Scope Creep – Information Technology Projects

What is Scope Creep in Information Technology Projects

Every IT project has deliverables that it must meet, the duration and the cost (budget). Moreover, there are a number of requirements that must be agreed to be delivered throughout the project until its full completion. All these elements constitute the project scope (Mirza, Pourzolfaghar, & Shahnazari, 2013). However, sometimes some variation may occur in the course of the project implementation, which alters the scope of the project. This alteration is what constitutes the scope creep. Scope creep is a common occurrence in the IT projects and this is often caused by poor change control implementation, lack of involvement of the end users, consolidation of multiple projects and external changes like change in technology or regulatory framework.

How to control Scope Creep in Information Technology Projects

In order to control scope creep, a number of IT management tools are employed (Léger, Lyle, Babin, Charland, & Pellerin, 2013). Having a flexible design can help to accommodate any changes and thus controlling scope creep. The other tools that can be used is the implementation of project in phases. This offers an opportunity for the end users to roll in some of the additional information. Moreover, project scope creep can be controlled through over-communication, proper documentation of all project details and involvement of the management during the development and implementation.

Some of the possible factors that may cause scope creep in the scenario provided include changes in employee requirements, the complexity of the project requirements, which may cause the project to creep at some point and the lack of involvement of the employees in the project development and implementation.

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