A short guide to scope creep

We end up explaining this on discovery calls often enough that it deserved writing down. Everything we would tell a client about scope creep in the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. The practical test is whether someone new to the project could tell, in a minute, that it had been handled.

The reason this keeps coming up

Small additions compound into missed deadlines. Small and consistent beats large and occasional here. It is worth deciding this deliberately rather than inheriting whatever the last person set up.

Where to start

A written change process protects both sides. That sounds obvious written down. It is still the thing most often skipped. It rarely shows up as a line item, which is exactly why it slips.

Warning signs

Say yes to the change and honest about the cost. The reasoning matters more than the rule, because the rule has exceptions. Assume whoever inherits this will have half your context and none of your patience.

In practice

Strategy work is mostly deciding what not to do, and writing it down so it stays decided. Three things worth confirming about scope creep before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• Small additions compound into missed deadlines — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

If you want a second opinion on how yours is set up, ask.