As learned in EDUC 6145, scope creep is the natural
tendency to try to improve the project’s output as the project progresses (Pornty,
Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Although this may not sound like a bad idea
and people may think it could lead to a better end product of a project, this
is not the case. Scope creep can upset
clients that are not told how long the changes will delay the project or how
much the cost of the project with rise as a result (Portny et al., 2008).
Several years ago, I was an active 4-H volunteer
with a focus on raising sheep. The 4-H
program staff decided that it would be beneficial to hold a workshop for
children on how to prepare their sheep for the fair as well as how to show
their animals. This was not a problem
because there were adults available with expertise that could work with the
children. As the planning of this one
day workshop continued, however, other volunteers came up with ideas for arts and
crafts as well as games. It was decided that this event should take place over
the course of two days instead of one and that the children would stay
overnight in the dorms on the fairgrounds where the event was taking
place. By deciding to have this event
over the course of two days, it required the need to provide breakfast, lunch,
and dinner, in addition to other supplies which in the end added to the cost of
the workshop.
Although the children had fun with the different
activities and there ended up being follow through with the scope creep, there
was not a complete focus on what the original objective for holding the
workshop was. The length of the workshop
was dragged out from what was originally planned and the cost was higher. When considering a project and developing it,
it is imperative to focus on the objective that has been established for a
better end result. Additional aspects could
be included with the overlying objective for the workshop but in the end, time
would be taken away from the original purpose of the workshop, reducing its
potential value.
Looking back on this project from a project manager perspective,
I would have more carefully considered the purpose for holding the
workshop. Although staying overnight
with friends and doing arts and crafts might be fun, it is important to stop
and ask if these activities are important to the overall objective of helping
children prepare their sheep for the fair.
It is important to provide opportunities for children to have fun so
that they stay engaged, but this can be done with content associated with the
workshop objective rather than creating other opportunities just for a “fun”
factor.
Resource:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J.,
Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project
management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
