Signs it is time to revisit scope creep

The gap between knowing this and actually doing it is where most teams lose ground. A few signals that scope creep is due some attention.

The projects that go badly are rarely the ones with the hardest technical problems. Doing this properly once is usually cheaper than doing it approximately three times.

The signals

• Nobody can say when it was last reviewed
• The answer depends on who you ask
• Small additions compound into missed deadlines
• A written change process protects both sides

The practical version

Say yes to the change and honest about the cost. Where this goes wrong is almost never a lack of knowledge. The failure mode is not doing it wrong, it is doing it once and assuming it stays done.

The short version

Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. Three things worth confirming about scope creep before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• Say yes to the change and honest about the cost — 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.