Taking the Creep Out of Scope Creep

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Webinar: Taking the Creep out of Scope Creep:

Managing Project Scope

April 3, 201211:00 AM – 12:30 PM

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Janet Russac, CFPS, CSMSPrincipal

Software Measurement Expertise, Inc. (SME)[email protected]

Michael MilutisDirector of Marketing

Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI)[email protected]

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AboutSoftware Measurement Expertise, Inc.

(SME)• Janet Russac, CFPS, CSMS – Principal/Owner

• Over 30 years experience as a programmer, analyst and measurement specialist in software application development and maintenance

• Leads a team of experienced consultants who offer expertise in:

• Function Point Counting• Software Measurement• Estimation• Auditing• Training• Mentoring• Benchmarking

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Topics

• What is project scope, scope management and scope creep?

• What causes scope creep?

• Is all scope creep bad?

• How can scope creep be avoided?

• How can scope creep be managed?

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Defining Scope, Scope Management and Scope Creep

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• Project Scope

• As defined by the Project Management Institute Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK):

• The features and functions that are to be included in a product or service.

• The work that must be done to deliver a product with the specified features and functions.

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• Project Scope Management

• As defined by the Project Management Institute Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK):

• The processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.

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• Scope Creep

• Also known as “scope change” or “scope gallop”

• Definition according to the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG):

• Additional functionality that was not specified in the original requirements, but is identified as the scope is being clarified and the functions defined.

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Scope Creep is the primary cause of late deliveries and potentially "never

ending" projects!

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Causes of Scope Creep

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• Poorly defined project scope in the Project Statement

• Not clearly identifying what is in scope and what is out of scope

• Poor requirements analysis

• Not spending enough time gathering business requirements

• Assuming you know what is needed

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• Poor project requirements

• Requirements are ambiguous or open to interpretation

• Requirements not fully documented

• Poor project control / lack of change control

• Not having a process to manage changes

• Not following the process to manage changes

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• Underestimating the Complexity of the Project

• Failure to use similar projects from the past to estimate the current project

• Not Involving Users Early Enough

• Thinking you know what the users want or need

• Not involving the users in both the requirements analysis and design phases

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• Indecisive project stakeholders

• Project stakeholders indecisive about the functionality and scope they require

• Too many project stakeholders who have differing priorities and objectives

• Multiple project stakeholders arguing over prioritization of functionality to be delivered

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• Gold Plating

• The practice of exceeding the scope of a project in the belief it is adding value

• Developers add new features believing they will increase customer satisfaction

• These changes consume time and budget, and are not guaranteed to increase customer satisfaction

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Is all scope creep bad?

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• Unavoidable scope creep

• Market trends are continually changing.

• Changes to requirements are required to keep abreast with competition.

• Government / Regulatory requirements could change.

• These have to be implemented.

• Products out of your control with which your project must interface could have changes to them.

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How can scope creep be avoided?

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• Write an accurate and detailed Project Scope Statement.

• Get the statement approved by all project stakeholders during project initiation.

• Ensure that project requirements are accurate, documented and approved.

• All of the project stakeholders must read and approve the requirements.

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• Good initial estimating and planning

• Well-written requirements are necessary for good estimates!

• Requirements need to be complete, unambiguous, detailed and sizable.

• Use historical data for similar projects to generate the estimates.

• Utilize these estimates in your project plan.

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• A Change Request Process must be defined and adhered to by all.

• Assess the impact of the change request on time, cost and schedule.

• Review this analysis with the project stakeholders.

• Get approval of the change request from the project stakeholders.

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How can scope creep be managed?

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• Educate the customer / stakeholder.

• Make the customer aware of the implications of the change request in terms of its impact on time, schedule and costs.

• Establish a good rapport with the customer and other project stakeholders.

• A good rapport leads to open discussions and better problem resolutions.

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• Actively manage expectations.

• Set project expectations with the customer stakeholders and get the buy in from the customer.

• Manage the project team.

• All team members should be fully aware of the project scope and concentrate on delivering it and nothing more.

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• Have a formal change request process.

• The change request should be documented.

• The business benefit of any change request should be assessed.

• Cost and time estimates as well as schedule adjustments need to be done for each change request so the customer is clear about its impact.

• Approval from the customer is required before including the change as addition to the scope.

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Conclusions

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• Turn a potential negative into a positive!

• Project team and project stakeholders work as a team to effectively manage the changes by not affecting the project timelines and budget.

• Effectively managing scope creep means:

☺Successful delivery

☺Quality product

☺Improved customer satisfaction

☺Happy project team

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Questions?

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Janet Russac, CFPS, CSMSPrincipal

Software Measurement Expertise, Inc. (SME)[email protected]

Michael MilutisDirector of Marketing

Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI)[email protected]

Achieving business excellence