the same page. This way, it becomes easy to meet stakeholders’ expectations and eliminate the need to modify the scope of the project.
Control Change
With the help of a fitting approach, discover the methods to deal with the changes that are most likely to alter the project. It’s of utmost importance to first assess the impact of the new feature on the project in relation to resources, cost, and time before accepting a stakeholder’s request for it. The Scrum Master will alter the project plan once the request is acknowledged.
For example: If a client informs that he/she wants an additional room in the middle of a construction project, it’s important to calculate the extra costs. This will help you adapt to the schedule and meet client expectations. Register for the A-CSM certification to learn how to manage change throughout the project.
Proper Documentation
All the project-related documentation should be done properly – it’s important to record discussions, changes, or any agreements. This will help you retrieve relevant information related to everything that was agreed upon whenever a new request is made.
For example, you can create a document to keep track of any timeline updates, client approvals, or feature changes, especially while dealing with a software project. This will help you to validate any changes in the time and cope with scope changes.
Managing Priorities
It’s important to mark important project-related tasks as a priority by engaging with stakeholders. As a result, you can find out if a new request is more relevant than an existing task. It also helps you to decide if a new request is worth being included in the future stage of a project or not.
For example, if a client is requesting you to include a loyalty program while developing an e-commerce website, you can ask them if they want it to be included after the rollout or if it’s important for the launch.
Conclusion
If not controlled, a scope creep can sabotage a very meticulous and well-thought-out project. The project scope can be very well handled and the unnecessary add-ons can be avoided by demonstrating in a clear manner how the change control process will work and by using regular intervals to communicate with the stakeholders, and starting with the scope very clearly – as a result; the above steps enable the team to deal with the project and probably prevent the scope creep.
